[vector]

Decided to put the old Spotmatic to use. Picked up some Ilford HP5+ 400 along with Ilford DD-X developer and Ilford Rapid Fixer and a Paterson tank from The Camera Store in Calgary after work yesterday. Shot my roll of film and then went to work.

1) Filled a large jug with water and used a thermometer to get it to a perfect 20 degrees Celcius.
2) Mixed 60ml of DD-X with 240ml of water in one container and the same ratio of fixer in another.
3) Into the bathroom, door closed, towel under the bottom with a can opener, scissors, film and tank. Laid out all the pieces and turned off the light.
4) Opened my film canister. Snipped the end off. Fed into the reel of the tank and wind it up. Snip off the end, then into the tank with the lid. Lights back on.
5) Poured my DD-X container into the tank, agitate, then continue to agitate and rest for the 9 minutes as recommended on the HP5+ box for DD-X.
6) Poured out the DD-X mix into a container, fill the tank from the tap and dump it 3 times, just using a water stop.
7) Pour in the Rapid Fixer and repeat the agitation dance for 4 minutes.
8) Poured the Rapid Fixer into a container, fill the tank from the tap and dump it 3 times.
9) Pulled out the film and it looks great. Hung it with clips from the shower rod for a couple hours to dry.

It was a bit stressful not having done any of this before. But it worked out ok.

Attached Images

       

[gofour3]

Yep good results and nice shots!

Phil.

[pathdoc]

Nice shots.

Nothing - NOTHING - beats the thrill of hauling that first film out of the tank and seeing images. Any images.

Half-decent images = even better.

Nicely exposed and crisp images = the best.

If you ever feel the need to recapture that feeling, try caffenol as a developer. The bizarreness of getting images out of a slush of vitamin C, coffee and washing soda is sufficiently great that it's like developing your first film all over again.

After that, the only thing left is homebrew fixer (thiosulphate); I haven't got there yet because I can't find a local source and for various reasons it's easier and cheaper for me to get the commercial stuff. But if I had to, I could forget professional developer from now on and pour my chemistry money into fixer.

The final frontier is colour - particularly colour slides.

[stillshot2]

Congrats!

[vector]

I have to admit, this was one of the more satisfying photographic endeavors I have a undertaken. It was also fairly easy, but with lots of room for experimentation. I think there is more film work in my future.

[wombat2go]

Good job.
What scanner?

[vector]

Good job.
What scanner?

It's an Epson Perfection V300 Photo. It's pretty basic and it's getting old now but it still does a good job. It doesn't have ICE or any of the fancy software for cleaning up the scans for you. I never like the job that software does anyway. I just use a micro fibre cloth and regularly wipe the glass on the scan bed and carefully wipe the film before scanning and clean up anything that still makes in through in Lightroom. It does have a film holder so you can put in a strip of up to about 6 frames.

[redrockcoulee]

Well done. The film section at the camerastore has been shrinking so the more people shooting film the better.

[twilhelm]

Nice shots. I recently purchased chemicals to process c-41 so that's in my future.

Developing is hard to get out of the system once you get it.

[gcbrd]

Great shots! I can second the caffenol. Mixing up an odd soup using health store and kitchen ingredients, hen getting well developed pictures is an amazing feeling.

[Buffy]

It was a bit stressful not having done any of this before. But it worked out ok.

Just "ok" ?? I would say it worked out spectacularly! Beautifully done!

[cpk]

6) Poured out the DD-X mix into a container, fill the tank from the tap and dump it 3 times, just using a water stop.

8) Poured the Rapid Fixer into a container, fill the tank from the tap and dump it 3 times.

Very good, but avoid using running tap water unless you can guarantee that it won't vary in temperature from the developer and fixer temperatures by more than a degree or two. It also is not necessary to stick to 20 degrees C; 18 to 25 will do, but you must adjust the developing time accordingly. A hardening fixer is best if the temperature is high. I have two four-gallon jugs which I keep filled with water which I use at room temperature for my chemistry and washing.

[gaweidert]

Excellent job. I pity those who have never worked in a darkroom. And as stated above nothing compares to processing your first roll of film. Although all the following rolls are almost as good.

[vector]

Just "ok" ?? I would say it worked out spectacularly! Beautifully done!

Thank you. I was trying to contain my enthusiasm, but I agree it worked out very well

Very good, but avoid using running tap water unless you can guarantee that it won't vary in temperature from the developer and fixer temperatures by more than a degree or two. It also is not necessary to stick to 20 degrees C; 18 to 25 will do, but you must adjust the developing time accordingly. A hardening fixer is best if the temperature is high. I have two four-gallon jugs which I keep filled with water which I use at room temperature for my chemistry and washing.

Good tip, hadn't thought of the rinse temperature affecting things but since I had a bunch of 20 degree water I should have just used that. For this first attempt I really wanted to stick to the instructions on the package. I'm sure as I get more experience I'll be a little more adventurous.

[LesDMess]

Job well done and nicely captured. Congratulations!

It doesn't have ICE or any of the fancy software for cleaning up the scans for you. I never like the job that software does anyway. I just use a micro fibre cloth and regularly wipe the glass on the scan bed and carefully wipe the film before scanning and clean up anything that still makes in through in Lightroom.

If you didn't already know, ICE does not work with true &w film. ICE only works with chromogenic b&w, C41 and E6.