Film Photography Intro Pt.2: Developing Black and White Film
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- IG: / jamesstevensonphoto
In a longer video this week, I'm taking you step by step through developing your own film. It's an A-Z, covering all the gear you need, how to use it and using an app called Massive Dev Chart to really nail the whole process and make it simple and reliable.
Any questions - leave a comment!
Gear, links and prices in $ CAD
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ilfosol 3 ($13) www.leoscamera.com (in store)
Kodak Stop ($10) www.leoscamera.com (in store)
Fix ($13) www.leoscamera.com (in store)
Tank ($35) www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Graduate beakers (varying measurements) (around $40)
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Thermometer ($15) www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Hooks ($15) www.leoscamera.com (in store)
Sponge ($3) Any grocery store
Scissors ($4) a.co/bahYXAg
Dark Bag ($37) www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
This is a very well done video on DIY B&W film development. Based on 55 years of doing this, I'd offer a couple of comments:
1. Fixer brands come with and without "hardener". A 5-10 minutes wash is for non-hardened fixer; double the times for hardened fixers. If you use a fixer/hypo clearing agent, wash for the times it indicates. That's why washing time recommendations differ.
2. The recommended wash times assume a "proper" wash with water flushing through the reel, over the film, and out of the tank.
3. Leaving the film on the reel in the bottom of the tank, then just running tap water into the top of the tank provides almost NO washing. Put a bottle cap in the bottom of the tank to raise the reel a bit, then run a water hose down the center column, which flushes water into the bottom of the tank, up over the film and overflows out to drain.
4. Always use Phoflo; mix it with distilled water to avoid water spots on your film if you have hard tap water.
5. PLEASE do not use sqeegees, sponges and the like to wipe wet film. With use they pick up abrasive grit, dust, etc, and will scratch your film emulsion. If you use Photoflo, swiping the film will do little to speed up the drying process.
Thanks for taking the time to add advice and pointers Randall, appreciate you watching and engaging. There's always something new for me to learn too so it's great to hear from people with a lifetime of experience!
Right! If any dust settles on the wet film while it is drying, it will blow off once the film is dry, IF you have not ground it into the emulsion when it was wet.
Footprint of a Photographer To clarify, once the film is fully washed, then you add about 2 drops of Kodak Photo-Flo 200 (a concentrate still widely available from larger camera stores and on-line retailers) to about a liter of pure water to make a Photo-Flo solution, which you then add to the emptied developing tank(film still in the tank) and agitate the developing tank and film in this Photo-Flo solution for 15 to 25 seconds, pour it out, then remove the film from the holder and hang the film to dry. You do not wipe or squeegee the film, because the Photo-Flo solution completely removes the surface tension from water, and the water falls off the film while it is hanging up (instead of beading up on the film surface, which would happen if you don't use Photo-Flo solution). One bottle of Kodak Photo-Flo 200 will last for many years.
@@Graeme_MacDonald Gently run the film between your first and second fingers to clear residual water.
@@gaelhillyardcreative 'll confess that I have done this in the past, but it is a bad practice. Anything you put or wipe on the soft film emulsion is a potential source of scratches. You may not see visible tears in the emulsion, but micro scratches are going to happen. Just hang the film somewhere were it can dry without a lost of dust bearing air blowing on it, and stiffle your desire to "check it out" before it dries.
This should be one of the top videos when searching how to develop film. Thank you so much James! My wife and I tackled this tonight...I was stuck in a dark closet for half and hour while trying to get two films in the carriers. She was just outside the door and said to calm down and just go slow, and it worked! After the wash we opened up and voila! It was such an incredible experience. Thanks so much again!
Massive thanks!
Just put my developed film out to dry - it’s worked. So pleased 😀
This is one of the best guides for developing at home I've seen. Thank you :)
Stuart Carden Thanks very much Stuart! I’ll be sharing more in the future about specific developers and another interesting technique called stand developing. Check back in soon for those!
