A question of economics...

[Stephanie Brim]

I complained earlier about the fact that I have a hard time finding places that do a good job with E6 and C-41 processing. I think it's time that I stopped complaining and started doing something about it. So...I'm going to sell a lot of my gaming stuff (and I'm talking a lot - I have almost every Final Fantasy game, my PS2, my Nintendo 64 + games, and possibly even my newly bought Gameboy Micro) and ponder getting a used CPE-2 processor. It will fill a need I have...I want to get good results out of color positive and negative film without the hassle of sending it out in the mail and risking it getting lost, ruined, etc.

That said, this would replace the fact that I *was* going to make the plunge and get myself a 4x5 camera. I think that this would be a better idea than the 4x5 as it would make my processing MUCH easier (though I'd still do B&W by hand because of the different methods that I use to get the results I do) and I'd no longer be complaining about color processing because I'd be doing it myself.

Anyone here have one? Is it a good buy? Do you do your own color processing with it?

If I sell everything that I'm looking to sell (and that's quite a bit of stuff *sob*) I should have around $450. Help me make the right decision.

 

[RML]

Steph, no kidding, maybe you should set yourself up as a local photo "shop". Not only will you have the gear to process your own B&W and colour (if you go that way. I wouldn't, really) but you might be able to recoup some of the investments by providing service to paying customers. Processing you're own B&W is a good thing, colour on the other hand is difficult and expensive. It would pay to learn it properly and offer it as a service.

I sometimes get the idea you're full of ideas, like a bubbling cauldron, but that most of those ideas get replaced with other ideas before they come to fruition. The 4x5 is a good idea but what about the "photos from ground level" project or your seld-image project? Whatever ypu do, take on 1 or 2 projects and commit yourself to it.

 

[Pherdinand]

Can we use your abandoned ideas?🙂
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[BJ Bignell]

I know this simple statement won't help much, but: It comes down to what's more important to you.

I think at first, you may find that your home colour processing will be as bad as (or worse than) what you're getting from your lab. With practice, and perseverance, I'm sure it will become a rewarding and valuable use of your time. You will probably end up saving money, too, in the long run.

However, is the colour processing that you currently get so bad that you're willing to sacrifice what seems to be a very fully-developed (or at least busy) gaming/entertainment environment?

Is the development of your photographic craft important enough that you're willing to lose some or all of this entertainment? If you were to find a reliable lab, which would allow you to focus on your photographic art, would you still be interested in doing your own colour developing?

I'm all for home processing, and wish I had time/space to do my own colour and b&w, but I think that in this case, I would continue searching for a reliable lab. I can't imagine that mail-order is that bad, but then I don't know how good the postal service is in your area. Have you had bad experience with it, or are you just being cautious?

And at the same time, sell some games/game equipment. Change is good!

Good luck,
BJ

 

[BJ Bignell]

While I was typing, I see that Remy has offered some very good feedback. If you are willing to take some risk, you could offset a good amount of your own costs by offering colour processing services. Very interesting...

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I had been thinking about this for a while. I pondered offering black and white development services (in town, at least) once I got different films the way I wanted them in the different developers I use. Since I'm going to be printing soon also, I think that it would make my developing much easier on that front as well and the processor is very space saving so it would fit nicely in the dark(bath)room I'm going to have to be using.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I think in smalltown USA there is a very small market for B&W processing.

Think about maid work or yard work.

 

[RML]

I think in smalltown USA there is a very small market for B&W processing.

Think about maid work or yard work.

Is Steph is the closest source for developing B&W within an hour's drive, she might still have some customers. I'm not going to dis smalltown USA as many of those "small" towns are actually larger than a fullblown town here in Holland.

 

[Finder]

I would sugest the CPP-2 over the CPE-2 if you are going to do color. The CPP-2 controls the tempering bath automatically preventing it from drifting because of a change in chemicals or a change in ambient temperatures. And get the lift - a much better way to change chemistry at each step.

 

[egpj]

Go to Wal-Mart and try to become a contractor for B&W processing in the local area. I've seen Fuji Across at our local Wal-Mart but they do not offer processing. If you can give them one day turn-around then you are doing good.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Wait wait wait. You can get Acros at your Wal-Mart? I'm SO shopping at the wrong ones. 😛

 

[dazedgonebye]

Go all the way!
http://www.jobo.com/joboint/products/atl2x00.html

 

[Rick Waldroup]

I would really take a long hard look at this. Many years ago, I processed E6 at home. Unless you really shoot a lot, and I mean a lot, it is not very cost effective. Have you researched on what brand of chemistry to use and where to get it? If you do decide to go with the Jobo, take Finder's advice and make sure you get the lift. It will make your life much easier.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I figure that, yes, I'll be shooting more chromes if I can process it at home. I'll also be shooting more color. Based on those two facts, I should be able to get plenty of use out of the thing. If I'm also getting it for prints (B&W mostly, perhaps even some color, though I'm not sure), it will yet again prove useful because of my space issues.

