bmattock
Veteran
Went out yesterday to take photos, armed with my classic Minolta Hi-Matic 9 and a newly-acquired Canon 110ED (a 110 film cartridge rangefinder camera). I took a roll of Ilford XP2 Super 400 ASA for the Hi-Matic, a roll of Kodak color 400 ASA for the 110.
I got lucky and happened upon a public demonstration in downtown Albuquerque - people demonstrating in favor of same-sex marriage. The organizers had equipped everyone with a drum or noise-maker of some sort, which they were all merrily banging away upon.
I shot both rolls of film, then went to have them developed. My first stop was at my local grocery store, which has one-hour processing (for 35mm color print film). That's where the fun began...
The lady behind the counter took one look at my XP2 (chromogenic B&W, uses C-41 process) and announced that she could not process it, since it was B&W. I gently tried to enducate her - showing her the 'Process C-41' markings on the cartridge. Yes, she declared, B&W required C-41, which she could not do. She could send it out for me if I desired.
I tried again, explaining that C-41 was a COLOR process, which she did every time she processed a roll of standard color print film. No, she said, if she processed the film, it would come out in B&W, not color. After all, it said B&W right on the can.
Yes, I agreed. The prints will be in B&W, but the development process is standard color processing. I showed her a box of Kodak B&W C-41 that she sold right there at her kiosk and explained that my Ilford XP2 was exactly the same. (I know it's not precisely the same, as the Ilford wants to be printed on B&W paper, and the Kodak can be printed on color paper, but I wasn't interested in the prints, just the negatives, and I didn't want to confuse the issue further). She looked very confused.
Finally, she agreed to process the roll as if it were color print film. Precisely, I agreed.
Then she asked how I wanted my SLIDES to be mounted. No, not slides, I replied. PRINTS. Just prints. No slides. This is not slide film. Stop saying slides.
Right. So did I want plastic or cardboard slide mounts?
At this point, I asked for the film back, intending to take it elsewhere.
She refused to give it back - saying that she had already opened a ticket in her computer, and now had to put something in it. I just gave up and let her keep the roll. She promised to have it back in an hour. I could have made a scene, but I was just worn down by this point.
I then drove to the local Walgreens drug store, where I had purchased the 110 film. When I purchased it, the film counter guy had told me that they still offered one-hour 110 processing, although not many people still used it.
I dropped the 110 film off - the film counter guy said come back in an hour. Fair enough.
Later, I made the rounds, trying to pick up my processed film.
First stop, grocery store. The lady there showed me a completely blank roll of negatives. Nothing on them at all. She was nearly accusatory - like she was telling me that she should NOT have processed the XP2 as color prints. See? Told ya so!
I was befuddled. When I shot the roll of 35mm, I was certain that the film was advancing - I could see the rewind lever rotating as I advanced the film. I know I did not leave the lens cap on the camera (possible with rangefinders), since I was using the in-camera metering (but setting shutter speed and aperture manually). On the Hi-Matic 9, the meter is located above the lens, but inside the lens barrel. If the cap was on, I'd have had no metering. I was double-checking my metering with an external meter - which agreed with my camera meter, minus the filter factor (I was shooting with a yellow filter).
When I got to the end of the roll, the winder stopped mid-wind, as it usually does, as the film is under tension and there is no more slack. When I rewound, I could 'feel' the film inside the camera winding back into the cannister, just as normal.
So, unless my camera had stopped working (a possibility), it should have exposed the roll of film. I examined the roll carefully - there was literally NOTHING on it - so it was not just a case of bad underexposure. There was about 3 inches of leader, which was black, and the rest of the roll was completely clear.
I went home and checked my camera. No, it is opening the shutter and the speeds seem appropriate, aperture is working. I can open the back and look through the lens and trip the shutter - I see light through the lens. It should have been making SOME kind of exposure!
Now I am wondering what on EARTH the lady at the film counter could have done to my film to make it come out clear. If she had accidentally exposed the roll to light, it would have been black, like the leader. If she had cross-processed in C-6, it would have come out all funky, but it would have come out. They don't do standard B&W processing there, so what happened?
Anyway, after this disaster, I went back to the local Walgreens. At least I'd have my 110 film.
Nope. The guy looked apologetic, but it seems he had spoken too soon. Turns out he has no idea how to develop 110 film. They may be equipped for it, but he doesn't know how to do it. They sent it out. Back in three days.