Thanks for posting this. Very well explained so that my memories from 40 years ago of developing film comes back in a heartbeat
I stumbled across your videos by accident about a year ago and I've been looking everywhere to find a film camera. And today I did! Thanks to you. Amazing videos of yours 🙌🏻.
I've been watching quite a few videos on how to develop black and white film at home and found this to be the best, most helpful video. Thank you for explaining the process thoroughly and plainly. Greatly appreciated!
Great tutorial! I just developed my first two rolls at home with this video as my guide and it worked out very well. Thanks for taking the time!
best film developing video I've seen appreciate it.
This video gave me the confidence to attempt my own film development. Very clear and thorough.
After 2 days looking for information - now it is more or less clear to me - THANK YOU!
You are a true inspiration when comes to film photography
you`re the best, Steven! thank you so so so much!!!!
Best explanation of black and white film processing on the web!
Best tutorial on this topic so far, nice and concise
This is by far the best film developing tutorial I have seen to date
Perfect Tutorial James! Encouraging Newbies to be consistent in the process is really important! One Thing I can add is to cut a slight curve off the film instead of a straight cut, this makes you loading the reels without any issues or parts where it gets stuck!
Thank you for this tutorial. I haven't developed film in more than 25 years and wanted a refresher.
Great Video, thanks! I still use this ervery now and then for reference! Good job
Fantastic vid. Very helpful. Can’t wait to implement this now. Thank you 😊👍🏻
This channel is amazing! Liked and subscribed, keep up the good work!
Great instruction! Exactly what I was looking for. Keep'em coming James!!
Thank you Giovanni, happy you're enjoying them!
Thank you SO MUCH for this video! I have had a developing canister for about a year and still have not developed my film, because I am completely new to trying this and knew nothing about the process, so all the directions I found did not make sense to me. This video has helped tremendously and now I feel I can do it.
I've seen so many videos out there and i'm sure that this is by far the best tutorial i have ever seen. Thank you!
Stelios Parlamas Thanks so much! This year it’s my intention to incorporate teaching into my professional work so it’s great to hear that, I’m glad you enjoyed this!
Excellent video. Very good tips and instruction!
Awesome stuff, very helpful videos for someone just starting out with film! Can't wait to keep watching.
Thanks for the kind comment, that's encouraging to hear! Lots more content coming very soon!
Thanks James, bloody marvellous. As a result of watching your tutorial, I will be having a crack at developing my own B & W film. Thanks again.
James LazyBones that’s great to hear! Send a link to your first scans 😊👍🏼
Excellent step by step. I'm now ready to give B&W developing a go with scanning at home. Good timing. Thx.
Stuart Kinkade Thanks for the feedback! I’m happy you’re giving it a go - share your results when you have them and good luck!
You mention slightly banging the tank after agitation to dislodge any air bubbles. This is really important to do immediately after pouring in the developer.
Great video.
Great video. I really like that app alot! Basically you cant go wrong once the film is in the tank.
There's this particular thing I love about your videos, and it's that it looks like you allways find what you are explaining funny, like someone is making funny faces in the background ahah. Priceless, amazing video once again!
david santos hahaha 😅 you know what that is? The pure self-consciousness of taking to a camera in my apartment!! Thanks for watching and I’m glad you’re enjoying these!
Thank you for this great instructional video!
Awesome video. I am just getting into film photography and this was a really big help. You have a new fan!!! Thanks again.
Brian Jones Thanks I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Very well done. As a beginner, I really was able to understand the overall process and details of developing. Thank you very much. Excellent job.
Great to hear Ed! When you dev your first roll, post me a link to the results, I love seeing how things work out. Thanks for watching!
Fantastic video. Very informative. Thank you.
Fantastic series. Thank you very much James.
Cheers jodad! Pleasure!
This was a massive help. I'm just stepping into the world of film photography. Next week I'm developing my own film just waiting for my chemicals to arrive. Cheers James for making this video.
Really enjoying these, James. This in particular definitely took some of the anxiety out of jumping into developing at home. Looking forward to what comes next!
