Doomsday Planning --> "End of the Film World" Scenario

[Mr_Toad]

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REQUEST: In keeping with the spirit of recent film doom and gloom threads run amok in RFF, can y’all help me plan for a worst case, "End of the Film World" (EOTFW) scenario?

EOTFW GOAL: I have limited dark room experience, so I wish to assemble the SIMPLEST film processing kit and supplies that I can hoard …to support twenty years of steady film photography (…documenting the murky gulfs of a filmless wasteland).

NEEDS ASSESSMENT: I assume I will need...
1. Adequate refrigeration, dedicated to film storage (...with backup generator, for "End of the Energy World").
2. Adequate "easy to process" Color and BW film.
3. Adequate chemicals for "easy to process" darkroom workflow.
4. Adequate darkroom equipment for "easy to process" workflow.
5. Adequate weaponry to repel barbarian hoards of Leica Looters and Zeiss Zombies.

PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS (KISS):
1. What kind of fridge should I buy, and how big?
2. What kind of film should I buy, and how much? (...for this analysis, assume 35 mm will be The Last Film On Earth).
3. What kind of chemicals should I buy, and how much?
4. What kind of chemical storage do I need?
5. What kind of equipment do I need for a simple darkroom workflow?
6. What have I forgotten?

I have darkroom books that cover everything, so I will be grateful for guidance to a simple solution.

(…but that does not mean I will share my PhotoFlo when the end is nigh.)

🙄

Robt.

 

[gilpen123]

Surely 1 will survive and the market will be big enough for 1 major supplier most probably Fuji. On the other hand digital may be the 1st one to go when a big solar storm or polar changes sometime in Dec 21, 2012 destroys all known electronic digital gadgets in this world.

 

[Field]

Rodinal will last for 40 years.

 

[tunalegs]

Stock up on gun cotton, glass plates, and silver nitrate.

Also invest in a sturdy 11x14 camera.

 

[cosmonaut]

Well here is my math.
I was given enough D76 and Dektol to last me many years. So I am ok there. I could scan but had prefer to keep my darkroom up and use paper, now that I see first hand how much paper blows a scan. So I do need to stock some paper.
I am 51 and think I have about 25 more years of shooting left in me. Depending on my eye site ect. So I am not what I call a happy snapper. I am a selective shooter and it takes me a long time to shoot up a roll even carrying a camera with me every where. If I average one shot a day that is one 36 shot roll a month. With me so far?lol
So if thats the case the 25x12=300. So I need to stock 300 rolls of Trix/Tmax before Kodak goes bust. Maybe throw some Fuji in the mix cause you never know.
I started today by stocking up on Trix and Tmax. Just a dozen rolls for now. But every time I get a chance, tax time, Christmas bonus, ect I am going to stock up. Maybe I can stay ahead of the storm.

 

[Frank Petronio]

Plates and papers in large format cameras can be coated and processed by individuals with simple equipment, so wet plate and platinum prints will always be around so long as private individuals can still purchase basic off-the-shelf chemicals. But some boutique businesses will grow up as the major manufacturers drop their film and paper making businesses, making packaged kits if not more "ready to go" products.

I am not impressed by the Impossible Project's efforts to recreate Polaroid materials, granted they are probably more complex than traditional film.

As far as 35mm, a few hundred rolls would probably be a good supply, as you get closer to the last 50 rolls you'll slow down and just use your other (digital) cameras more. Make it a smooth transition and hold onto a couple bricks and chems for the grandkids.

 

[segedi]

You need a freezer rather than a fridge.
And here's what is in mine in 35mm and 120:
B&W
Ilford HP5 +
Fuji Acros

Color
Kodak Portra 160 and 400
Kodak Ektar 100

Use whatever chemicals you can buy, make, etc. (Memorize recipes for when the end is near : )

Get a Leica M3 and clone Sherry Krauter or DAG for when it needs servicing. Get a Hasselblad or Mamiya RB67 to beat back the zombies.

 

[stratcat]

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<snip>

…to support twenty years of steady film photography (…documenting the murky gulfs of a filmless wasteland).

<snip>

Buy Kodak, that should do

 

[Bobbo]

Ignore the semi-auto AK clones and get a real "mil-surp" SKS (Yugos are cheap, Russians are the best, Chinese are kinda crappy) with a factory magazine and use the stripper clips. Cut off the bayonet to save weight (you're on the run, not trying to take a hill with 10,000 North Koreans or anything). No plastic AR's need apply. Ignore sidearms, except MAYBE a .22LR pistol and a couple bricks for shooting squirrels, but you're better off setting snare traps, as you don't need to be awake and they're quieter. Stop smoking and start working out (mostly cardio). Alos, don't forget some antibiotics and toilet paper...

Oh, wait. Wrong SHTF website... With all the posts, it's easy to compare the two. The only difference between a right-wing gun forum and RFF these days is people here are replacing "Obama got elected" with "Kodak's dying" as the reason for the freak-out 😀

1. What kind of fridge should I buy, and how big?
2. What kind of film should I buy, and how much? (...for this analysis, assume 35 mm will be The Last Film On Earth).
3. What kind of chemicals should I buy, and how much?
4. What kind of chemical storage do I need?
5. What kind of equipment do I need for a simple darkroom workflow?
6. What have I forgotten?

