View Full Version : What to Buy for Film Processing
So far just this month I've spent about $100 for film processing. That includes mailing for 4x5 sheets and dry plates. I think the charge was $2.50 per sheet. I think I'm finally at the point where it might be cheaper for me to learn how to do it myself? I've always been a little intimidated by it, but it just can't be that hard. In order of quantity here's what I shoot: FP4 4x5, HP5 4x5, Lane plates 4x5, 5x7 FP4, 5x7 Lane plates, Portra 400 4x5 (will switch to Ektar 4x5), and rolls of FP4 & HP5 in 120, 35mm, 127. Yeah, it's a lot of formats, but 4x5 is probably 90% of it. So, what method? I'm leaning towards the SP445 tank because it's simple and uses small amounts of chemistry. I would do 4x5 sheets in it. I'm aware it can do plates too, but I think I'm better off tray developing those so I can get the best exposure out of them. They're expensive and the exposure isn't so precise so doing them one at a time in a tray seems to me to be the way to go. I have the reels/tanks for 120-35mm--127 but don't do enough of it to mess with it right away. I don't shoot much color film and don't want to mess with it at all. So, I guess I'm looking at processing 4x5 FP4, HP5, and plates only, to start with.
I have no idea what chemicals to get. I want something simple that's hard to screw up, and repeatable. I'm mostly after a more vintage look but that's secondary to "simple." I sometimes do push HP5 to ISO 800 but if that adds much difficulty I could continue to send it out. This will be done in my bathroom, which is very dark at night. I have a red safe light already for loading the plates. I'm wanting to know what chemicals I need and any other equipment (such as thermometer, timer, etc.) Considering I'm paying $2.50 + shipping for processing now, am I really going to save that much money? My main frustration isn't money, it's the 1 to 2 week turn around on getting my negatives back. Any suggestions? Is there a video on YouTube or somewhere that is really good?
I think I'll start with film processing with the SP4455, move to dry plates in a tray, then 5x7 sheet film & plates. Is there a chemical that can do both film & plates?
Kent in SD
The sp445 is probably fine for 4x5, I use a combiplan which is similar idea. Some summer yardsale or c-list you can pick up trays and tanks for rollfilm.
D-76 or a concentrated liquid equivalent is pretty good developer. Photographers formulary would be a good place to shop for that. If you are feeling adventurous, some pyrocat hd liquid concentrate in glycol.
Water for stop bath.
TF4 or TF5 for fixer, no need for fixer remover.
some people use a dilute photoflo. I use a final rinse in distilled water with a splash of rubbing alcohol. (might skip that for plates)
I ship out color film for processing and stick to just B&W at home.
paulbarden
7-Dec-2018, 13:39
There is Ilford's guide to processing your first film at home (https://www.ilfordphoto.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Processing-your-first-black-and-white-film.pdf), and there's a copy of Henry Horenstein's Basic B&W Photography (https://issuu.com/mojoblu/docs/black---white-photography---a-basic-manual---henry) manual online, which goes into some detail about processing film in a later chapter.
To process your own film you'll need 1) Developer, 2) stop bath, 3) fixer, and (ideally) 4) photo-flo or some other surfactant (to avoid water drops drying on the film). The cost of chemistry is relatively small and you can definitely save money over shipping film out to be labbed for you. the Sp445 will make processing 4x5 sheets easy, but the initial cost of the tank is significant for someone on a budget. It will definitely add the convenience factor of being able to work in daylight (once loaded) but you're going to shell out approximately $96 USD to get one. The film processing chemistry can be had for about 1/3 of that price and it will develop a lot of sheets of film, so the chemistry itself isn't the expensive part. The cost of mailing your film back and forth is a significant expense, and I think you'll find doing it at home is far less costly once you have the tools to do it.
Finally, its hard to put a price on being able to shoot a few sheets of film, process them at home, and scan or print them in the same day. That alone is worth investing in home processing.
Finally, its hard to put a price on being able to shoot a few sheets of film, process them at home, and scan or print them in the same day. That alone is worth investing in home processing.
My main motivation. If I can see whether or not I got the shot, I can sometimes go back the next day and reshoot if I screwed up. The ease of processing (SP445) outweighs its cost. I'm taking a long term view here.
Kent in SD
Graeme Hamilton
7-Dec-2018, 14:44
I think the SP445 is the way to go, I have the MOD54, and if I was starting over I would go with the SP445 (the MOD54 is really hard to load in a changing bag). The main advantage of the MOD54 is it fits inside a Paterson 3 reel tank, if you have one laying around.
