"Dip and Dunk Processing" Where?

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mw_uio

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Where are the labs all over the world that offer this particular type of processing? This info would be a great resource for everyone here at rff.

Cheers

Mark
Quito, EC
 
Very few left.

You need high ceilings.

Labs may have paid many thousands of dollars for these machines but today you can't give them away. A family member had a custom lab; we had to scrap the dip and dunk when the lab closed. No lab wanted it to use, and it was a Hostert, the best one, made in Germany.

You'll find them still in use at places like Duggal or LTI in NYC I would imagine; for C41 and maybe E6.

I wonder if anyone is still using them for b&w. Standard developer in the dip&dunk was Tmax or Xtol.

Google will give you some answers.
 
Photoworks SF does dip & dunk for black and white film here in San Francisco, though I prefer to pay far less and just develop in my kitchen.
 
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I hate to say it (because I believe good labs need all the business they can get) you're much better off just doing it at home. Black and white processing is child's play.
 
clayne said:
I hate to say it (because I believe good labs need all the business they can get) you're much better off just doing it at home. Black and white processing is child's play.
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Dip and dunk machines are industrial scale processors, mostly used for colour processing especially sheet film.

I process all my roll films colour and B&W at home, colour sheet film is another matter though.

You'd have to be a little crazy to put 20 sheets af RDP at a cost of £300 and then dish process then in a Tetenal kit at home, possible but not really a good idea.

I actually owned a Sitte Movomat and could easily process 100 4x5 sheets in an hour to perfection with little handling-- which is the D&D srength; apart from loading the hanger at no time does the film come in contact with the machine-just the chemistry.
 
Photo_Smith said:
Dip and dunk machines are industrial scale processors, mostly used for colour processing especially sheet film.

I process all my roll films colour and B&W at home, colour sheet film is another matter though.

You'd have to be a little crazy to put 20 sheets af RDP at a cost of £300 and then dish process then in a Tetenal kit at home, possible but not really a good idea.

I actually owned a Sitte Movomat and could easily process 100 4x5 sheets in an hour to perfection with little handling-- which is the D&D srength; apart from loading the hanger at no time does the film come in contact with the machine-just the chemistry.
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1. RDPIII, atleast for 4x5, is about 75-80 USD for 20 sheets. I would easily process it at home (and have) without fear. Look it up on Freestyle for a price.
2. My assumption was that he was using black and white, perhaps a bad assumption and completely wrong. Maybe he wants to process 500 sheets of 8x10 film he just shot from the deserts of Africa and is concerned - hence looking for dip and dunk. My assumption was mainly driven by the cameras he listed in his signature. They indicated "35mm" to me.
 
Photo_Smith said:
I process all my roll films colour and B&W at home, colour sheet film is another matter though.
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Not really. I have processed 4x5 film, both color (c-41) and b&w in a friend's JOBO processor many times with no problems. And I wasn't even using the Expert Drums. Why do you think color sheet film is another matter?
 
I doubt he'd be using B&W if he's compiling a list of D&D useful for people who require that type of machine.
In my opinion spending $80 on 20 sheets of E6 film and risking home hand processing is a little crazy.
Clayne; I don't need to look up any prices, I've been using those films for 30+ years up 8x10 :) for me a good dip and dunk is just sensible when you're spending reasonable amounts on film but huge amounts on time shooting, travel etc.

However good you think your processing is it will fall short of a D&D especially if that operator is testing p.h (vital with E6 CD) and S.G (vital for FD) those levels of control with 50 litre tanks just can't be done at home with less than 1L the process fluctuations will vary and be too wide for any real control–fine if you're not worried about quality or if you shoot C41 or B&W where you have large process latitude.

So if quality matters to you pick a lab that has either a D&D or even better 8 gallon handline where process fluctuations are constantly monitored.

Jamie
Home processing is fine (easier for C41 very much harder for E6) but it just doesn't have the consistency of a industrial scale lab, which is vital for consistency over a large format area and batch to batch. I know I ran one for over 20 years and have been processing my own E6 kits since I was 13.
 