Aleksander Michaud thanks for that feedback! I love hearing that people are prepared to take the leap and it makes my day to hear this helped! I’m almost finished editing the next one so stay tuned and definitely share your results with a link here and feel free to ask questions.
Excellent guide mate. Brings back so many fine memories of deving and printing my own mono work. Very close to digging out a film cam and having a crack. Cheers for the reminder.
Short Rs Photography Dig it out! You won’t regret it! Thanks for the kind comment, I have more film content coming soon after a couple of months shooting mainly digital.
Brilliant! Thank you.
Excellent!
Thank you for this wonderful tutorial. I developed Tri-X many years ago back during college and have recently been shooting b&w film again. Already having a photo scanner I'd actually been a toying for a while with the idea whether I'd actually want to again start developing my own film when I came across this video. you have firmly convinced me it's a go! Can't wait to see your next tutorial on digitizing the negatives!
Great stuff - definitely give it ago and I'd love to see the results! It's so rewarding, and feels very different to shooting digital. I love both, I really do, but film... there's just something about it!
keep doing this channel please nice work great job !
Very helpful. Your instructions were quite clear and well demonstrated, and i had good success with my first ever roll. Many thanks!
Gizmo Photo Hearing this makes me happy that I posted these guides! Let me know if you’ve shared your results anywhere, I’d love to see your photos. Thank you 👍🏼😊
Great video, man. Thanks for putting this all together. Helped me quite a bit with my ordering of black-and-white developing kit. Cheers.
Very happy to hear it Bill! I should be adding more soon! Would be great to see your results after developing.
I'm coming up with a method of keeping my chems and water the same temp. Have you seen the Cinestill Cs gadget? I'll fill a bin like you have with water and set the Cs to 20C, fill a beaker with water, put it in the bin, use that water to mix my chems after it hits 20C, then put my Paterson in the bin and agitate. Keep the chems in there whilst I'm waiting. I'll let you know if it works!
great video!
This is a super tutorial... Thanks!
Definitely one of the best guides on TH-cam. Thanks for these wonderful tutorials. After watching your videos, I have started developing my B/W films at home and have some fantastic results in 135 and 120 films. A BIG thank you! :)
Thanks very much Amrit, lots more to come very soon, working hard on new videos after a little time out. Could you share a link to your photos? I'd love to take a look, it always makes my day to hear from someone who's finding these videos helpful.
Fantastic series so far James! Thank you for breaking it down and showing the process. I have just started my journey into film and have been dropping my film off at the local shop to get it developed but was wondering if there was a way to do it myself.
Can't wait to see what else you can teach!
sono-neko great to hear and thanks for the kind words! I really enjoy sharing my passion for this and this is helpful for me to hear; also if anything was confusing. I plan to teach and run workshops in the new year here in Vancouver so it’s really helpful to know how these things are coming across!
Developing your own black and white is so straightforward - colour requires more careful management and different chemicals so I’d start with black and white is easy though and you can pick up lots of things in this list for less than the new prices I quoted on eBay or local listings. It makes the whole process something you’ve taken charge of and that’s hugely rewarding. 😊 let me know how you get on and if you have any questions when you start, post here!
Very informative video, well done
Brilliant video! You make it look so easy, although I can't see myself using a dark bag LOL (I am awfully clumsy). If I get to this stage, I may buy the Lab-Box that was on KS.
I know this is an older video but this was perfect. I recently decided to shoot film and I'm using some DF96 mono bath at the moment which works just fine for having just started. I want to get into developing the "proper" way though. This video explained the whole process very clearly. Thank you.
Really happy that these videos are still useful! I know you'll enjoy developing your own film - once you've done it a few times it'll be second nature!
Let me know how your results look!
Hi James as an old fart that started in the late 60's. The plastic reels are easier to load and also I saw a comment about how to retrieve the film. I just take a piece of acetate transparency film cut a small strip and use double sided Scotch tape works great. Great video btw Lawrence.