I am definitely on the water stop bath and tf4 or 5 for fixing train, it makes the whole process so much simpler. As for developers my stand bys are D-76 and Rodinal. D-76 gives a much flatter image thats ready for tweaking (is your process mostly digital post?). Rodinal is more contrasty, but is usually closer to my vision from the start. Something else that I think is a plus for rodinal is that you mix up just as much as you need fresh every time. Because it's not sitting for a long time reacting with impurities in the water, I usually just mix it up with tap (I know, I'm bad), but I don't do that with D-76, as I'm not sure how it would affect longevity. I also strongly recommend photoflo for anything over 135, as it seems to really reduce spotting on larger formats.
As for color, it's not quite as hard as everyone makes it out to be with all the kits out there, you just have to keep the chems hot instead of cold. Or you can do it at room temperature with stand development. Something to play with down the line, perhaps.
There's nothing more exciting than waiting to see your film after your final rinse (or photoflo), you're going to have a lot of fun, and there's something special about an image you did yourself start to finish.
Good advice and links above. To add my two cents...I'm getting good results with Ilfosol 3 (1+9 dilution) processing individual sheets of 4x5 FP4 and HP5 in 5x7 Yankee agitrays using continuous agitation. Using 300ml per sheet, I've got $10 dev cost for 16 sheets. Obviously developing individual sheets means you can only screw up one sheet at a time. If cost really doesn't matter, DDX is an awesome one shot developer...if you shoot the Delta emulsions I'd pay the difference.
Use hypocheck to make sure your fixer is good and fix as recommended...don't overfix. Follow instructions to the letter. Try to stick with one temp and one dilution and adjust your development time as necessary to get the density you want. Once you get it right, always do it that way. Try to relax. Don't get in a hurry. You'll be fine. :-)
Peter Lewin
7-Dec-2018, 15:05
Many of us tray develop our 4x5 negatives, and if you will tray develop your plates, you should at least consider using trays as your universal technique. As for developer, I have never been a fan of D-76 for large format, although it is my go-to for 35mm. I would suggest HC-110 at dilution G, or a bit fancier but also used very diluted and one-shot, Pyrocat HD. I have stopped using Photo-Flo, finding that a good final rinse in distilled water (easy to buy by the gallon at the supermarket) does the trick.
Ilford just introduced a kit with the necessary chemistry, geared to 35mm & 120 film. I'm sure you can figure out the dilutions for the SP445. https://www.ilfordphoto.com/simplicity-starter-pack
Rodinol/Ro9
Distilled water at any store use it for mixing chems
TF5
Tap water wash
Dry film in the wet shower
So far I'm leaning towards Rodinal & the SP445, plus trays for plates and 5x7. I have been simply scanning negs on a v700 and processing in PS. I have a dandy spot in my basement for a dark room, but that's a project for after I retire. I want to get started getting experience processing first. The Ilford kit looks great but I'm holding off starting with roll film until later.
Kent in SD
paulbarden
7-Dec-2018, 19:40
It is my opinion that Rodinal is a "convenience developer", and isn't necessarily the developer of choice if subtle tonality is your desire. Rodinal is fine for some things, but it tends to produce negatives of a fairly harsh quality. YMMV of course.
Bob Salomon
7-Dec-2018, 19:40
So far I'm leaning towards Rodinal & the SP445, plus trays for plates and 5x7. I have been simply scanning negs on a v700 and processing in PS. I have a dandy spot in my basement for a dark room, but that's a project for after I retire. I want to get started getting experience processing first. The Ilford kit looks great but I'm holding off starting with roll film until later.
Do you know that both the CombiPlan 45 and the 57 takes both sheet film and glass plates and, except for film loading, are daylight?
Kent in SD
OP asked for suggestions not negations...
It is my opinion that Rodinal is a "convenience developer", and isn't necessarily the developer of choice if subtle tonality is your desire. Rodinal is fine for some things, but it tends to produce negatives of a fairly harsh quality. YMMV of course.
Rodinal is my developer of choice. It gives fairly fine but very defined grain, making crisp prints. Of course, if grain is not your thing, you probably won't like Rodinal.
It is my opinion that Rodinal is a "convenience developer", and isn't necessarily the developer of choice if subtle tonality is your desire. Rodinal is fine for some things, but it tends to produce negatives of a fairly harsh quality. YMMV of course.