1) Go to Home Depot or Lowe's and get a floor freezer. Doesn't have to be big. You could live short-term with a beat-up fridge from a dorm room.
2) A couple dozen rolls of Tri-X, probably Freestyle's house badge would be fine. Grab some Plus-X if you want it, as Illford and the other Euro companies seem to be OK as of present. For paper, buy Illford.
3) D76, Dektol and Kodak Fixer powder last for-freaking-ever unmixed (notice they don't have expiration dates on the package). Use distilled vinegar (2:1 ratio with water seems to work fine) or water for stop.
4) Short answer: A box. Long answer: A box in a cool, dry place.
5) Tank with reels (a 2-reel tank should be fine), funnel, a graduated cylinder (or liquid measuring cup from the kitchen), some plastic milk jugs, a timer (your cell phone), some clothespins for film and a changing bag... oh, and a scanner. If you insist on doing prints, try some trays, a cheap enlarger, possibly tongs and some running water.
6) Yes. The SKS. If you can't afford $300 for one, a Mosin-Nagant can be had for $79 with about 400 rounds for the same price, and if it was good enough for the Red Army (to the tune of many millions) to fight off the Germans, it will work for those carrying German cameras 🙂

 

[Bill Kapinski]

Get a Hasselblad or Mamiya RB67 to beat back the zombies.

I believe the RB would do a much better job of beating back the zombies, It's got to be at least twice the mass of a Hasselblad 😀

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Nikon F2AS with MD-3, MB-1, and 300/4.5 Nikkor-H to beat back attacking zombies.

Or the Nikon F with F36/Remopack, N-F adapter, and 25cm F4 Nikkor-Q.

We are talking Heavy-Metal, Baby.

Charlton Heston used the Nikon F combo in Omega Man and Van Damme used the F2 setup in Cyborg. He had the DS-12 dipole spear launcher attached.

 

[marcr1230]

My understanding is that film is usable for many many years, but both film and paper are slowly impacted by background radiation. With film this can be largely offset by the printing process, but with old paper you can never get the whitest of whites.

I'd suggest a heavily lead lined freezer for the light/radiation sensitive materials 🙂

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I should have invested in Bomb Shelters and marketed them as combination dark room and film storage vaults.

But now for some appropriate music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmG7NfCdaCo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S5V-Y53ad4

 

[hxpham]

Surely 1 will survive and the market will be big enough for 1 major supplier most probably Fuji. On the other hand digital may be the 1st one to go when a big solar storm or polar changes sometime in Dec 21, 2012 destroys all known electronic digital gadgets in this world.

If all digital technology ceases to function, you will have bigger worries than film photography! 😛

 

[Mr_Toad]

HEY!!

I am delighted to learn my RB kit will have lasting value as a blunt, anti-Zombie weapon. RB Extension Tube Bazooka? ..hmmm.

Plus...after my eyesight goes... if I have a large enough freezer, I can just live in it...and ultimately be buried therein.

I feel better already...

r

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I'm using the Reflex-Nikkor 500/8 as a Mortar.

The 1000/11 Meade is the bazooka.

 

[TXForester]

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5. Adequate weaponry to repel barbarian hoards of Leica Looters and Zeiss Zombies.

If you are going to stick with classic cameras after Doomsday, I say stick with classic weaponry. A BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle), Thompson sub-machine gun and a 1903 Springfield to pick off the zombies at long range or when there are a lot of them. Once they get in the house, you don't want to risk damaging your equipment, film stock or chemicals. In place of a firearm, how about a Katana?

 

[Frank Petronio]

I see plenty of zombies already, they have these Nikon and Canon neckstraps and plastic digital SLRs....

 

[Red Robin]

Last Daze ?

Last Daze ?

Then again, all that may not be necessary. We all know that all the "good" photographers will be "taken" up to the big photo opp in he sky. That's right friends, you'll have ample supplies as long as you "need" them. Have faith grasshoppers.:angel:

 

[Ronald M]

Packaged developers have a life span even not opened. Kodak Rapid fix sulphates out after a few years or if the container is partially full. I buy TF4 gallons and decant to smaller bottles with good results.

Buy chems and a scale for film developer. Mix a liter as needed. D76 is easy.

The biggest problem is going to be paper. New manufacturing processes that increases profit cost the paper shelf life. It is now 2/3 years from date of manufacture. Freezing does not help. After shelf life, it fogs badly and there is no way around it.

Film is best stored frozen.

Film scanners that are close to top class are no longer made, Nikon and Minolta. Buying used, you have no idea of interal wear from use. Now that leas cheap scanners and those that cost as much as a car.

I think we are screwed in the long run or at least soon after Ilford goes under. But they seem very committed so there is no near term problem. They may have a problem with their sourcing they can not solve like the paper base. There is but one place in the world it is made.

Color materials are an issue.

I would suggest you learn to like digital. It is fun too and many things that are a struggle with film are easy with digital. I guess we have to embrace technology.