Bad luck with XTOL Replenishment

First off, let me say that I have loved the results from HC-110. However, friends of mine have persuaded me try XTOL. The results from XTOL have been quite good, and I decided to standardize on it.

After doing more research on XTOL I heard about using it in a Replenished system. To do this you would have a container that holds 1 to 2 gallons of the developer. Every time you use it to develop a roll of film, without dilution, you put the used developer back into the large container, except for 80 to 100 mL. You put in fresh XTOL to make up for the "lost" developer, thereby keeping it fresh.

People have raved about using such a system. Labs use a similar system as well. So I decided to give it a try. My results were not so good...

A black precipitate formed in my gallon container. I am not sure what it was. Perhaps a bad chemical reaction or a fungus. Who knows...

After this failed experiment I am sticking with XTOL, 1:1, 1 shot then dump it. No doubt, other people have done very well with a replenished XTOL system, but it is not for me. Going back to KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid! ;)

My predictions for Film Photography for the next 10 years

I have been reading a lot of predictions for the next decade. Some of them were quite good, others more of a goof. So I decided to write my own on the future of Film Photography, look back on it on Dec 31, 2020, and see how I did. And without further ado, here they are!

1. Kodak, Ilford and Fuji, as well as others, will continue to refine their current film formulations, but will probably drop some lines to consolidate their offerings. At the same time we will see other companies spring up and start making their own film for sale, such as the new-old Polaroid.
2. Slides and Slide Project will become Retro-Cool. People look for opportunities to do retro. Nothing is as retro as slide projection! Look for this coming to a party soon!
3. Small boutique companies will spring up making new film cameras. Many of us have bought a Holga, but may yearn for something a bit, well, perhaps... How can I say this without getting a lot of angry mail? Well, something with better image quality! There, I said it.
4. Development chemical choices will diminish. Despite losing a lot of different film lines over the last 10 years, we still have a bunch of developers to choose from. I think we will see Kodak and others cancel a few offerings. Just so long as I can still get HC-110, or make my own D-23, I will be OK.
5. Both Canon and Nikon will make a fresh run of mid-level 35mm film cameras. It will be a limited run, but the Elan 7 is still a great camera. Supplies of new Elan 7s are almost all dried up, if you can find one at all. I bought a new one 3 years ago and consider myself lucky to get it.

So there you have it, my Film Photography predictions for the next 10 years!