I agree with Paul - I have been using Rodinal for a couple years but am not terribly thrilled how my Ilford 4X5 and 5X7 films come out - but - I will use it up. I hate how my 35mm Ilford films look when processed in Rodinal, but I don't shoot a lot of 35mm anymore.
I prefer HC-110 (for economy and results) but a couple years ago it seemed the price went up due to hazmat fee or some such thing, so I purchased the Rodinal instead.
My dry plates come out just fine in the Rodinal.
FWIW, I process all my sheet films / plates in trays in my bathtub, and have done that for years, since I don't have a darkroom right now. I can comfortably process 10-12 sheets of 4X5 at a time in 8X10 trays, and any minor scratch I get just adds to that "vintage look" you desire :)
I have not used an acidic stop-bath in the past 30 years, I just use water.
For final wash, I just soak the film in water for about 30 minutes, dumping for fresh water about every 5 minutes and shuffling thru the stack of negs every 5 minutes as well. That has been my procedure for many years as well.
paulbarden
8-Dec-2018, 13:17
OP asked for suggestions not negations...
Of course! And it is my suggestion that to get better-than-OK results, he would be wise to choose something other than Rodinal :-)
:rolleyes:
Of course! And it is my suggestion that to get better-than-OK results, he would be wise to choose something other than Rodinal :-)
OK, HC-110 for both plates & film, SP-445 tank (Combiplan 57 if I ever see one come up for sale,) photo flo, eventually three 8x10 trays (to process plates and 5x7,) tf4 fixer, water stop bath (distilled for final rinse,) thermometer, tongs, graduate cylinder for measuring, and that should do it? I'm thinking of ordering from Blue Moon. Will try to snag used trays from ebay.
I've been using vintage lenses (1845-1862, 1900-1925) for the plates and often for film. Lately I've been using modern lenses (Nikon 90mm f4.5, Rodenstock 135mm f5.6, Fujinon 180mm f5.6, Rodenstock 300mm f9) with the FP4 & HP5. Have also been shooting some Portra 400 since I saw Sanderson's color photos.:) Mostly I am after a more classic, vintage look, but the batch of photos I took with the modern lenses on FP4 look quite good! Will post a few later.
Kent in SD
Cough syrup cups to measure developer concentrate, clothes pins to hang the film up to dry, printfile pages or other archival organizers to store negatives.
Duolab123
8-Dec-2018, 15:28
OK, HC-110 for both plates & film, SP-445 tank (Combiplan 57 if I ever see one come up for sale,) photo flo, eventually three 8x10 trays (to process plates and 5x7,) tf4 fixer, water stop bath (distilled for final rinse,) thermometer, tongs, graduate cylinder for measuring, and that should do it? I'm thinking of ordering from Blue Moon. Will try to snag used trays from ebay.
I've been using vintage lenses (1845-1862, 1900-1925) for the plates and often for film. Lately I've been using modern lenses (Nikon 90mm f4.5, Rodenstock 135mm f5.6, Fujinon 180mm f5.6, Rodenstock 300mm f9) with the FP4 & HP5. Have also been shooting some Portra 400 since I saw Sanderson's color photos.:) Mostly I am after a more classic, vintage look, but the batch of photos I took with the modern lenses on FP4 look quite good! Will post a few later.
Kent in SD
Sounds like you have a plan. I don't have the SP-445, what I like, is you can use it in place of Polaroid. Take a changing bag, monobath developer, check your shots in the field. Once you have what you want take shots to bring home and process how you like.
To the OP
you mention having a red safelight, you may already know this, however in case you don't red safelights are used with black and white enlarging papers (which are not sensitive to red light) however they are not used for handling modern film.
To the OP
you mention having a red safelight, you may already know this, however in case you don't red safelights are used with black and white enlarging papers (which are not sensitive to red light) however they are not used for handling modern film.
Yes. I use it to load/unload the dry plates. Will also use it when processing dry plates.
Kent in SD
Jim Andrada
9-Dec-2018, 00:10
B&W is a piece of cake - I think I did my first B&W developing when I was around 4 years old (almost 75 years ago) because my father used to develop and print and I got curious about it and started helping and pretty soon it was my job.
Color - well, it isn't really any harder but temperature control is critical - I use a Jobo but you might (MIGHT) get away with a large water bath. Did I say MIGHT??? Of course you might not get away with it either - commercial operations hold temperatures +/- 0.1 degree C (or 0.2 degree F.) Not controling temperatures can lead to strangeness in the color balance - if you don't do a lot of color I'd suggest you keep sending it out for now.
