10 Tips & Tricks for Developing Film at Home
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2024
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In this video, I'm sharing some tips, tricks, and specific tools for anyone who's interested in developing their own film at home. It's one of those things that can be a bit intimidating at first, but with the right equipment, some practice, you'll be comfortable in no time. These are some things I've learned and also wish that I knew when I was first starting out.
Film development video (step by step) by Sean Tucker: • How to Develop your ow...
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I don't even shoot film, I just like how analog photography channels are more photography than gear related.
I shoot analogue for pleasure and digital for work and I swear, it really changes your mind. From the shot till the print,, through the development.
Have you heard of leica m6s?
@@mikascherhag8909 everyone knows that buying a leica is unnecessary and splurging lmao
@@aydenmowatt4079 Agreed. Fantastic photos can be had with cheap used cameras. I use a Minolta x700 that I got at a swap meet for 50 bucks, with a ton of accessories and lenses.
@@aydenmowatt4079well, every level headed person does
Tips for loading films on reels : if you do it in a darkroom and you have fluorescent lights (those neon tubes you know), wait 1 min after you've turned off the light before exposing your film. Those lights don't turn off 100% immediately, and they can fog your negs.
Ah yes, good one. Definitely something that you could easily forget.
I home-developed my first few rolls recently after a long break. I had left them hanging to dry in the bathroom but my dog walked in there and somehow knocked the door shut. She then started scratching frantically to get out and put big scratches on the end of the drying rolls. Lesson learned!!
If you has a more manual camera like mine OM-4. You can feel the film release from spool when you crank it back, always leaving a bit out the cassette to cut and trim the corners before spooling in the dark. I never opened a cassette, its easier to control the film for me anyway.
You can actually load 2x120 films on one reel. The reel is designed to accommodate 220 film. I've seen people taping 2 rolls together, but i have done this many times without taping together.
Lots of great tips in this video! Here's some of my own: 1: Measure by weight instead of volume 1g = 1ml (for the most part...it's the ratio that's key anyways), a coffee scale with timer is a great investment. 2: Room temp (in my house anyways) is ~20C, no messing with thermometers. 3: On the off chance I do use a thermometer, an instant read digital thermometer is great. 4: Distilled water + photo flo has solved all of my drying/dust/water spot issues. 5: If still having water spot issues, try a salad spinner. 6: Binder clips on a standard clothes hanger are great (and cheap) for hanging film to dry. 7: Xtol 1+1 used one shot or (even better if you have the volume) used replenished is extremely good and cheap. 8: Replenish your stop bath and fixer to save chemicals and money. 9: If replenishing, use wine bladder bags for maximum shelf life (I like the Astra pouches found on amazon). 10: NO NEED to use a squeegee if you use distilled water and photo flo.
Great tips. Thanks. You’re the third person to mention the salad spinner. Definitely something I’ll check out!
All good points. If I may I would suggest using the agitator rod that is supplied with Patterson tanks and similar AP tanks to carry out the agitation INSTEAD of inverting the tank (turning it upside down and back). Two reasons I recommend this.1) to save time from removing and replacing the lid to dump out developer and add stop bath and again to dump the stop bath and pour in the fixer. You must take care to attach the lid properly to avoid leaks when inverting. 2) using the agitator rod avoids having to tap to dislodge air bubbles that may form on the film surface as a result of the inversion action.
Note that inversion was taught as the method of agitation because before plastic tanks were available there was no other way to agitate. Stainless steel tanks ( which many photographers still use) offered no other method of agitation besides inversion. Use of the agitator rod supplied with platics tanks makes changing chemicals much easier and is a perfect way to dislodge air bubbles.
The instructions suppied with plastic tanks give a good illustration of proper use of the agitator rod.
as someone who is a complete beginner to developing, i was wondering why people online weren’t using the built in agitator. thank you so much for your comment because that really explained everything i was wondering!
