?

I've just developed a roll of Ilford Pan F 50 in HC-110 dilution B, 20C for 4 minutes and it's not quite to my liking. I have read the Dilution B is too fast for Pan F, however as it was my first time developing this particular film I stuck with the information on Ilford's data sheet. It seems that the highlights develop far too quickly at this dilution and have a tendency to block out. It was particularly noticeable in contrasty scenes and frames with large bright areas. Less contrasty scenes and scenes with fewer highlights came out fine.

So my question is this, from your experience, what HC-110 dilution and subsequent time would you say is best for Pan F 50. D, E or H? and why?

Alternatively what would you say is a better developer for Pan F, keeping grain down to a minimum but giving nice even development.

It's a great film and I really want to get the best from it.

I'm bored and drunk and would like to know if anyone else has had a jar too many tonight?

What's your preferred method of agitation when developing film. do you like to invert the tank or use the swizzle stick to rotate the reel? and Why? What are the differences in outcome?

How many rolls of film will a batch of Kodak HC-110 at both dilutions A and B develop before needing to be ditched. Is there a general rule for time adjustment after a certain number of rolls? is it best to just use it as one shot?

films used will be Ilford HP5 and Rollei IR400