You might start with something basic like HC-110. The syrup keeps damned near forever. I used some the other day that had been sitting arounf 10 - 15 years or so. I like Ilford DDX but if you leave the stock solution sitting around too long after you open the bottle, it can fail. I wrte the date on the bottle when I open it, and adter 3 or 4 months I dump it.
I called up Freestyle earlier today and ordered: SP-445, small bottle HC-110, small bottle Photographer's Formulary t4, small bottle Photoflo, box of FP4 4x5. I called Freestyle partly because they had all this in stock and partly because I thought they'd have someone who could advise me. The person taking my call knew very little about film processing! Luckily I remembered the advice from above. Anyway, stuff should arrive the end of this week. No turning back now! I just need to find a thermometer and distilled water locally somewhere and I should be ready to go!
Kent in SD
wooserco
15-Dec-2018, 05:39
I picked my thermometer at a home brewers supply store. Distilled water at the grocery, 2-1/2 gallons at a time. Dual purpose as my wife uses it in her CPAP.
I found a digital thermometer at Walmart for $8. It has two paragraphs of instructions! I'm eagerly awaiting all the stuff to show up this week. I've been watching Youtube videos on how to use it all. At first I was a little dismayed that they all seemed a little different, but that made me think it's actually hard to screw up. Looks like the tank holds 500ml so I just need to figure out how much HC110 to mix up, and also how much tf4. I'm also looking around junk stores for an amber gallon bottle or two. I could well have them already in my wife & I pharmacy collection.
Kent in SD
If your tank holds 500ml you mix up 500ml. It's not that complicated. Amber bottles aren't really necessary. You'll use the developer one shot and the fixer stores perfectly fine in any old glass or plastic bottle.
If your tank holds 500ml you mix up 500ml. It's not that complicated. Amber bottles aren't really necessary. You'll use the developer one shot and the fixer stores perfectly fine in any old glass or plastic bottle.
Makes sense. I'm keeping everything in a dark cabinet in a downstairs bathroom anyway.
Kent in SD
coolbreeze1983
15-Dec-2018, 16:56
Stearman Press (manufacturer of SP-445 processing tank ) also makes various sizes of plate holders for j lane glass plates for its processing tank.
Stearman Press (manufacturer of SP-445 processing tank ) also makes various sizes of plate holders for j lane glass plates for its processing tank.
Yes, but I'm thinking of tray developing those. They are expensive, and generally I'm shooting something "special" with them, like portraits. Tray development under red light will allow me to stop the processing when the exposure looks at its peak, right?
Kent in SD
Bob Salomon
15-Dec-2018, 19:02
Yes, but I'm thinking of tray developing those. They are expensive, and generally I'm shooting something "special" with them, like portraits. Tray development under red light will allow me to stop the processing when the exposure looks at its peak, right?
Kent in SD
Not if your film is panchromatic. Orthochromatic films are not red sensitive.
Not if your film is panchromatic. Orthochromatic films are not red sensitive.
The plates are definitely ortho--I load/unload them with a red light all the time. The Ilford film is pan, of course. That's what the tank is for.:)
Kent in SD
coolbreeze1983
16-Dec-2018, 18:01
This thread is making me interested in attempting dry plate photos. If you don’t mind please post links to any instructionals you would recommend. If I start saving up I will hopefully be ready to make some images in the spring.
robertraymer
16-Dec-2018, 19:35
Not sure what/if you decided yet, but I will tell you what works for me.
Equipment wise I use a Patterson 3 reel tank. This lets me to daylight develop 35mm, 120, and 4x5 with ease, both BW and color. I simply load the tank up with whatever reels fit the format and develop. All can be found new at a pretty affordable price. I load film in my bedroom closet and develop everything in my kitchen.
BW is easy to do at home. Simply find a developer you like (this will require using different film/developer combos) and follow the times. Pretty easy and temp control is not crucial. Color (and even E6) are not that difficult either. I would almost say they are actually easier as long as you can find a way to control the temperature. I solved this problem with a sous vide cooker from amazon. Simply place the chemicals in a bath and bring to temp and the cooker will hold them there for hours.
The question of what developer to use is a very subjective one. I suggest starting with something easy (I like ilfasol 3 for this, though I use others for other reasons) until you get the technique down. Once you feel comfortable with the technique and process of developing, start trying other combinations. I have found filmev.org a useful resource for this, as it has a large list of film/developer/time recipes with examples to show the results others have gotten using them. Similarly, when actually developing film I have found the Massive Dev app from digitaltruth.com to be very useful as it actually has timers for each step of the developing process for hundreds of film/developer combinations.
