Cost Q re Developing Your Own VS. Sending Out.

Xmas said:
So B&W is easy at home and real cheap, in time and GBP, C41 cheap and convenient local minilab, E6 I post, more expenisive & 1 week turn around.
Noel
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Welcome to forum BTW
If you are cost sensitive
Then you can buy bulk film, and a daylight bulk loader.
To mimimise the time for nx cassettes buy large cheap plastic tanks, dusty photo shop, cardboard box has lots. (I use patterson 5x tanks.)
Use Rodinal as it stores for ever & used at 1:100 dilute, stretches it out.
Fast fixer is convenient but dear but you can stretch it by dilutiong & by using two baths. A nearly exhausted bath followed by a newer bath.
If you are cheapsgate sodiumthiosulphate power again at high dilution is cheaper again two bath it.
This is a lot cheaper then store bought cassettes and processing and you can do it after the gig and be dry by next morning.

Noel
 
I'll second rolling your own film. There is a bit of a pucker factor the first time you load it, but after that I can do it my sleep. I even do plastic film canisters so when I travel I can just leave a few rolls in my pockets.

You can get a 100' roll of TMAX400 for the same price as 10 rolls of 36exp TMAX400 at B&H. I think there are about 20 rolls of 36exp in a 100ft roll (5ft per roll?).

Mark
 
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do it yourself, you'll get the fun and if you scan the expense is minimal...

You'll print later what you like...good luck, i wish i did it earlier!
 
Traditional B&W developing is a truely creative process, filled with decisions and alternative paths that lead to new ends. Doing C41 processing at home is a mind numbingly boring process where the slightest mistake wastes your film, time and money.

Take a scroll down to the Darkroom forum, and you'll see lots of folks happily souping their own film.
 
Or even if you're squemish about it, shop around for local B&W labs. My guy gets $5 a roll to process my b&w, even if pushed however far I wanna go. And the photo lab at my local community college charges similar. There's no reason to pay $14 a roll to get Tri-X done.
 
Yep, try developing yourself, with B&W it is cheaper, gives more consistent result & ain't nearly as hard as it sounds. IMO making a decent meal is harder :)
 
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