@@amberlytruong5288 In theory, the agitator just turning the reel does not provide as uniform an agitation as inversion. If you collected all the different styles and brands of tanks other than stainless steel, I'm fairly sure that the great majority of them do not use this spinning agitator method. The original reason for using the spinning agitator, from the 1950s, was that it allows a cheaper tank to be made because it is not watertight. In the 1950s, those were primarily the Yankee (very cheap and breakable) and the Ansco (heavier made; twice the price of the Yankee). In the US, you had several Kodak tanks, none of which used the spinning agitator. The reason most Patterson tank owners use the agitator is that the tank is so poorly designed that the watertight top is likely to pop off in mid-process and is a pain to use. I have never read an article or seen a video which seriously tests for any agitation quality difference between the methods. Tip: If you cannot face loading a stainless steel reel, and many cannot, dive into eBay and try to find one of the several sizes of Unicolor tanks from the later 1970s though 80s. Great quality, easy to use plastic tanks without agitators. (Not the Unicolor Film Drum system, which is like a Jobo system without the water bath. Great equipment, but not for beginners.)
That's taken me straight back to 1990, oh the great memories of studying photography :)
I load my film onto the patterson reels in my bathroom, but I'd imagine they're similar. I would always insert the film tips onto the reel even before turning off the lights, because the first few inches are most definitely exposed when loading them in the camera. and with the tips inserted, you wouldn't have to find the right spot in the dark. When you turn off the lights, you can just grab it and start turn the reel. slightly easier. but only for the 35mm i guess.
Definitely sounds like an easier method. Thanks for sharing.
I always do it that way
wait do you load the film from the canister to the reel? that's pretty smart, i'll have to try it out
@@brennan9629 yep with the film inserted to the reel and the canister dangling 4 or 5 inches off of it, way more tidy.
@@messsucher so smart! And you just cut off the canister once its reached the end
Best tip I’ve got is forget stop bath chemistry- just rinse tank with water a few times! It does exactly the same job and you save some $$$$ I’d also get a dedicated water bath and heater- game changer.
I am new to film developing and stop bath is only for tight precise & repeatable results. Other than that washing the film for a couple minutes and changing the water is actually the same thing.
I've had pretty good success with the Rollei Wetting Agent to prevent water spots. After the clear cold water wash, i drop the bottles cap ful to the tank, slightly slush it around and lift the film holder back and forth in it. And then unspool the film and kinda squegee most of the water off gently between two fingers. Dries pretty quickly, havent scrathed a film ever and no spots :)
For 35mm, if you leave the leader out of the cassette when you rewind you can trim it an start it on the reel before you put it in the changing bag. Easier than fumbling around in the bag to try and get it started.
Something I’ve never done but definitely a great idea!
But how do you know you've rewound just enough that the leader is exposed?
Can you also get the film started on the reel before putting in the tent. Bit like lab box?
@@phillnavin1212 yes, pull the leader a little and trim. Then load a few inches onto the reel and out that in your dark bag.
@@elliottanderson4453 cheers. Loading the reel is the only thing putting me off developing my own.
Great video! I’m just getting back into film after a 30 (gulp) year absence, and love seeing your workflow. Of course my darkroom is long gone, but I’m excited to start processing at home, so thanks for your tips.
Cheers, Scott! Hope some of these tips help. Welcome back!
I got a good tip for 120 shooters. You know how 120 has a piece of tape at the end of the roll well intead of taking that tape off leave it and use it to take a second 120 roll and attach it to the first one. So now its like your developing a 220 roll since its two 120 rolls. I use this all the time. Helps me speed up developing. Obviously you cant mix and match different films because with different developers you get different times for each. But if you shoot a lot of the same type of roll like. This really comes in handy. Make sure your reels are dry and you shouldn’t have a problem
Very cool. You're the second person to mention this. That's not something I'd ever thought of before. I'll for sure give it a try in the future.
If you want to save your developed film for the long run then I suggest you always use nitrile gloves when handling negatives and positives. Our hands even when washed have acids on them and they will be inprinted in the film. After a couple of years you can see some very nice finger prints on them. I see it all the time as a digitaliser in a city archive.
Much appreciated, Kyle! Home developing is the final frontier for me after camera scanning for a good while, so this is a big help ✌
You’re welcome. It’s much easier than you think.
This is a great help video, I'm just about to get back into home developing after a long break and will be following you advice. Cheers.
I tried the steam trick on a roll yesterday - BAM! no dust stuck to the film! Thank you for the great tip! 😎👍🏻
🙌 Awesome! Glad it worked for ya.
Hi Kyle, even as someone who has been doing this for some years on and off, I still found your tips helpful. One thing you didn't touch one was that if you are careful and don't rewind 35mm film completely into the cassette, you can trim it AND insert the leader far enough into the processing reel so that the rest of the process is just a simple wind on inside a changing bag/tent. Takes some of the fiddly stuff away.
