[Scootatheschool1990]

Hey Film Pentaxians! I've been accepted to the BSU Art department and I'm now taking a film (B&W) class. I've got my 31 ltd and 50 1.8 ready. Just posting here to show updates with my findings and as sort of an introduction to this side of the site. Looking forward to sharing and learning with you all!

---------- Post added 01-15-15 at 11:56 AM ----------

My materials list for the photography class is listed below. What do you guys think? Any tips on certain products to get/ stay away from?

• Film kodak tri-x 35mm black and white film 36 exposures
• negative file pages, one package, to hold 7 rows of 5 images
• 8x10 b w resin coated (RC) multi-contrast pringing pager. 100 sheet box preferred. Glossy.
• 35mm Developing tank and two reels.
• dry mount tissue for RC paper, One envelope 100 pc.
• Mat board. you will use several sheets this semester buy as needed.
• 3 ring binder
• full page sheet protectors
• canned compressed air
• sharpie
• hand towel and apron
• one piece of mat board or card stock about 11x14 to use in dark room
• lens filters red yellow orange (IR filter)

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Last edited by Scootatheschool1990; 01-15-2015 at 12:56 PM.

[ROBEFFY]

Hey Film Pentaxians! I've been accepted to the BSU Art department and I'm now taking a film (B&W) class. I've got my 31 ltd and 50 1.8 ready. Just posting here to show updates with my findings and as sort of an introduction to this side of the site. Looking forward to sharing and learning with you all!

---------- Post added 01-15-15 at 11:56 AM ----------

My materials list for the photography class is listed below. What do you guys think? Any tips on certain products to get/ stay away from?

• Film kodak tri-x 35mm black and white film 36 exposures
• negative file pages, one package, to hold 7 rows of 5 images
• 8x10 b w resin coated (RC) multi-contrast pringing pager. 100 sheet box preferred. Glossy.
• 35mm Developing tank and two reels.
• dry mount tissue for RC paper, One envelope 100 pc.
• Mat board. you will use several sheets this semester buy as needed.
• 3 ring binder
• full page sheet protectors
• canned compressed air
• sharpie
• hand towel and apron
• one piece of mat board or card stock about 11x14 to use in dark room
• lens filters red yellow orange (IR filter)

Pretty cool!
Wonder how the film mindset will translate into digital? I remember being very careful with film, check, compose, check, take a pic.
I wonder how many digital shooters just stand there and blaze away on the shutter, taking pic after pic and hoping one will show what they want to capture.
It would be interesting to give people a memory card that holds 16 or 24 shots, and see how they react to only having that many pics to take in a given day?

[blackcloudbrew]

Looks like the standard basic list of stuff you need to shoot and get into the darkroom.

I'd recommend Ilford RC (resin coated) papers with a satin finish if possible. Glossy sucks IMHO, but if they are telling you use glossy ok so be it.

You will need something like this too to hold your negative pages in for transport / storage. Besfile Archival Binder With Rings 11-5/8 x 10-1/4", B-9051

For film tanks I personally HATE the stainless steel tanks as I find them a PIA to load and much prefer the Paterson tank systems like these: Paterson Universal Tank with Two Reels (Super System 4) PTP115

One more thing I've found necessary is a modest sports bag to hold all of that stuff to carry to and from school. That's what I've been using for the past 4 years in my film classes.

Honestly, I really love film and working in the darkroom really teaches you why they put all that stuff in Photoshop. Have fun!

[DSims]

It would be interesting to give people a memory card that holds 16 or 24 shots, and see how they react to only having that many pics to take in a given day?

Or at least have to put $5 or $10 into the side of the camera before they're allowed to insert the next 38 shot memory card!

[blackcloudbrew]

One other thing. For me, returning to film (b&w mostly), has made a far better photographer out of me than if I hadn't returned. Oh I love shooting digital as well but the slower process of film - particularly on something like my 6x7 medium format camera where I have 10 shots per roll and nothing automatic, makes me work on the composition and exposure a lot harder. When I go back to digital, I enjoy all the cool tools but I still take my time and don't just shoot hoping something will be good. YMMV

---------- Post added 01-15-2015 at 01:11 PM ----------

A final thought - Not having any idea what local resources you have available in Boise, aka camera stores or dark rooms, do check out what may be available locally. A good camera store which still has film / darkroom stuff can be a good friend to have. I'm fortunate in that with in 25 miles of my home there are at least 3 camera stores which have been around for a long time, have great staff, and have most all of the film stuff I need. Sure, I'll shop on line too and both B&H and Adorama definitely have it all too - and then some but giving some care and feeding to any local brick and mortar camera stores catering to both digital and film is a good thing IMHO.

[Wolfeye]

The materials look fine. The hardest part will be visualizing - note I did not say finding - interesting things to shoot. In digital, the shot pretty much *is* the image for most things, whereas with film, thinking ahead and asking, "Am I really going to want to print this?" can really limit what you shoot to the point where a 36 exposure roll takes forever to finish.

