Film Photography & Development

[LosOjos]

Anybody else here in to the old fashioned way of taking photographs? I've just this weekend developed my first roll of film; the results aren't fantastic but I'm still proud!

 

The flickr set is here if anybody fancies a gander: 35mm - a set on Flickr

[DT2]

I should like to be, as I have a Minolta SRT100X with about 3 or 4 different lenses. The only issue is, I don't have the space or facility to develop my own....

So it's just gathering dust at the moment.....

[jinnantonnixx]

That takes me back. I used to do my own film developing and printing years ago. I gave a lot of my stuff away, but I saw my old Meopta Axomat in the attic the other day when I put away the Christmas decs.

 

Forget your Delta 100 and FX39, the best print I ever made was from a HP5 film developed in Rodinal, which even back in the day was a hundred year old formula.

 

I've still got my top-line Nikon f2.8mm enlarging lens if anyone is interested.....

 

 

I may sound nostalgic, but I don't miss any part of it; digital is ace.

[sonofsanta]

Best thing about film is the pace it forces you to work at. Once you've played with digital for a bit, it's great to go back and use a film SLR to force yourself to slow down and properly line up a shot. <3 Ilford B&W as well.

[Oaktech]

http://www.flickr.com

 

just done a similar thing - not my developing though. Slightly disapointed as i'd managed to set the iso on the camera wrong so it's all artistically over exposed.

 

Minolta XD7 for me. although i'm watching a mamiya 645 on ebay, i had an RB67 (google it) but my ex took it with her!

[DT2]

I cleaned all my stuff out last night, so if anyone would like to make a reasonable offer you're welcome to make use of it. I'm thinking about investing in a decent digital....

[jinnantonnixx]

I learnt photography on a Praktica MTL5 manual camera. It's a great way to learn; with no auto mode you have no choice but to learn all about exposure. It's built like a tank and still works to this day, 25 years after I received it as a Christmas present.

 

I've got tons of negatives sitting around, I've a good mind to scan them in and see what's there. Can anyone recommend a fast negative scanner? Preferably a standalone one, which can scan to a memory card or USB stick to dump to disk at a later point. Or even a postal service where I can send them away for scanning to a DVD or whatever.

[LosOjos]

I should like to be, as I have a Minolta SRT100X with about 3 or 4 different lenses. The only issue is, I don't have the space or facility to develop my own....

So it's just gathering dust at the moment.....

 

That's a shame! I've not yet gone the whole hog and got an enlarger for "real" printing, I'm just scanning the negatives, so it's just a case of loading the tank in a changing bag then mixing chemicals over the sink!

 

That takes me back. I used to do my own film developing and printing years ago. I gave a lot of my stuff away, but I saw my old Meopta Axomat in the attic the other day when I put away the Christmas decs.

 

Forget your Delta 100 and FX39, the best print I ever made was from a HP5 film developed in Rodinal, which even back in the day was a hundred year old formula.

 

I've still got my top-line Nikon f2.8mm enlarging lens if anyone is interested.....

 

 

I may sound nostalgic, but I don't miss any part of it; digital is ace.

 

I love digital but I was finding that after a year of using it (went from a Samsung NX10 to a Canon 400D then to my current digital, a Canon 40D) I wasn't really learning how to properly expose a photo - I was relying on Aperture or Shutter priority modes. I made the choice to give film a go to a) force me to think about exposure, b) get that organic film look, c) give me an excuse to play with chemicals - well, I am a geek!

 

I've heard many good things about HP5 and also heard lots of people rave about Rodinal - HP5 is going to be the next film I try, might work through my bottle of Ilfosol3 before I try Rodinal though, I'm already on the edge of the missus having a breakdown at all the new gear I've bought!

 

Best thing about film is the pace it forces you to work at. Once you've played with digital for a bit, it's great to go back and use a film SLR to force yourself to slow down and properly line up a shot. <3 Ilford B&W as well.

 

It is quite a challenge to only have 36 shots on a roll - with digital I'll quite happily take a dozen shots of the same thing and simply pick the best to "develop" later, it really does make you think more with film

 

http://www.flickr.com

 

just done a similar thing - not my developing though. Slightly disapointed as i'd managed to set the iso on the camera wrong so it's all artistically over exposed.

 

Minolta XD7 for me. although i'm watching a mamiya 645 on ebay, i had an RB67 (google it) but my ex took it with her!