Cheers. And yes, that's a good point. I don't shoot and develop that much 35mm film, so haven't experimented with other techniques, but that sounds like a nice easy route for someone new to loading film on reels!
Here in Texas I actually have to cool the water to 20 degrees for B+W so I just use a gallon of distilled water left in the refrigerator a while. I know you can develop with chems at a higher temp but I find the best results come from sticking with the manufacturers recommendations.
thanks for a tip with the steam, I've never heared it before
Enjoyable video Kyle. Clear and precise basic instructions on developing a roll of B&W film that even a newbie could understand. Cheers from Canada...
Thanks, Wayne!
So Ilford released the forbidden squeeze yoghurt. 😆 Thanks for the tips. I think they will be really helpful I the future.
😂
Great getting started video. I would also recommend taking a scrap roll of film and practice loading the film reel until you have down without looking at it. It was a bigger deal when we used steal reels, but it's easier to load the reel from muscle memory in the dark. I used to practice just loading the reel , watching TH-cam photovideos, that way I was less likely to focus on the reel and more on the feel.
I lost many frames on few rolls (and almost my mind) struggling to load onto bent, old, steel reels. Patterson reels are a dream in comparison.
Thanks for the video. I bought a Lot (a box with a bunch of nearly useless crap in it) at an auction several years back that contained about 15 Kodak canisters of film. I got tired of looking at them and was ready to throw them out and thought, eh, I could just throw out the film and use the all yellow metal canisters for something. Then I thought, heck, I'll do a little research, maybe the film is worth something on ebay. After doing some research I realized that the film wasn't new, it was used and that these particular kinds of film (Plus-X PX 135) was discontinued in 1969. That was an eye opener. Heck, I could have previously unknown Woodstock photo's. Kaching. That's why I'm here researching how to develop my own. Can't really see entrusting previously unknown photos of the JFK assassination to some other film developer. Thanks.
Just found your channel today. Love your videos. I started with film at college in ‘87 and recently got myself a Nikon F. Thank you for some great info and guides. D#
Awesome video!!! Very clear and simple instructions!!!
Thanks, Brian. 🙏
the massive dev app is so crucial. great video as always!
🙌
Love the tip about angling the leader for loading onto patersons
Cheers, man!
I’ve come back at 16 years away from film photography and by luck purchased what you recommended. I didn’t know about those tents, so going to try to get one. Thanks for the help.
Cheers, Stephen.
Great video, I develop film rarely, but this has me thinking I should get back at it! Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed. Cheers!
Another tip is your standard 120 reel can take 220, meaning you can tape two rolls of 120 back to back and fit them on one spool. Make sure to check massive dev to see if the dev time for different film stocks are the same (or use 2 rolls of the same stock)
Very cool. Didn’t know of or ever think of that!
@@KyleMcDougall if you are careful in removing the tape sticking the film to the backing paper you can use it to tape it to the end of the second roll. You get a shape sort of like looking at binoculars, and then I roll it into one big roll before loading it onto the spool. The tape does nothing to the developer, stop or fix, as far as I can tell. But I only develop BW myself.
@@ktulu193 You don't even need to use the tape with Patterson or Jobo reels. You can keep rolling the fist film all the way to the center until it stops. Then roll your second film on and stop when the tail goes just in the fist groove.
Ah, all excellent tips, and all things that I do in my home development. Another good option as a starter chemistry is Adox FX-39 II, pretty universal and liquid.
very helpful advice. thanks 🙏
Cheers!
The tip on how to cut film at 8:30 is so helpful, also in 120 (and especially if your reels are even slightly damp). But the steam tip at the end in intriguing. Trying to figure out how I can incorporate that into my workflow.
Cheers, Joe. Glad you found it helpful.
So cheesy but, instant thumbs up the moment I saw the Hudson's Bay Company mug, eh.
You can do 4 rolls of 120 in the 2 reel tank by taping the ends together while loading.
If you have scales to accurately measure how much liquid you are putting in you can develop the film on the bottom for a different time than the film on top by putting only enough to develop the bottom one for a min or two. I was worried about splashing developing the film above but I have done a few test rolls as control and seems to always work out ok.