If shooting 35mm get the file pages that hold 6 images per row and have six rows. Those will NOT fit in a standard binder but you will be able to store each 36exp roll in its own page, which I think is nice and a convenience.

[powasky]

Looks like the standard basic list of stuff you need to shoot and get into the darkroom.

I'd recommend Ilford RC (resin coated) papers with a satin finish if possible. Glossy sucks IMHO, but if they are telling you use glossy ok so be it.

You will need something like this too to hold your negative pages in for transport / storage. Besfile Archival Binder With Rings 11-5/8 x 10-1/4", B-9051

For film tanks I personally HATE the stainless steel tanks as I find them a PIA to load and much prefer the Paterson tank systems like these: Paterson Universal Tank with Two Reels (Super System 4) PTP115

One more thing I've found necessary is a modest sports bag to hold all of that stuff to carry to and from school. That's what I've been using for the past 4 years in my film classes.

Honestly, I really love film and working in the darkroom really teaches you why they put all that stuff in Photoshop. Have fun!

I 100% disagree with your sentiments about stainless systems. Paterson plastic systems tend to bind and are NOT reliable. OP should buy a good stainless reel (such as Hewes) and learn to load the right way.

[LesDMess]

These classes can be a good source of fun!
BTW, I don't see a set of spotting pens required when doing b&w prints. This is the part of the class that can be very aggravating depending on how picky the instructor is . . .

---------- Post added 01-15-15 at 04:50 PM ----------

I 100% disagree with your sentiments about stainless systems. Paterson plastic systems tend to bind and are NOT reliable. OP should buy a good stainless reel (such as Hewes) and learn to load the right way.

There were two people in the class I took that could not get a handle on using the stainless reels although I found them to be no problem at all. The plastic ones do help those who can't get the feel of the stainless reels.

[geomez]

I'd recommend Ilford RC (resin coated) papers with a satin finish if possible. Glossy sucks IMHO, but if they are telling you use glossy ok so be it.

I second that opinion.

[blackcloudbrew]

These classes can be a good source of fun!
BTW, I don't see a set of spotting pens required when doing b&w prints. This is the part of the class that can be very aggravating depending on how picky the instructor is . . .

---------- Post added 01-15-15 at 04:50 PM ----------



There were two people in the class I took that could not get a handle on using the stainless reels although I found them to be no problem at all. The plastic ones do help those who can't get the feel of the stainless reels.

Put me down as totally not being able to get the feel (or the like) of the stainless reels. Ruined a lot of film trying too. NEVER have had a problem with my Paterson Teflon reels. 35mm, 120, and of late some 4x5 negs too. It's a preference thing for sure. I have expressed my preference.

[AquaDome]

Good on you for taking the class. I took one in 1987 and took it again in 1993 just to get more darkroom time.
With film, you learn to choose your subject and composition deliberately so you don't waste film on "snap-shots" you will never print.
You will also get to decide for yourself if you prefer plastic or steel tanks and/or reels.
I use Peterson tanks with plastic reels for 35mm and steel reels for 120 film.
Just wait until you get to hear arguments about D-76 vs. HC-110 and so on and so forth...

[normhead]

Sounds like the good old days. In my 15 years of teaching photography, we went from stainless tanks to plastic. Nothing wrong with stainless, but for beginners you can expect to lose some images to cross threaded film. For beginners, plastic is just more reliable. If you're shooting a lot of film and you want to try stainless, it's faster once you get the hang of it. You'll lose a few images in the learning process, but it will save you a bit of time down the road. Stressing the word "bit."

[tuco]

...Nothing wrong with stainless, but for beginners you can expect to lose some images to cross threaded film. For beginners, plastic is just more reliable.

You didn't teach the simple trick to ensure no "cross-threading" of the film with SS reels.

[powasky]

You didn't teach the simple trick to ensure no "cross-threading" of the film with SS reels.

I learned to dev properly with stainless reels, and have never lost frames to improper loading. The method I use is to pull the film out of the canister, fold the leading edge back against itself to ensure a perfectly straight and perpendicular line, cut along that line, and load from there.

[tuco]

I learned to dev properly with stainless reels, and have never lost frames to improper loading. The method I use is to pull the film out of the canister, fold the leading edge back against itself to ensure a perfectly straight and perpendicular line, cut along that line, and load from there.

That really won't guarantee no cross threading. But you can also cut a 60 deg chamfer on the end of the loading end. And that will help a lot to get you started. More so, perhaps, than a straight cut, IMHO, because sticking the end of the film in the SS reel is not what causes the film to wrap twice on the same spline.

To know if you are "cross-threaded" on the reel splines is the same way you know a nut is cross threaded on a bolt.