Kentmere 400 and Xtol

I was not happy with the fairly large and course grain that I was getting developing Kentmere 400 in HC-110.  I tried a few different times and methods, however none gave results that I liked much.  So I decided to try some Xtol.  I like Xtol and it is supposed to be a fairly environmentally friendly developer.  The downside for me is that it requires that I mix up a five liter batch.  Not as convenient as one-shot developers like HCC-110 and Rodinal.  Still I have been planning to do more B&W and figure that I will be able to use up this batch before it goes bad.

My first attempt was using 1+1 solution at 68 for 10 minutes.  The camera is the Olympus XA.

Another with 1+1 and the Olympus XA.  Overall all I was pleased with the grain and detail with this effort.

Here I used stock solution at 68 for 7:30.  I was pleased here with the range of tones along with the sharpeness, grain, and contrast.  The camera here was a Minolta Maxxum with the 50mm f/1.7 lens. 

 Another with the stock solution and the Minolta Maxxum.





















After this test I do believe that very good results can be had from Kentmere 400 when used with Xtol. Which is good since I still have quite a lot of the film and the developer to use.