I recommend Adox chemicals for beginners. I did a spreadsheet of all chemicals by category (because it was just too confusing) and Ilford DD-X recommended use is the most expensive per roll developer, Ilford chems typically are more expensive / lower capacity and have a shorter shelf life. Kodak are sort of middle of the bunch. Adox instructions are typically easier to follow and more convenient. Rodinal and XTOL are the most economical and Rodinal never goes bad so is perfect for beginners who may develop infrequently and is one less variable as you mix it 50:1, have a nice slow dev time so you’re not rushed and then you discard it.
For chemicals like stop and fixer where it has no impact on results economy/capacity and convenience for me are king. Ilfostop is the most expensive per roll stop bath. Ilfostop is great for paper tray where fumes matter but acetic acid is a much more effective chemical for film (1min). Tetenal Mirasol is a great wetting agent - 500:1 dilution so a bottle will last years.
My developing tips: 1. In the changing bag I use latex free disposable gloves used for food prep. My hands were sweating in the bag and sticking to the negs. This avoids that and they are very thin so easy to use. 2. A film recoverer to remove the leader while in light makes that trim so much neater. 3. Paterson reels are difficult to use and my negs would crease loading after about 3/4 of the film loaded. I changed to AP reels which are compatible with Paterson and so much easier. 3. Start loading the reel outside the bag - the first 2-3 negs are exposed anyway- much easier than in the bag. 4. I bought and extra single reel holder for paterson and double sided taped the bottom to a salad spinner to remove any water. Works really well. Don't glue to salad server if you need it for salad as well - the glues are toxic 5. I use a paterson System 4 developing tank for 2 x 35mm films- Recommended amount of chemicals is 500ml but I was getting developing lines on the top of the top film if doing 2 x 35mm at the same time. Now I use 600ml which is just enough to be above the funnel of the tank if you take the cap off- Noticeably the bubbles at the top surface are now clear of the negative for cleaner processing. I was using DD-X which is excellent but it was out of stock for month's in NZ so I changed to ID-11 and have to make 5L at once so the cost of using extra developer is no problem. 6. Storing all that developer for 6 month's it is important to eliminate air - I use plastic 1.5L soda bottles which are very flexible so I can push out any excess air as I work through the chemicals. The containers are clear and not black but storing the bottles in a dark cupboard has the same result. 7. 1 drop only of Photo-Flo in the last distilled water rinse works well. 8.Important to rinse all the gear well to avoid contamination. I use separate measures for DEV STOP FIX so they are never contaminated. 9. Remember STOP and FIX can be reused many times- quite a $$ saving. Cheers!
All great tips. Thanks for sharing! Interesting to hear another person using the salad spinner method. Never thought of that but it’s a great idea.
@@KyleMcDougall You're welcome. It's a kitchen centrifuge! It does need the secured reel holder otherwise it rattles but doesn't spin.
On the Paterson developing tank it recommends 500ml per roll of 120 and 290ml per roll of 35mm, so for 2 rolls of 35mm you use 580ml of chemicals 600ml makes the maths for the dilutions easier.
@@contaxpaulharrison942 Got it! If all else fails read the instructions! Cheers.
@@theblackandwhitefilmproject Or just look on the bottom of the tank.
I use a liquid concentrate developer (HC110) and mix right before I develop. I have a jug of distilled water and the developer in the same room and they are both at room temperature. I compare a liquid thermometer in the solution with an ambient air thermometer, enter data into the dev app, get my times and go.
As mentioned in a previous post it is easier to go with what “is” rather than trying to make a 20C solution using tap water. In the summer when it is hot I don’t have this luxury but in Seattle the house is 20C eight months of the year.
I started developing film 40 years ago but I learned some things in this video. Steaming film … interesting!
Cheers, Greg. Yeah I like the idea of rolling with the ambient temp and adjusting the timing. Something I may try out in the future!
Thanks, Kyle. Such helpful stuff. I made some adjustments after watching this. One thing that the Ilford channel suggests is that once you open the canister, push the film through the slit back out from the canister and it won’t get all messy in your bag or tent as you put it through the reel. Might allow using the bag easier if you can’t swing the cash for a tent. Just a thought.
Thanks for your careful work in these videos. I know they take time.
Cheers, John. Thanks for the tip about the canister as well. I hadn’t heard of that!