Excellent video. I played all your videos last night while I was working alone at my studio's darkroom which is in a large spooky Victorian building (social distancing means only one per person can use the darkroom at a time now). Your friendly voice was reassuring! Was delighted I could still use Massive while listening to you too - I always thought you could not have other media playing at the same time, so that was a bonus. PS just looked at your website - wow, some talent! For some reason I pictured your bathroom in a semi in SE England.
Haha what a sstory! I'm happy to have provided a crumb of comfort!! Thanks for sharing this, and for watching, happy you enjoyed the videos! Indeed I'm from southern England but I've lived in Vancouver Canada for the last 8 years.
@@JamesStevensonPhoto thanks for the reply. Your thumbnail reminded me of something else from last night. I was loading an old rebranded fomapan 36 frame film into a tank using a changing bag, and it took for ever to get to the end of the spool - I thought I had done something wrong. Then when I finished developing and took it out of the tank it was endless. I had to cut the thing in half just to put in the drying cabinet which usually takes a full roll easily. Sadly most of it was not used because I rewound at 36 frames. I won't make that mistake again!
Thanks for your kind answer.
Da silva Manuel my pleasure :)
Really clear instructions, thanks. You are one of the few people I've seen who doesn't crack open the film canister. I never liked the idea of film unravelled inside the black bag so I also loaded it in sections; its reassuring to see someone else using the same method.
What I've never understood though is why trim the leader before loading it onto the spool? I know its dud film, but if you don't trim it you can start winding outside the bag which seems easier. (Note I've only developed one film so far so I'm very much still learning.)
I regretted buying some new rubber tongs as part of a kit, since I'm pretty sure even being as delicate as possible they scratched my film. Reading the other comments, I'm going to try avoiding touching the film at all after hanging. Cheers.
Thak you very much!
Thank you very much. Very informative video. For 120 film, do you need to first remove the black backing paper before developing?
we used to use fingers dipped in photo flo 1st and second fingers.
Only on roll film.
35mm just hang it up.
The back of 35mm film is tough. Any drying marks can be polished off afterwards.
I worked in professional darkroom for 20 years.
We use spirals in 1 gallon semi deep tanks.
Dust free place where no one goes at home.
We used a drying cupboard with a gas burner in the bottom like an oven for speed.
neil piper Hi Neil and thanks for watching. Yes fingers work just fine too, when I have no sponge I do that. I sometimes found that I got spots on the emulsion side so I started using the sponges and so far seem to be spot and scratch free, happily! 20 Years in a lab, that’s a lot of experience. Do you still develop your own film at home?
Great video, quick question. Would a dark room light be okay if you’re as good working in complete darkness?
This is a great video. Thank you for posting this. I did have an issue when rolling up my film into the coil and the film bunched up together at the center of the coil and when I took the film out that was a white mix over the photographs but I was able to see the pictures. Is there anyway to fix this to save the photos? Thank you!
A changing bag for loading the film into the tank in daylight is the first thing I would recommend, and a spare spiral to go in the bag in case of a film jam in the spiral. Cold stop bath or fixer can cause damage to the film.
Fingers dipped in fotoflo mixture can be used to wipe the 120 film down. 35mm film doesn't need wiping.
35mm doesn't
any chance you could do a video more in depth about the different types of film and how they have different outcomes for the final images? Im getting started with film photography and I'm struggling to find out which film type is gonna work best for me and give me the style im looking for.
Learned a great deal! Very pleased with your instruction. If I use two reels, do I need to double the solutions I pour into the tank?
Giovanni, yes that would be right. If you look at the bottom of the Paterson tank, if you are using the same one as me, it will say "Each roll requires" then tell you the developer mix measurement.
In the Massive Dev Chart app, when you look at the screen that tells you your fluid mix ration / ml, you'll see a wheel at the bottom where you can adjust the mix amount shown to match what the developing tank is telling you you'll need overall. This is especially useful if you are using larger Paterson tanks later on with a mix of film sizes, as it really helps you make sure you have the measurements nailed. You can then develop 120 and 35mm in the same tank, very useful! I now often wait until I have a few rolls to process and do them all at once this way.