 

Ouch, bet you were gutted about the Minolta! Nice stream by the way, like the grain you got on your 35mm; what developer did you use?

[jinnantonnixx]

That's a shame! I've not yet gone the whole hog and got an enlarger for "real" printing, I'm just scanning the negatives, so it's just a case of loading the tank in a changing bag then mixing chemicals over the sink!

 

I've got a bulk film loader if you're interested. I used to buy reels of bulk film. It marks you out as a pro when you have HP5 SAFETY FILM stamped on the film edges;)

 

I love digital but I was finding that after a year of using it (went from a Samsung NX10 to a Canon 400D then to my current digital, a Canon 40D) I wasn't really learning how to properly expose a photo - I was relying on Aperture or Shutter priority modes. I made the choice to give film a go to a) force me to think about exposure, b) get that organic film look, c) give me an excuse to play with chemicals - well, I am a geek!

 

Ah, I came from the other way - manual camera, film, developing and printing then to digital. So I had an excellent grounding in photography before my first digital camera.

 

I've heard many good things about HP5 and also heard lots of people rave about Rodinal - HP5 is going to be the next film I try, might work through my bottle of Ilfosol3 before I try Rodinal though, I'm already on the edge of the missus having a breakdown at all the new gear I've bought!

 

Rodinal is excellent. You can change its effect by altering the dilution; a weaker mix gives you a sharper image. Download the data sheet for more info.

Also, it lasts forever, which is ideal for the occasional photographer. It's out of patent protection now, I read it was invented in the late 1800s!!!!

Go for HP5 and Rodinal - enjoy the old tech and relish in the grain. Good grief, what a pseud.

[Oaktech]

It is quite a challenge to only have 36 shots on a roll - with digital I'll quite happily take a dozen shots of the same thing and simply pick the best to "develop" later, it really does make you think more with film

 

try it with 120 roll film - 12 shots, takes ages to relaod and costs a fortune to buy and develop as it's so big, it used to cost about £6 a negative by the time you had bought and developed it, then printing was extra!

 

I think the grain is accidental as the film i used was ilford 400 and shouldn't have been that grainy, but it was a roll i'd had kicking around for about 10 years.

 

i use ashley colour labs to develop my stuff as they are the only local company who deal with film any more. They aren't cheap, its about £10 to develop to negative and then a fiver to scan to file and burn to CD. Ashley Colour

 

I've got a 12 pack of fuji velvia 400 and a 6 pack of kodak portra 800 to use as well, watch this space!

[jinnantonnixx]

If you ever go for printing, get a Kodak print projection overlay. This is a little plastic sheet on which gradients are printed. Expose your negative for a minute and look at the resulting print. Choose the best gradient and read off the exposure value and hey presto - you know exactly what exposure to use for your final print.

 

I'll take a photo of all my old gear and see if anyone want to make an offer for it.

[LosOjos]

I've got a bulk film loader if you're interested. I used to buy reels of bulk film. It marks you out as a pro when you have HP5 SAFETY FILM stamped on the film edges;)

 

That is interesting actually - are they relatively easy to use? Seen some cracking deals on bulk film (this for instance: ILFORD HP5 PLUS 400 B&W bulk film roll 100 ft./30.5 meter Expired 3.2009 x1 ROLL | eBay) so wouldn't mind having a go!

[jinnantonnixx]

As long as film has been stored correctly, it should be OK after date.

 

The bulk loader is fairly straightforward. The only precarious part is loading the bulk reel at the start. This has to be done in total darkness or you'll ruin the reel. It's not too tricky though, you can use a changing bag or even under the bed covers at night at a push.

 

Once you've loaded the reel, you can load up your reusable film canisters (I have a few lying around) in daylight. The clever design of the bulk loader means that only the two ends of the film are exposed to light. Feed the film into the reusable film housing, close the bulk loader door, wind the handle to load the film (it has a frame counter so you know how many exposures you wind on. I used to wind in 40 exposures per film. Then open the door, cut the film and bung it in your camera and away you go.

 

An unexpected bonus of doing this is that it's much easier to develop the film if you use re-usable film canisters. Ordinary film canisters are sealed very tightly and must be opened with a bottle opener or similar. A tricky thing to do in the dark or using a changing bag. The reusable canisters, however, can be popped open with your thumbs so it's much easier to get the film out and onto the developing reels.