Hope this helps some.
OK, all my stuff for processing has come! Have a bottle of HC-110, bottle of Photographer's Formulary tf4, bottle of Photoflo, 2 gallons distilled water, the SP-445 tank, digital thermometer, small measuring cup 60ml (marked in 10ml increments,) and to put the mixtures in I bought two calibrated shaker bottles 16oz/500ml (marked in 50ml increments.) My thinking on the plastic shaker bottles is they have lids which will cut down on fumes and round pour spout. Downside is I don't know how fast they will pour with ~15mm hole. I might have to drill a vent hole in the top so it will pour faster. Will use paperclips on a string to hang the sheets to dry. I also have exposed four sheets of FP4 today to test with. I think I have everything I need?
I've watched a number of videos on processing and think I have the idea. I'll load the film in my interior bathroom which I can make very dark. It has running hot & cold water of course.
What I don't know is how much chemcial to mix to actually do the processing. Looking on the back of the box of FP4 I see "Dil B" listed on the HC 110 line, along with some cryptic numbers. I have no idea what "dilution B" is or what the other numbers mean. Can someone tell me how much HC 110 I need to mix with distilled water to make 500ml of solution? Same for 500ml of tf4? Looks like tf4 doesn't need a stop bath other than water. If I knew how much to mix up and how long to keep each solution in the tank I think I can do this! I have some time on Friday to try.
After I get proficient at processing FP4 @ ISO 125, I will start trying HP5 @ ISO 400, and finally HP5 @ ISO 800. Will also begin tray processing Lane plates as my confidence and skill improves.
Kent in SD
David de Gruyl
20-Dec-2018, 13:16
HC-110 Dilution B is a 1+31 mixture, which means that for 500ml of water you need 16 ml of syrup. (you can use 485 ml of water and 15 ml of syrup, if you prefer. That is the least of the inaccuracies, if you aren't doing film testing).
TF4 is typically used 1:4, so for 500 ml of solution, you need 375 ml of water and 125 ml of concentrate. Do not use an acid stop with TF4 (it not only doesn't need it, but it is harmful to this particular fixer).
Assuming the numbers you refer to on the back of the box are the same as the ones on the datasheet (https://www.ilfordphoto.com/amfile/file/download/file_id/1879/product_id/688/) the normal developing at ISO 125 with HC-110B is 9 minutes (the middle number in the HC-110 line for small tank. The first number is exposed at ISO 50 and the last number is exposed at ISO 200) at 20 C. Honestly, 9 minutes sounds like a very long time for HC110B, but Ilford generally knows what they are talking about. This number corresponds to what is in the massive dev chart (which is 7-9 minutes).
OK, all my stuff for processing has come! Have a bottle of HC-110, bottle of Photographer's Formulary tf4, bottle of Photoflo, 2 gallons distilled water, the SP-445 tank, digital thermometer, small measuring cup 60ml (marked in 10ml increments,) and to put the mixtures in I bought two calibrated shaker bottles 16oz/500ml (marked in 50ml increments.) My thinking on the plastic shaker bottles is they have lids which will cut down on fumes and round pour spout. Downside is I don't know how fast they will pour with ~15mm hole. I might have to drill a vent hole in the top so it will pour faster. Will use paperclips on a string to hang the sheets to dry. I also have exposed four sheets of FP4 today to test with. I think I have everything I need?
I've watched a number of videos on processing and think I have the idea. I'll load the film in my interior bathroom which I can make very dark. It has running hot & cold water of course.
What I don't know is how much chemcial to mix to actually do the processing. Looking on the back of the box of FP4 I see "Dil B" listed on the HC 110 line, along with some cryptic numbers. I have no idea what "dilution B" is or what the other numbers mean. Can someone tell me how much HC 110 I need to mix with distilled water to make 500ml of solution? Same for 500ml of tf4? Looks like tf4 doesn't need a stop bath other than water. If I knew how much to mix up and how long to keep each solution in the tank I think I can do this! I have some time on Friday to try.
After I get proficient at processing FP4 @ ISO 125, I will start trying HP5 @ ISO 400, and finally HP5 @ ISO 800. Will also begin tray processing Lane plates as my confidence and skill improves.
Kent in SD
Did you load the film in your bathroom? Very dark won't doesn't necessarily cut it. Ideally you should have absolute dark to load film in the holders and the tank.
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