Hope this helps! Look forward to seeing your results!
It's great video! Thank you! Hi from Russia)
Thank you Max, hi from Vancouver Canada!
Yes I still develop films at home. Rodinal 1 to 50 with FP4 or TRI X.
Sometimes I use Xytol.
Nice, I also like to use Rodinal 1 to 50, it gives very sharp and detailed results, I use it with Tri-X, HP5 and T-Max 100 mainly.
Hi there. You have a good way of explaining as your showing what to do,which i like. I know you can mix a larger amount of the fixer and reuse it again. But can you do the same thing with the kodak stop bath. Or can that be used just once then binned??
As far as I've seen there is a color change in the Kodak Stop bath chemical itself when it has been exhausted. It's supposed to go from a yellowish orange to a blueish purple color.
I have a darkroom, but I still prefer to load my tanks in a bag. My bag is so old it’s that heavy cotton style that I don’t think they’ve made in 30 years but it’s still perfectly light sealed. I always have blunt needle Syringes in stock because my preferred developer is Rodinal, thought I do use others as well. Another brilliant video really well explained but please can I point out that when creating a darkroom either permanent or temporary don’t forget the door. It’s amazing how much light can get into a room from between the door and it’s frame. I bought one of those really awful cheap black backdrops for mine. Useless as backdrops but great for blocking light. I also stand all my chemicals in an old washing up bowl with water in to get them all the same temperature. You need to make sure the chemicals aren’t going to tip over, but I play double safe by putting them in double sealed bottles so if they did tip over everything is safe.
Thanks Mark, and all very good points! Good to hear how you do things, I'm always tweaking the way I work and it's an on-going process of learning for all of us I think, good to be open to trying new ways and experimenting.
James Stevenson Photography Definitely an ongoing process, but that’s part of the magic, there always something weird and wonderful to learn.
Indeed! Happy accidents, trial and error, the learning curve is a bug part of the fun!
James, any chance you can post a link to your cellphone timer in the video? Thanks
Question on the water. We have hard water here where I am with lots of minerals in it. Is that okay with the development process or should I get distilled water?
I find it MUCH faster and easier to heat cold water than to cool warm water: Start with a big volume of clean water and add, from a separate pitcher of very hot water, a bit at a time. Add a little/stir/check temp .. repeatedly until you reach the desired temp. Works in less than a minute.
10min of rinsing is with hypo clear chemical. It helps you wash the residual sulfur from the fixer in order to prevent the negatives become yellowish in a longer period of time. If you do it without hypo clear you definitely want to wash for 30min. To save some water, please use hypo clear
@27:25 did you take out the first fluid ? or the second fluid and first one mixes ???? thank you
I think you can start loading the film on the reel outside the bag. It has by default the first part exposed when you load the camera which is enough to put it on track. Otherwise thank you for all your work! Very clear, on the subject.... thank you!
Yep, that's what I have always done, too. Start the film onto the reels before putting them in the bag. Much easier.
Great video James... I havent developed a film for around 30 years - I used to do it all the time. Your video reminded me of every step that used to be so familiar. As others have said, it's by far the clearest and best video out there. Clear, concise and perfectly paced.
Hello,
So when you load the film the leader is sticking out, but when I roll back the film in the actual camera the leader doesnt stick out?
The photoflo should go in distilled water at the end. It's really the distilled water that prevents spots on the final negative. The photoflo just helps the water run off quickly.
For putting the film on the roll, if you cant make your room completely dark but so dark that only a few light rays come from between the doors etc, you can cut 2 holes in a cardboard box and put your hands through them. That way your film is sealed like 99% lightproof, never had any issues :)
Nice
You should rap the tank on the counter to avoid air bells on the film.
Getting back to Film photography after nearly a decade and your videos are definitely helping relearning those lessons in Art school! :)
Thank you +James! Hoping I can hit you up here for advice?
