Kodak T-Max 400 in Bellini Ecofilm

A few jobs ago I worked with another film photographer who had, at one time, run his own commercial lab, out West. He told me that all he would use for black-and-white film was Kodak Xtol. He even told me he’d give me a liter of its working solution to try. The stuff comes in a powder that makes a whopping five liters, and at my processing volume almost all of it would go bad long before I used it up. A liter would last, if I shot enough rolls fast enough. We both left that company before this gift could be given. Italian photo-chem maker Bellini makes a liquid developer that’s supposed to give Xtol results — so much so, that you use Xtol developing times with it. But it comes in 500 ml bottles of liquid concentrate that you dilute 1+1 to make a stock solution. That’s a much more manageable volume for me! Then you can develop up to 15 rolls in it, extending the developing time a little for each roll — or you can dilute it 1+1 again and use it one shot. Then Freestyle Photo put it on…