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

Steph,

Can I buy the Graphic View 4x5 that you are not going to buy?

As far as processing B&W film for other people around "small town" USA. Let's say you do develop a few loyal customers over the next 12 to 18 months, do you think they will drive 150 miles or so to visit you at Hawkeye College to have you develop their film after you leave "small town"?

Seriously, what makes you think that you can do a better job of processing color film than some commercial labs? What are you going to say to mommie when all three of her rolls of film from her first child's first christmas have been ruined by accident in your lab? "Here are 3 fresh rolls of film , Good Luck next year."?

Do you think she will be happy and tell her friends? She will tell her friends, I'm not sure about the happy part though.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I have been there, done that, and got the t-shirt.

Spend your $450 on film and mailers and then sell your works of art. You will be money ahead.

Wayne

 

[kaiyen]

Just to add something re: actually saving money - the chemicals only last a couple of weeks, so you need to do them as one big burst. Are you willing to shoot and wait long enough to make this actually worthwhile, money wise? For me, I'd have to wait like 2 months to build up enough rolls of e6, and I'd still wonder whether the quality was up to snuff.

Are you sure you want to do color prints at home? Chemicals for color prints are pretty toxic. I haven't used one before, but is it really worthwhile to use a jobo instead of just trays? I feel like I'd spend more time loading the drum...

allan

 

[amateriat]

Hate to play 3rd (or 4th?) brakeman on this runaway train, but...

Let's assume that you manage the not-minor feat of (1) setting up a decent E6/C41 processing system for yourself, (2) managing to run things with reasonable consistancy, and (3) generating a certain amount of interest amonng other shooters within, say, a 25-50-mile radius who might want you to soup some rolls for them. Now you have to deal with (4), namely, time management. Depending on how much work you might consider taking on, the amount of time involved in properly handling someone else's work is usually greater than anticipated.

I learned this the hard way making quadtone b/w inkjet prints for another photographer's exhibition a few years back, under a tight deadline. Things went wrong: nozzles cloggged up halfway through the project, and took forever to clean; the profile that worked for 3/4 of the images weren't working for the remaining third; in a marathon day-and-night final printing session to wrap things up, the photographer was working with me, and at a few points she was ready to kill me. The job got done, we kissed and made up, she wrote me a check, and life went on. But this sort of thing is not a minor undertaking – you can afford to do the research-and-development thing with your own stuff, but anyone coming to you with their film wants quality and consistency. Not impossible to deliver with your proposed setup, but doing it right will consume time.

And the time required to do this right will eat into Creative Time, often when you least expect it...the time you'd normally be loading up the cameras and taking off somewhere close or not-so-close. One of the frustrating things about my doing the freelance computer-tech thing is that I'm more of less "on-call". There are days when I wake up and see the sky looks a certain way, then remember a certain location where this particular light will look so wonderful a few hours from now, and make a note to stash some film in the camera bag to do some shooting after breakfast. Then my cell phone rings...

It's a fine line between artist and artisan.

So...take it from someone who is often anything but a superb time manager a good deal of the time: getting paid for what you do and love is often cool, but there's always the threat of the tail vigorously wagging the dog. As the proverb goes, be careful what you wish for...you might get it.


- Barrett (will work for real Springtime weather)

 

[Finder]

Are you sure you want to do color prints at home? Chemicals for color prints are pretty toxic. I haven't used one before, but is it really worthwhile to use a jobo instead of just trays? I feel like I'd spend more time loading the drum...

Printing from negatives with RA-4, the chemistry is not that bad (not much worse than b&w). I used to be a tray kind of guy, but I tell you, the Jobo is a pleasure to print with. It takes up little space (no matter the size of the print). You don't need to be in the dark all the time. And the biggest plus, the smell of chemistry can hardly be smelt in my darkroom when I am working and that is great news on those hot, sweaty days.

You are right about loading tanks, but I have a good system going - I print with two enlargers at the same time and develop both prints on the same processing run as well.

I agree, there is a big difference to running a private darkroom and running a professional lab. Not only in terms of volume (you need a lot of film to make it pay), but also in terms of pleasure - developing rolls upon rolls of film is not that exciting especially when they are someone else pictures. And I would want to use a Noritsu rather than a Jobo to get the job done.