Lovely. Fine day. I'm so happy.
Best Regards,
Bill Mattocks
I got lucky and happened upon a public demonstration in downtown Albuquerque - people demonstrating in favor of same-sex marriage. The organizers had equipped everyone with a drum or noise-maker of some sort, which they were all merrily banging away upon.
I shot both rolls of film, then went to have them developed. My first stop was at my local grocery store, which has one-hour processing (for 35mm color print film). That's where the fun began...
The lady behind the counter took one look at my XP2 (chromogenic B&W, uses C-41 process) and announced that she could not process it, since it was B&W. I gently tried to enducate her - showing her the 'Process C-41' markings on the cartridge. Yes, she declared, B&W required C-41, which she could not do. She could send it out for me if I desired.
I tried again, explaining that C-41 was a COLOR process, which she did every time she processed a roll of standard color print film. No, she said, if she processed the film, it would come out in B&W, not color. After all, it said B&W right on the can.
Yes, I agreed. The prints will be in B&W, but the development process is standard color processing. I showed her a box of Kodak B&W C-41 that she sold right there at her kiosk and explained that my Ilford XP2 was exactly the same. (I know it's not precisely the same, as the Ilford wants to be printed on B&W paper, and the Kodak can be printed on color paper, but I wasn't interested in the prints, just the negatives, and I didn't want to confuse the issue further). She looked very confused.
Finally, she agreed to process the roll as if it were color print film. Precisely, I agreed.
Then she asked how I wanted my SLIDES to be mounted. No, not slides, I replied. PRINTS. Just prints. No slides. This is not slide film. Stop saying slides.
Right. So did I want plastic or cardboard slide mounts?
At this point, I asked for the film back, intending to take it elsewhere.
She refused to give it back - saying that she had already opened a ticket in her computer, and now had to put something in it. I just gave up and let her keep the roll. She promised to have it back in an hour. I could have made a scene, but I was just worn down by this point.
I then drove to the local Walgreens drug store, where I had purchased the 110 film. When I purchased it, the film counter guy had told me that they still offered one-hour 110 processing, although not many people still used it.
I dropped the 110 film off - the film counter guy said come back in an hour. Fair enough.
Later, I made the rounds, trying to pick up my processed film.
First stop, grocery store. The lady there showed me a completely blank roll of negatives. Nothing on them at all. She was nearly accusatory - like she was telling me that she should NOT have processed the XP2 as color prints. See? Told ya so!
I was befuddled. When I shot the roll of 35mm, I was certain that the film was advancing - I could see the rewind lever rotating as I advanced the film. I know I did not leave the lens cap on the camera (possible with rangefinders), since I was using the in-camera metering (but setting shutter speed and aperture manually). On the Hi-Matic 9, the meter is located above the lens, but inside the lens barrel. If the cap was on, I'd have had no metering. I was double-checking my metering with an external meter - which agreed with my camera meter, minus the filter factor (I was shooting with a yellow filter).
When I got to the end of the roll, the winder stopped mid-wind, as it usually does, as the film is under tension and there is no more slack. When I rewound, I could 'feel' the film inside the camera winding back into the cannister, just as normal.
So, unless my camera had stopped working (a possibility), it should have exposed the roll of film. I examined the roll carefully - there was literally NOTHING on it - so it was not just a case of bad underexposure. There was about 3 inches of leader, which was black, and the rest of the roll was completely clear.
I went home and checked my camera. No, it is opening the shutter and the speeds seem appropriate, aperture is working. I can open the back and look through the lens and trip the shutter - I see light through the lens. It should have been making SOME kind of exposure!
Now I am wondering what on EARTH the lady at the film counter could have done to my film to make it come out clear. If she had accidentally exposed the roll to light, it would have been black, like the leader. If she had cross-processed in C-6, it would have come out all funky, but it would have come out. They don't do standard B&W processing there, so what happened?
Anyway, after this disaster, I went back to the local Walgreens. At least I'd have my 110 film.
Nope. The guy looked apologetic, but it seems he had spoken too soon. Turns out he has no idea how to develop 110 film. They may be equipped for it, but he doesn't know how to do it. They sent it out. Back in three days.
Lovely. Fine day. I'm so happy.
Best Regards,
Bill Mattocks