I've had a Patterson tank for like 4 years and haven't used it yet.. I need to get on it
Fabulous thnk u Kyle
Cheers, Stephen. 🙏
Distilled water and a humid spot to hang film had always worked for me until I started shooting Rollei's retro 400s (the film base is completely clear gives spots no place to hide). I've started spinning my reels with a salad spinner to remove nearly all the water before unspooling the film. The remaining droplets are tiny and dry quickly without running.
Sounds silly but it's been a game changer.
Very cool! Would have never thought of that, haha!
One point about water temperatures, I suspect that you can get a fairly steady water temperature round about 20'c, I struggle with that I can get a reliable cold or hot temperature, but in between, the temp varies over time. I tend to measure the cold water temperature, and decide to wash at that temperature, I then make up the solutions at a few degrees above the cold temperature, remaining within 5c above as per ilford's instructions for the avoidance of reticulation, and I leave the thermometer in the developer solution and just before staring development I correct the development time for the temperature of the developer solution as measured. So it is develop as accurately as you can and keep all of the liquids within 5 c of each other including the wash water. I tend to over fix and over wash, as under fixing can ruin your film. development you want as accurate as you can, the rest of the steps just don't under do them. If your set up won't give you a reliable temperature at 20C work at what it will reliably give you and correct the times.
Yeah, that's a good point.You can just change your developing time based on your development temp. Thanks Paul!
My tip would be to check out AP developing tanks vs Paterson. Their spools are much easier to load, due to a sort of shelf at the start
AP tanks works great. spools from Paterson are very difficult to load film.
great content and tips, especially the starter kit, which was a novelty to me... wondering as well if you have any video about scanning?! I'm wondering which scanner I should buy, due to its high investment :(
You can put two 120 films on one reel. Just insert the first film until it doesn't go any further, then insert the second film so that the whole film is just on the reel. The two films must not overlap! Jobo tanks have a little red stopper to prevent this, Paterson tanks don't. This will save you a lot of money if you use one shot developer!
Thanks for another great video. I have just started developing b&w film at home and I liked all your suggestions, especially the steam idea in the shower. There is a TH-cam video from ILFORD on getting started with film dev and they have a method of rinsing that uses less than 2 litres of water. I use this method and would be interested in your view.
Cheers, Andrew. I’ll look up that video. Sounds like a better method if it saves water.
I always struggled with reeling the film in the dark :( Way back in photography school.
I dont pop the canister open, instead I cut the leader of the roll, and spool it just a bit so I can just start spooling it in very easily once in the bag, makes the process so much easier imo.
Tips to add: if you can find a completely dark room, it's a lot easier than a tent or bag, also - make sure your reels are dry before trying to load your film onto them. Happy developing!
Yep yep. Both good tips. Cheers.
great vid
Cheers, Ian.
No dust? You're lucky. I use ilfotol, do the shower trick, use compressed air and feed my film through a double ended anti static brush and still have incredible amounts of dust on my 35mm film. Medium format and large format aren't too bad since the dust is so much smaller than the picture.
But I've tried ever trick under the sun over the years, and I think I would weep with joy if there was ever a day I could say that I don't have dust on my scanned B&W images
I literally just open the film canister with my fingers, and I am not a strong person. I just tear open the gap where the film used to come out through.
If like me you live in a tropical country, tap water will always be warmer than 20 degrees. An ice bucket is usually required 🙂
👍 Thanks
You're welcome.
I'm really getting a lot from your videos. I've been shooting film for several years and developing for about a year. But you offered several tips that I find very helpful. Sorry I don't always thumbs up your videos because I usually am watching on my tv. I'll try to do better. Thanks!
Thanks! Really glad to hear that you've been finding them helpful!
you blew my gd mind by telling me that one of the clips from the starter pack is weighted... what!!
😂 it’s a game changer!
Thanks for the tips, especially about using the tent. I have the bag and it does get confusing and messy in there. I also have the massive dev chart app but don’t use it because I don’t know what the different stages mean and if you have to do them right after each other yourself by doing some kind of action or if the app just goes on to the other step automatically. Maybe you can shoot a vid separately about the massive dev app, would appreciate it! Thanks again!
Cheers, Jean. You can also modify the massive Dev app, removing stages, or adjusting them. It’s all controlled by you. Very handy and worth playing around with.
@@KyleMcDougall thanks Kyle!
