First Film M ... Now to Processing?

[Joshua]

So I just sold my M8 and picked up a great MP for $1500. Love the camera and I'm super excited to be doing film work now instead of digital. I do have a question though about developing.

I don't intend on making many prints right now, my main focus will be getting the negatives and then scanning them in to my computer with a CoolScan and from there using my typical Aperture/Photoshop workflow and posting to the web.

But as far as getting TO the negatives ... what do most of you do? I'd like to learn how to do it myself to really connect with the experience ... but will you see any difference from just having a lab get you negatives?

For those that do it themselves, do you find developing up until the negatives to be a very tedious process? I mean it sounds like just a matter of getting the right tools, chemicals etc... but recently a friend told me that it was a pretty rediculous process because of all the temperate control you need to do.

Is it expensive, i.e., would you spend more on chemicals, etc.. than just getting negatives from a lab?

And how have your experiences differed with B&W vs Colour? I intend to shoot both and I know most simple labs like Walgreens won't even do B&W right?

Thanks all 🙂

 

[dfoo]

Developing traditional B&W is a very simple process.

Assuming you use something like D76:

1/ Put film on spool, put spool in container.
2/ Mix developer and water 1:1. Warm developer to 20C
3/ Put developer in container.
4/ Agitate continuously for 30 seconds, and then 5-10 seconds every minute for 10 minutes.
5/ Dump developer, put in water, agitate for 30 seconds.
6/ Dump water, put in fix.
7/ Agigate for 30 seconds, wait 5 minutes.
8/ Pour fix back into bottle
9/ Wash film in water for 10 minutes or so (lots of methods to do this)
10/ Hang film to dry for 2 hours.

It is very cheap, and very easy to do.

 

[bob338]

where in the hell did you find an MP for $1500??

bob

 

[David William White]

Congratulations. To really 'connect' with the experience, many of us must process our own negatives...labs will be harder to find, and less likely to be staffed properly. Doing it yourself gives you more control. And it's trivial, and you can develop/scan within an hour or so (depending upon how you dry).

However, to really connect, I would suggest making contact sheets. There is theory to it, but making contact sheets tells you both how well you've exposed AND developed your negatives. It gives you great consistency and makes you a much better photographer if you constantly judge the quality of your contact sheets. Ah, well, I know...few takers...too much work...I'll shut up now.

 

[Joshua]

Developing traditional B&W is a very simple process.

Assuming you use something like D76:

1/ Put film on spool, put spool in container.
2/ Mix developer and water 1:1. Warm developer to 20C
3/ Put developer in container.
4/ Agitate continuously for 30 seconds, and then 5-10 seconds every minute for 10 minutes.
5/ Dump developer, put in water, agitate for 30 seconds.
6/ Dump water, put in fix.
7/ Agigate for 30 seconds, wait 5 minutes.
8/ Pour fix back into bottle
9/ Wash film in water for 10 minutes or so (lots of methods to do this)
10/ Hang film to dry for 2 hours.

It is very cheap, and very easy to do.

That does sound pretty easy! I do worry about the temp stuff though. What's the easiest/cheapest way to temp control the developer ... just microwave it?

 

[Joshua]

where in the hell did you find an MP for $1500??

bob

🙂

eBay actually ... its a black one with a bit of brassing on it, so I think most people passed it up ... but I plan to use the thing, not stare at it ... plus I think it gives it character ... so it worked out well for me 🙂

Although I totally took a dive on selling my M8, I can't believe how cheap they go for now that the 8.2 is out ... crazy.

 

[Joshua]

Congratulations. To really 'connect' with the experience, many of us must process our own negatives...labs will be harder to find, and less likely to be staffed properly. Doing it yourself gives you more control. And it's trivial, and you can develop/scan within an hour or so (depending upon how you dry).

However, to really connect, I would suggest making contact sheets. There is theory to it, but making contact sheets tells you both how well you've exposed AND developed your negatives. It gives you great consistency and makes you a much better photographer if you constantly judge the quality of your contact sheets. Ah, well, I know...few takers...too much work...I'll shut up now.

Awesome, thanks for the tip! I'll look into it.

 

[dfoo]

That does sound pretty easy! I do worry about the temp stuff though. What's the easiest/cheapest way to temp control the developer ... just microwave it?

Put the developer in a jug, put a thermometer in the developer, wait 1 minute, look at the temp. Too hot? Put the jug in the sink with cold water. Too cold? Put the jug in the sink with hot water. Now wait for thermometer to have the correct reading 🙂

Pretty simple!

 

[thetooth]

So I just sold my M8 and picked up a great MP for $1500. Love the camera and I'm super excited to be doing film work now instead of digital. I do have a question though about developing.

I don't intend on making many prints right now, my main focus will be getting the negatives and then scanning them in to my computer with a CoolScan and from there using my typical Aperture/Photoshop workflow and posting to the web.

But as far as getting TO the negatives ... what do most of you do? I'd like to learn how to do it myself to really connect with the experience ... but will you see any difference from just having a lab get you negatives?