Roy Sankar me too back to film
Great videos new subscriber
How do you know how many development cycles is the fixer good for?
Hello! Is it possible to make videos with film? Are there analog cameras out there that still use film?
Hello James, Great video I do have a question, Can you reuse the Stop bath and Fixer? I hope you can help me with this issue. Cheers mate!
You can reuse stop bath and fixer with no adverse consequences, so long as you do not continue using it after it is chemically exhausted. Stop bath often contains a chemical which changes color when the acid in the bath gets too weak to do the job, the so-called "indicator" stop bath. Fixers are packaged in many different strengths out of the package, so you need to review the useful life instructions, either in the package or on-line. Usually, the packaged fixer (the stock solution) is a concentrate which must be diluted with water to use (the working solution). The instructions will probably state the useful life of a given volume of working solution in terms of either "XX rolls of film" or "XX square inches of film". Stop bath has no practical time limit of its useful life. Fixer, particularly working solution, may have a shelf life of XX months, regardless of actual use. The diversity of fixers sold is such that there is no single rule of number of film rolls or months of shelf life; each will be different.
How long last the ilford s fixer concentrate open?
Start with the reel on the spool
sorry if it is already answered! Can i develop two 35mm rolls with the same amount of diluted water? if the tank fits 2 rolls?
Do they make developer tanks with reels for 110 film?
Awesome tuto. Btw it’s a graduated cylinder. 🤣
On the off chance that you might read this, I have question about disposing of the fixer. I read on a page of some mixer that it expires 3 months after you open it. In the video you are using a fixer that can be reused. You mixed up 1L of fixer with 9 parts water and 1 part fixer. So now you have a reusable mixture that that expires after 3 months, but also an open bottle that has 900ml of fixer left, which also expires after 3 months and you have to get rid of the mixture and 900ml of unused fixer. Is that correct?
It seems odd that you have 900ml of unmixed fixer just standing around until it expires so I am probably wrong. Do you use the mixture until it expires and then set up a new one?
Still, this is the best video on developing I've seen. You only have a couple of videos up but every single one is very high quality and thought through. Keep it up!
thanks for the kind comments and questions!
This is actually something I'm going to have to look into. I've not heard of fixer expiring that quickly and can tell you honestly from my own methods I've used fixer for well over a year and never seen any evidence of failure / expiration of the chemicals but would love to hear from anyone with a more in-depth knowledge of this. Thanks for watching!
The stock bottle, once opened, should have a life of more than a year. The mixed (diluted) fixer should last at least 3 - 6 months once you start using it. My own experience has been that working solution of rapid fixer (unused) was still "fresh" more than a year later. The best and most economical way to determine the exhaustion of fixer from either use or passage of time is to use "hypo test" solution periodically; one small bottle will last a lifetime.
Thank you, that's very helpful!
Good job, thanks , what is the app you use for timings traitements films ?
Da silva Manuel thanks! It’s called massive dev chart
Comment on thermometers: A metal stem dial unit or a cheap digital thermometer can cost less than $15. They are preferred to the glass tube type he uses here because they read and deliver a measurement in a few seconds and are easier to read. If you buy a dial thermometer, most have a nut on the back to adjust the calibration. Only the cheapest lack this feature and should be avoided. Getting the solution temperature on point can be the most frustrating part of the process, so make it easier on yourself.
so one has to be careful of temperature if he/she lives in cold countries ?
HI! I downloaded the app Massive..., used the same film, developer (same ratio: 1:14), etc. and the app told me to develop for 10 mins. while your results showed 12 mins. I don't understand the discrepancy. Do let me know what may have occurred; don't want to mess up my roll of film. Appreciate your teaching BTW.
Question. When loading the film from the canister, the leader would have been wound back onto the canister so how would I be able to get that back out?
