Df96 “Developer&Fix” B&W Monobath: CineStill is pushing this as a kind of magical process for b&w. Single bath then wash. Almost the same time and temp for all films. Wide temp...

drmike99 Loc: Fairfield Connecticut

CineStill is pushing this as a kind of magical process for b&w. Single bath then wash. Almost the same time and temp for all films. Wide temp latitude and time almost irrelevant. Sounds too good to be true. Anyone know anything about it?

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

drmike99 wrote:

CineStill is pushing this as a kind of magical process for b&w. Single bath then wash. Almost the same time and temp for all films. Wide temp latitude and time almost irrelevant. Sounds too good to be true. Anyone know anything about it?

If it sounds too good to be true, I would run, not walk, Sorry, I was a traditional B&W Film guy.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

drmike99 wrote:

CineStill is pushing this as a kind of magical process for b&w. Single bath then wash. Almost the same time and temp for all films. Wide temp latitude and time almost irrelevant. Sounds too good to be true. Anyone know anything about it?

I’ll have to see some reliable archival test results before considering it.

drmike99 Loc: Fairfield Connecticut

Here’s the link: https://cinestillfilm.com/products/df96-developer-fix-b-w-monobath-single-step-solution-for-processing-at-home?utm_source=CineStill+Updates&utm_campaign=64577d7aa6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_07_12_05_39&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7436e2f40a-64577d7aa6-304359837&mc_cid=64577d7aa6&mc_eid=37044fe3fa

User ID

`

Monobaths have always existed and the concept is
not voodoo. The brand you mention is not familiar,
but this is not Rocket Science. IOW, no reason to
doubt the new brand.

IIRC one should know beforehand that monobath
will be used since it reduces film speed about 1EV.

As for archival qualities, just wash it very well. Is
it "Smithsonian Institution" grade archival ? Beats
me, but most of the stuff in archives was never
intentionally created to be archival. It's just stuff
that happened to survive more or less intact.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

drmike99 wrote:

CineStill is pushing this as a kind of magical process for b&w. Single bath then wash. Almost the same time and temp for all films. Wide temp latitude and time almost irrelevant. Sounds too good to be true. Anyone know anything about it?

Yes. It's not the be-all-end-all of developing. I don't like monobaths and one reason is that they don't solve a problem. It's not a problem to develop B&W film with fixer and stop (vinegar or water) so I see monobaths as not necessary.

Also, my results sucked.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

Monobath has been around for years. Cannot ever remember using it, although I did many years in Press Photography (B&W Printing from wet negatives Saturday football).

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

And the other downside to monobaths; you get what you get. You can't be everything to everyone unless something gets sacrificed, and in this case it's your development customization, shorter, longer, time and temp for contrast control. You don't have that with this.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

rpavich wrote:

And the other downside to monobaths; you get what you get. You can't be everything to everyone unless something gets sacrificed, and in this case it's your development customization, shorter, longer, time and temp for contrast control. You don't have that with this.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

drmike99 wrote:

CineStill is pushing this as a kind of magical process for b&w. Single bath then wash. Almost the same time and temp for all films. Wide temp latitude and time almost irrelevant. Sounds too good to be true. Anyone know anything about it?

It “probly sorta” works.

I no longer use film, but after four decades of personal darkroom work and three + decades of living in a pro lab environment, I know this: The more you simplify a development process, the less precise the results become.

Most B&W film processes take about 30 to 40 minutes (before drying time). Is that too long for high quality results?

All my own negs from 1968 on are still intact. This was my regimen:

Develop
Stop Bath
Rapid Fix
Heico PermaWash
Wash
Squeegee
Dry (hang)

User ID

rpavich wrote:

.......
don't like monobaths and one reason is that they
don't solve a problem. ......

So true. Mono once had a purpose. Attempting
to peddle it in the digital era is kinda pointless.

OTOH, mebbe it has some appeal to the Holga
and Lomo cult. Seems appropriate ... a simple
crude BW system for simple crude film cameras.
Such users actually ARE a real market.

Peeps just wanna have FUN ! Geeks don't really
understand young artistes :-( Frinstintz ... how
many UHH get their kicks shooting drastically
out-of-date Polaroid film ? Whaddumsane !

`

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

User ID wrote:

So true. They once had a purpose. To be trying
to peddle it in the digital era is kinda pointless.

OTOH, mebbe they have an appeal to the Holga
and Lomo cult. Seems appropriate ... a simple
crude BW system for simple crude film cameras.
Peeps just wanna have FUN ! Geeks don't really
understand young artistes :-(

`

I don't think it has anything to do with digital or not, it's just that watching a tank of developer for 5 minutes with a 30 second rinse followed by a 5 minute fix just isn't that big of a hardship. You are trading "meh" results and lost of contrast control to save 5 minutes of your time. It doesn't make sense.