Edited January 17, 2012 by jinnantonnixx

[Oaktech]

^^

What he said.

 

I used to bulk load a lot as my ex did a degree in photography and at one point we were shooting and developing hundreds of frames a week, it just wasn't economical on a student loan to buy individual. The art store at the uni did a bulk roll of ilford 200/400/hp5 and 10 reusable magazines for about £25.

[shenley]

I've always used film, but I haven't done my own developing for 25 years. It's all too messy, enlargers are expensive and you get better results at a lab. By lab, I don't mean your local Happy Snaps or 30 minute developing shop. I mean a professional lab; I've always taken my film to one and the results are well worth it.

 

Cameras that I use are :

Ricoh KR5, which I bought with my first pay cheque in 1979. It's been repaired a few times, and isn't the greatest camera around, but being fully manual, you have to work to get the shot.

Pentax LX of 1980 vintage, which I bought second-hand in 1995. I wanted an LX when they were released but I couldn't afford one at the time. A truly magnificent camera, which is compatible with all the lens I bought for the Ricoh. Solid as a rock and still as good as when it came out of the factory.

Exakta Varex VX of 1952 vintage with a Carl Zeiss 58mm f/2 lens, which gets semi-regular use. I used to own several different Exaktas and a whole swag of lenses, but I sold them all off last year. I had to keep one and this is the classic Exakta, and as used by Jimmy Stewart in the film Rear Window. I wonder how many thousands of rolls of film have been through it? I very much doubt any of todays digital cameras will still be working in 60 years time.

 

I've always fancied a Pentax System 10, which is a 110 SLR. I very nearly bought one when I purchased the Ricoh, but I was advised against it. They are cheap now; I've seen a complete outfit, including all optional extras for £45 but where do you get the film? I would also like a Minox, the classic spy camera. You can still get film quite easily, but it gets damn inconvenient carrying the office desk and lamp around with you

[jinnantonnixx]

I would also like a Minox, the classic spy camera. You can still get film quite easily, but it gets damn inconvenient carrying the office desk and lamp around with you

 

Do they still come with balaclavas?

[Oaktech]

I've always been a bit of a minolta fan, i aquired my parents XGM, which lasted for years but suddenly started draining batteries overnight, I was looking for another XGM, but found an XD7 for the right amount of money in our local second hand camera shop, with a 50mm lens, and a 28mm sigma, so bought that, then at a camera fair I bought a 300mm sigma tele lens that came with a 'free' XD7 body that aparently didn't work (becuase the batteries had leaked and eaten the contacts, which i repaired) I still have all 3 cameras, as well as a metz 45CL hammerhead flash and another 200mm lens.

 

When my ex started doing her degree we aquired an olympus e10 digital (when 4mp cost a grand!) as well as a minolta dynax 404 35mm. We also borrowed for about 3 years a bronica etrsi. The university then sold off their stock of RB67 with 80mm lens which we bought with 3 film backs, a polaroid back and a prism as well as the wlf. We also bought a seagull tlr at the same time, but passed it on quickly as neither of us got on with it. When my ex and i split up, she took the E10 and RB67, we sold the dynax, as frankly we were both beyond the level it was capable of

 

I've got an olympus OM10 now as well as a praktika courtesy of my new partner, as well as my own olympus e1. My next purchase will be a medium format of my own, hence watching the 645. eventuually i will get the e3, but it'll be another couple of years.

[LosOjos]

Here's a question for you all that might sound a bit dumb but just making sure... it is OK to change the lens while there's a roll in the camera, right? I mean I can't see why not so long as the shutter is closed but a discussion I had with somebody the other day has me questioning myself...

[K.C.Leblanc]

Here's a question for you all that might sound a bit dumb but just making sure... it is OK to change the lens while there's a roll in the camera, right? I mean I can't see why not so long as the shutter is closed but a discussion I had with somebody the other day has me questioning myself...

 

Should be fine since the shutter is closed.

[shenley]

One of the many features of an SLR (and expensibe TLR) is you can change the lens without ruining the film. If you're clever, you can take the partially exposed reel out of the camera, use another and then stick the original back in too, or use it in a different camera.

[LosOjos]

I thought so but just wanted to confirm (I'd have found it over the weekend when I cam to develop either way!)