During the film era, I used to deliberately pull the film back into the canister, without leaving out the "lip" ("leader") to prevent ME (B&W) or the commercial photography lab technicians (for color film) from pulling the film out from the canister... because it often scratched the the film before it was developed. There is an instrument that looks like a can opener that's used to open the canister; by pulling the "lip" all the way, I forced the lab techs to open the canister rather than pulling the film out and risk scratching it. BELIEVE ME, it only takes ONE time to get scratched negatives to cause you to do the same.
Like 👍
What happens if finger prints get on the film ?
Hi, question, does your 120 film get curly horizontally? Mine, every time. Cheers.
stark senap yeah it does happen. I’ve found some film behaves much more kindly than others! If it’s a real problem to scan, you can try the betterscanning Mount I talk about in my scanning video, or experiment with different films if you’re open to that. I like Kodak tri-x and t-Max, as well as ilford hp5 and Pan F 50, they seem to dry pretty flat.
If anyone has any suggestions or tips on how curling can be avoided I’d love to hear!
James Stevenson Photography thanks! I use hp5 as well. Well, I know I am not alone then :-). Now I even try to cut and put the film into scanning frame right after development so it dries in the frame flatly.
Hello, very informative tutorials. I have a question. I was told that the automatic C-41 color negative developing process at a photo lab generally produces softer images than the same process done at home. Is this true?
Hi Christos, thanks for writing and I'm glad you're enjoying these.
The actual developing process itself should yield pretty much the exact same results whether you have it done at the lab or do it correctly at home with temperature controlled chemicals and something like one of the kits available from the Film Photography Project. Labs have been geared up to develop colour film for decades and should be getting it right - the only way I think you might see results as soft would very likely be in the prints, which indeed might vary in quality from one lab to another depending on their hardware. Nothing in the developing process should significantly soften results on your developed film. If you're seeing softness there it's likely to be a focusing issue or a focal plane issue with the camera.
Hope this is helpful!
No i havent noticed softness or anything, my negs came out fine. Its just a rumor i heard that at a photoloab's c41 machine the chemicals inside might be used for longer than they should and therefore the image quality might not be the same as doing it with fresh chemicals on your own. Im very new to film photography so i got scared a bit. Thank you, your information helped me a lot!
Christos Tsekas I see! I think if you find a good lab that is reasonable busy this shouldn’t be a problem at all. Happy this helped.
You are right! Thank you again.
Hi James, I'm using your guide to purchase equipment for home development. Your link to the beakers appears to be broken. FYI.
Hi Daniel, firstly that's great that you're using this guide! Please do let me know how you get along following the steps and share your results if you'd like to.
Thanks for the heads up on the broken link, I updated it and added links to the other sized beakers I use too. Much obliged and have fun with your film developing!
James,
I developed my first roll last night. I used D-76 on a roll of FP4+. D-76 is a powder developer that requires a higher temperature to make, so I had to mix up a larger batch the night before. The bag only comes in sizes that are enough to make a gallon (unfortunately, more than I need), and one issue I ran into is that I don't have a great way to accurately measure a gallon. I was able to make it work by using my two 1/2 gallon bottles but the developer came out a little diluted. When it came to actually develop, I used 160mL of developer solution + 140mL of water instead of 1+1 and it seemed to work okay.
The actual development process was mostly smooth, except I had a very difficult time loading the Paterson spool. I bought a cheap roll of film to practice with, and practiced for almost an hour before trying it with the roll I was developing, but I still had a lot of difficulty getting the film loaded onto the spool. The film kept skipping outside of the tabs, and at that point the ratchet would no longer work. I couldn't work out a way to get it back in the right place, so I had to hand-wind the film back into the canister so I could start again. This must have happened at least five times. I was worried about this causing fingerprints, but it did not. There is a little bit of extra scratching here and there, but it's nothing that can't be fixed in photoshop.
Overall I am pretty happy with my final results, and other than those minor speed bumps it went pretty well. I have a roll of Acros that should be done later this week, so I'm looking forward to trying again with that extra knowledge under my belt.
This guide was tremendously helpful in getting to this point, so thank you again!
-Dan