For those that do it themselves, do you find developing up until the negatives to be a very tedious process? I mean it sounds like just a matter of getting the right tools, chemicals etc... but recently a friend told me that it was a pretty rediculous process because of all the temperate control you need to do.

Is it expensive, i.e., would you spend more on chemicals, etc.. than just getting negatives from a lab?

And how have your experiences differed with B&W vs Colour? I intend to shoot both and I know most simple labs like Walgreens won't even do B&W right?

Thanks all 🙂

i would recommend checking out a book at the library some of the older books have nice step by step instructions with photos to guide you through . the first roll of film i developed i used print developer instead of film ( i was 14 and didn't read the container completely 🙂 they develop but with almost no gray tones pretty much black and white . it's a fun easy process .

 

[Bruin]

Wow a black MP for $1500...that's a deal! I see chrome ones go for about $2k and black for somewhat more than that.

Ilford has a great beginners' guide to processing B&W film:
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/applications/page.asp?n=31

In particular, I recommend their two-bath fixing and 5-10-20 inversion wash technique. If you don't want to deal with temperature control as much, try Diafine. You can use it from 70-85 deg F, though the optimum for modern emulsions is around 75.

 

[Chris101]

That does sound pretty easy! I do worry about the temp stuff though. What's the easiest/cheapest way to temp control the developer ... just microwave it?

That's what I do - microwave for 10-20 seconds at a time, or pop it into the freezer for a minute or two. You don't need fractional degree precision, just be consistent. I generally process my own b&w, and send any color film to a lab. Or shoot color digitally.

 

[BigSteveG]

Temprature Control: This is what worked for me before I scored a Ledall system (Brand new in boxes for $25.00 hehehe).
Keep a container of water in the fridge over night.
Then, when getting ready to develop, add small amounts of hot water until you reach 68 degrees or at least w/in a degree or two. With practice, it becomes a breeze!!! Use cheap glass thermometers as they need no calibration, unlike the more expensive steel dial type thermometer.

 

[Chris101]

Just be careful if you drop it. The cheap glass ones are not likely to be very accurate. So if you use one, it might be best to eventually calibrate it to determine what temperature you have actually been using.

 

[Bassism]

Developing black and white is really quite easy, and many people even find it to be fun. It's also much cheaper than sending the film out to a lab and you don't have to wait to get them back. It costs about 7 dollars here to get a roll of b/w film processed with a 24 hour wait. From loading the tank to hanging to dry usually takes me about 25 minutes, at a cost of maybe 2 dollars per roll.
Furthermore, you can experiment to find out exactly what works for you and your equipment then consistently reproduce your technique. If you want to do extreme pushing and pulling, some labs won't do more than one stop.

Colour is a different story. Time and temperature controls are more demanding and the chemicals are harder to find. Personally, I've never tried it, so I can't give much information about it. My colour work gets sent to a minilab.

 

[Al Kaplan]

Contact sheets are just so traditional! You can scribble notes on the back. You can circle or outline frames with red China marker, show cropping, indicate areas to burn in (a bunch of little X's) or dodge (a bunch of little circles). Contact sheets show your work flow during the shoot, how you move around and interact with the subject.

There's something vibrant and tactile about the experience of holding a contact sheet in your hand, moving it closer, examining a few of the frames through a loupe. Forty or fifty years from now you'll still be able to look at those contact sheets, and whatever the current technology might be those negatives will still contain the images and you'll be able to make prints. Right now the new boy on the block is scanning, but half a century hence, who knows?

 

[johnwnyc]

For those that do it themselves, do you find developing up until the negatives to be a very tedious process? I mean it sounds like just a matter of getting the right tools, chemicals etc... but recently a friend told me that it was a pretty rediculous process because of all the temperate control you need to do.

Yep, your friend is right. I learned that being lax about consistent temperature leads to uneven grain and grain clumping.

Try to keep all chemicals within a couple of degrees of each other. I had trouble keeping my wash temperature consistent so now I do dip-n-dunk washing rather than using a continuous water wash.

If you're a complete novice I suggest that you start with liquid solutions. They are easier to mix and to get to a consistent temperature with your water.

But more importantly, HOW did you get an MP for $1500????

 

[Tim Gray]

If color, send to a lab. If B&W just do it yourself. It's not that hard as others have said.

As far as putting chemicals in the microwave, I err on the side of caution and don't do that. Fill up the sink with hot water and let your measured chems in a container sit in there for a minute or two.

I don't worry about temps on anything but the developer. Everything is just in jugs in my apartment so is between 65-75 degrees, which should be close enough.

 

[Melvin]

All the film manufacturers have good info online, there's also the 'digital truth' website.

Scans are cool, but the level of detail and resolution in even a small B&W print is pretty nice. In order to see fine detail on the extremely low resolution of a computer screen you have to keep zooming in. With a print you can see that detail and still see the whole image.

 

[Chris101]

... As far as putting chemicals in the microwave, I err on the side of caution and don't do that. ...

I usually put the closed, 500mL bottle in the microwave on it's side, then push 15 sec. I'm waiting for the time I accidentally push 15 minutes and walk away... 😱😱😱