First off: thank you for your previous suggestion of the massive dev app. I downloaded this and it has been an absolutely fantastic resource. Would highly recommend.
Second: just some notes on the patterson kit: yes, it is expensive but you can reuse the stop-bath and fixer so it does go a long way. Just be wary that you will only get one tank's worth of dev with it so you'll need to buy more developer. It comes with wetting agent - I'd probably advise against replacing it with the same thing because you end up getting through it very quickly and replacements are ludicrously expensive. I've just ordered a bit bottle of kodak photo-flo to replace it.
Third: my wash process is 10 agitations, then 20 then 50 then 10 with 2 caps of wetting agent added. I don't tend to get watermarks anymore following this process.
Cheers, Matt. Thanks for sharing your process!
@@KyleMcDougall Pleasure as always 😉
How does the steaming contribute to the drying process?
can i reuse those solutions for other films to use later?
Ilford wetting agent ruined my plastic paterson reels. Made them really sticky and impossible to get 36 roll film on them no matter how much I scrubbed or ran through the dish washer. Ended up just having to ditch them and buy new ones. Now I do my wetting agent wash without the reels!
Hmm, interesting. Haven't had that issue yet but thanks for the heads up.
Ironic, isn't it? As Kodak have announced price increases of about 20% in 2022 for their film stock, and Fuji have announced that they are about to discontinue quite a bit of their ' pro ' colour stock and sheet transparencies, film photography is making a real come back. I guess we still have Ilford and Foma ( no where as good quality as Ilford ) for B&W photography. The colour film photography is now looking at his own death , sadly. I agree with your advice to the novice. A good quality BW film like HP5+ or FP4+ and decent liquid developer, preferably with a long shelf life, DDX, LC29 or similar. Sadly, I find the Adox branded array of film developers have very limited shelf life and need to be used rather quickly.
lots of love from india bro
🙌
Is the patterson kit only for black and white? How do i develop in color? What kind of chemicals do i need for color development?
You can use powder developers and fixers to make the chemical aspect cheaper. ID11, Microphen and adox stuff are so cheap
No matter how hard i tried, there was no getting around the water marks on my negatives until i went on using deminaralized water... for all chemical including final rince with weting agent.
it s definityly fun to do !
nice video, and TheBay coffee mug souvenir ;)
Use Kodak Photoflo but half the recommended ratio (1:400) instead of 1:200. The water marks are because of over concentrated wetting agent.
Yep, deionized water solved all of my issues! Good eye with the bay mug. 😁
@@markgarcia8253 that might well be the problem, i usually empty the cap into the pat tank ( i gues it make the 1:200, so difficult to say really)... ill try a lil less
@@BIbiVstf3sx likewise. I recently was talking to an older photographer and he said the exact explanation I gave you. It made more sense than distilled water being hard water
I use the distilled water rinse as well but instead of Photo-Flo I just use a small drop of clear liquid soap. It can be hand soap or dish soap. Mix well with the distilled water and use like normal. Also, before I remove the negatives, I shake the reels pretty vigorously ( I do this in the shower stall ) to remove the excess water. This method, is simpler than a salad spinner and more expedient. I then hang my negatives with common clothes pins on both ends in the shower with the curtain closed. In a couple hours, I have dust free, water spot free negatives.
This video made me realize I am way to lazy to do all this work. I'll just pay the money to have someone else do this.
To play devils advocate. I was once developing my film, and when I poured out the developer, the tank decided to become undone, spilling my film on the sink. after 3-4 seconds of realizing wtf just happened, I quickly put the filn back in the tank and locked in the top, and used stop bath etc....The film was 100% fine....As for removing the leader, I just hold onto the fuzzy bit at the front and just tear it open...
Surprising to hear that the film was still fine!
Guys those chemicals for one time use or I can keep it for another develop ?
can i reuse the solution for many batch?
I learned how to develop film on metal reels and metal tanks and I don’t know what it is but I absolutely hate the plastic reels
Hewes for the win!
Do you use a squeegee at all on the film before you hang it? Thanks for sharing Kyle.
was also wondering the same thing and also a recommendation on a good one.. the one I have been using has lately been leaving faint streaks and or scratches. nothing that ruins the film and can't be fixed in post but still an issue..
Nope. No squeegee. I’ve used my fingers as a squeegee a few times in the past, but have found distilled water with the wetting agent to work wonders.