Photo_Smith said:
I doubt he'd be using B&W if he's compiling a list of D&D useful for people who require that type of machine.
In my opinion spending $80 on 20 sheets of E6 film and risking home hand processing is a little crazy.
I don't need to look up any prices, I've been using those films for 30+ years up 8x10 :) for me a good dip and dunk is just sensible when you're spending reasonable amounts on film but huge amounts on time shooting, travel etc.

However good you think your processing is it will fall short of a D&D especially if that operator is testing p.h (vital with E6 CD) and S.G (vital for FD) those levels of control with 50 litre tanks just can't be done at home.

So if quality matters to you pick a lab that has either a D&D or even better 8 gallon handline where process fluctuations are constantly monitored.

Jamie
Home processing is fine (easier for C41 very much harder for E6) but it just doesn't have the consistency of a industrial scale lab, I know I ran one for over 20 years and have been processing my own E6 kits since I was 13.
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The prices for Fuji E-6 actually just went up recently. A 20 sheet pack is about $70 now at BadgerGraphic but a few months ago it was only $42 which was cheaper than C-41.

In any case, I think hardly anyone who does home processing can do 20 sheets at once so I think you might be exaggerating the risk a bit.

I mostly use a pro lab in my town for C-41 as my friend with the JOBO lives a few hours away. They do great work and I'm sure they're more consistent than the JOBO but, to be honest, there's no visible difference in the scans. I guess any inconsistencies are easily corrected in post.
 
Photo Smith:

I'll certainly keep doing my home processing and keeping the DIY ethic alive. Not worried about pH levels or any of that - as I've learned over the years to sort out what actually matters vs what doesn't. No, I'm not paying someone to develop my E-6 for 10$ a roll when I could be using that same 10$ to buy more E-6. I don't read into the bull**** "magic" aspect because I know how these chemicals actually work.

You can speak all day about how home processing this and that - but if people are producing results that are acceptable, pragmatic evidence shows that it's perfectly viable.
 
clayne said:
Photo Smith:

I'll certainly keep doing my home processing and keeping the DIY ethic alive. Not worried about pH levels or any of that - as I've learned over the years to sort out what actually matters vs what doesn't. No, I'm not paying someone to develop my E-6 for 10$ a roll when I could be using that same 10$ to buy more E-6. I don't read into the bull**** "magic" aspect because I know how these chemicals actually work.

You can speak all day about how home processing this and that - but if people are producing results that are acceptable, pragmatic evidence shows that it's perfectly viable.
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The DIY 'ethic' is commendable, I also process my own colour.

One thing you'r e tragically wrong is in you statement about the bulls*** magic, you really don't know how these chemicals work as well as you think you do.
A small change in colour developer p.h in E-6 will mean magenta highlights and blue shadows not what you want to see when you're popping £30 a sheet and have a client paying large amounts for your time.
There are just times when a Prolab makes economic sense as well as common sense.

So your acceptable is quite a bit different from the accuracy and assurance proffessionals need.

Nothing wrong with home processing, just don't push it as a solution over a D&D for large format E6 work, Roll film B&W and C41 are a different ballgame.
 
Photo_Smith said:
The DIY 'ethic' is commendable, I also process my own colour.

One thing you'r e tragically wrong is in you statement about the bulls*** magic, you really don't know how these chemicals work as well as you think you do.
A small change in colour developer p.h in E-6 will mean magenta highlights and blue shadows not what you want to see when you're popping £30 a sheet and have a client paying large amounts for your time.
There are just times when a Prolab makes economic sense as well as common sense.

So your acceptable is quite a bit different from the accuracy and assurance proffessionals need.

Nothing wrong with home processing, just don't push it as a solution over a D&D for large format E6 work, Roll film B&W and C41 are a different ballgame.
Click to expand...

Not shot much slide film but all has gone to Peak Imaging
 
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