I messed around with Kodak D76 (which is great) but the fact any pre-mixed developer has to be tested (or replenished) after a while is annoying. Along with the fact you have to either make the full gallon mix, or measure out the powder to 4 batches to ration out your bag. Both of which are annoying and which I no longer use any developer besides Rodinal.
I have since moved solely to using Rodinal and it cleared the best choice for most BW processes. Whether it’d be push/pulling film, stand development, & the one-shot developer is brand new every time 👍🏻👌🏻
Rodinal is one that I’ve never tried, but came close to choosing before DDX. Been happy with DDX but it’s definitely not cheap.
@@KyleMcDougall I mean it’s all preference. I recommend Rodinal R09 small bottle to try out. I think you’d love it
What to do with chemicals after they end their whole processing cycle? They are pretty toxic. And how do you protect yourself? They can vape a little, so you can even smell it. Do tou wear a respirator or something? What about ventilation?
Where all my lick film and stick into cassette to get the leader out homies at
How to prevent oxidizing of the developer? I'm using ILFOSOL 3 and seal of the bottle degrade with time, what cause oxidizing of the developer. Can you recommend some Ilford developer resist to this process?
How long is it sitting for?
@@KyleMcDougall Several weeks.
should i use distilled or filtered water when diluting? thanks.
Id only use it for the final rinse.
@@KyleMcDougall ok, thank you
i just wanted to ask you that which camera u prefer more pentax 67 third version or pentax 67ii because pentax 67ii electronics can fail and it is not build like tank
Get a mechanical camera. Problem solved lol
@@markgarcia8253 👍
the Pentax 67 is more than enough tbh...get a 3D printed right grip (if like me, you don't prefer the wooden left grip) and voila!
Actually have a video lined up about this as I recently bought an older 6x7 as a backup. If I had to recommend one over the other, I’d probably say save the cash and go for the older version.
Film retrievers are dead easy to use instead of using a cassette opener. 32yrs darkroom experience, including press and magazine processing.
i thought u just pull the film from that cylinder type thing and put inside the scanner
I love developing film at home! It's my happy place where I can hide away from the film goblins hell bent on ridding the world of all things analog. Join the resistance!!!
1. Don't be lazy
I did a lot of home film development, BW, Color, C41, E6, all sizes and colors... but I am lazy. It is easier to bring it to store and get it back next day. But also much more expensive :D
It’s a good tip, haha! Convenience and cost is the big reason for me. Otherwise I’d probably always just send to a lab.
@@KyleMcDougall for me is the satisfaction that you developed your own film.
Perhaps a basic question to those who have been developing for a while.... how do you ethically dispose of the used chemicals once they have run their course? I assume they are harmful to just pour down the drain?
I'm sure you'll get a large amount of mixed answers on this. It's a good question. I've googled and read a lot of forum conversations and have found there are strong opinions for both pouring down the drain and also disposing of at a hazardous waste centre.
@@KyleMcDougall An "official" answer would be contacting your local water supplier. That said, unless you are a professional photofinisher, small amounts of chemistry poured down the drain is not a problem in most places.
Great tips even for an experienced analog photographer (I have shot film since I was 7, that’s 60 years ago), but I dislike your waste of running water. Water is expensive, but more importantly we should all use less for environmental reasons.
Don’t forget to remove your smart watch before using a changing tent. I forgot to take off my Apple Watch once and ended up with foggy negatives.
rip to that ektachrome role :(
✌️
You actually use tab water? Shouldn't you use distilled water? Tab water may contain all kinds of additives, chlorine, it may differ by region from being pH positive to negative, hard or soft.
I've had no issues developing with tap water.
its stil necessary to develop with yourself? Michael Kenna just bring to the lab and wait for the prints and very succesful photographer
Do yourself a favor and toss out those garbage reels and buy the Arista reels, they will save you loads of time and frestration especially on 120 film.
The absolute hardest part of developing at home is getting the film into the tank. It takes me 10+ tries every time. I get it almost done and it jams and have to pull it all out and start over again. I usually just send off to the lab to save myself the nervous break down haha
If you're wearing an Apple Watch or any smartwatch, don't forget to take it off before using the dark-bag! Thank me later :D
Ah yes, such an important one! I’ve made that mistake once.
lots of chemical and plastic waste