[unixrevolution]

Is that color or BW? For BW, you really should be doing it yourself. Not only will the cost be less but there is much you can do at the processing stage such as choice of developer and processing for highlight compression that will give your images an edge above those at the mercy of someone else doing it for you. It is kind of like shooting JPEG vs RAW in digital.

Front me the money for a house so I can have room to set a darkroom up, and I'd be glad to.

I'm actually reading through Ansel Adams' "The Negative" right now. I finished "The Camera" some months ago. I'm fascinated by expose-for-the-development and all the controls you can do to black and white after the shot's taken. I'm really wishing for a darkroom now, actually.

As for the price, $3.85 is B/W, C41 or Slide 4x5.

[eddie1960]

Front me the money for a house so I can have room to set a darkroom up, and I'd be glad to.

I'm actually reading through Ansel Adams' "The Negative" right now. I finished "The Camera" some months ago. I'm fascinated by expose-for-the-development and all the controls you can do to black and white after the shot's taken. I'm really wishing for a darkroom now, actually.

As for the price, $3.85 is B/W, C41 or Slide 4x5.

No need for a darkroom to process your negs. Printing is another story

If you have a bathroom with no windows you have a basic darkroom. If it has windows a changing bag solves it. the negs are processed in a light tight tank anyway

[unixrevolution]

No need for a darkroom to process your negs. Printing is another story

If you have a bathroom with no windows you have a basic darkroom. If it has windows a changing bag solves it. the negs are processed in a light tight tank anyway

Must research. I do have an interior bathroom!

[eddie1960]

Must research. I do have an interior bathroom!

this way requires total darkness but provides very even development of sheet film (alternately Jobo and paterson both have drum systems usable in full light)

Developing 4X5 Sheet Film: An Alternative Method

[tuco]

Front me the money for a house so I can have room to set a darkroom up, and I'd be glad to.

I'm actually reading through Ansel Adams' "The Negative" right now. I finished "The Camera" some months ago. I'm fascinated by expose-for-the-development and all the controls you can do to black and white after the shot's taken. I'm really wishing for a darkroom now, actually.

As for the price, $3.85 is B/W, C41 or Slide 4x5.

You don't need a darkroom for the "figital workflow". Though a good dedicated film scanner is getting harder to find. You only need a dark place to load the film in the development tank and as noted that can be a windowless bathroom. After that, it can be developed in the daylight.

Also with the figital workflow, many of those post processing tricks with the negative after it is developed can be a moot point. I just did a test of intensifying a negative with selenium toner and compared it to post processing for the same in an image editor. Not much difference if any at all. You have so much control in an image editor that even the characteristic curve of a film can be less significant too for many films.

[tuco]

this way requires total darkness but provides very even development of sheet film (alternately Jobo and paterson both have drum systems usable in full light)

Developing 4X5 Sheet Film: An Alternative Method

I use that HP Combi Plan tank for my 4x5. For BW you only need one tank and can develop it just like roll film. I think that article is for color film with the multiple tanks (expensive to get more than one). Here is my setup which does BW roll film as well as 4x5 sheet

[unixrevolution]

You don't need a darkroom for the "figital workflow". Though a good dedicated film scanner is getting harder to find. You only need a dark place to load the film in the development tank and as noted that can be a windowless bathroom. After that, it can be developed in the daylight.

Also with the figital workflow, many of those post processing tricks with the negative after it is developed can be a moot point. I just did a test of intensifying a negative with selenium toner and compared it to post processing for the same in an image editor. Not much difference if any at all. You have so much control in an image editor that even the characteristic curve of a film can be less significant too for many films.

I have an Epson 4990, which can scan up to 8x10 sheet film, but I am really interested in the experimentation of the analog workflow specifically. I will have my darkroom someday, but maybe developing my own 4x5 in the meantime will save a dollar or three. I also shoot 120 and 35mm black and white, so this could add up.

As for

[eddie1960]

I have an Epson 4990, which can scan up to 8x10 sheet film, but I am really interested in the experimentation of the analog workflow specifically. I will have my darkroom someday, but maybe developing my own 4x5 in the meantime will save a dollar or three. I also shoot 120 and 35mm black and white, so this could add up.

As for

certainly on the 120 and 35 b/w you can save a bundle over time. the chemicals are generally dirt cheap per roll.the big thingis the ability to control various aspects of how a neg comes out through use of different developers and techniques. also i would guess the lab you use charges a premium for push/Pull processing(if they even do it) so that also opens up a lot of opportunities (can't remember who) but someone was shooting their film exposed form 400-1600 and processing as 800 since neg film easily has a stop of latitude in it. I've been meaning to try this out actually

[eddie1960]

I use that HP Combi Plan tank for my 4x5. For BW you only need one tank and can develop it just like roll film. I think that article is for color film with the multiple tanks (expensive to get more than one). Here is my setup which does BW roll film as well as 4x5 sheet

that tank is very cool Tuco

[tuco]

that tank is very cool Tuco

Thanks. Some people don't like the HP Combie tank because it has a small spout and takes about 30 seconds to fill and drain. But if you start your drain 15 seconds before the developer is done, it all evens out close enough. 15 seconds here or there is really of no consequence with the latitude of film, IMHO. The tank is great for washing. Water goes in the top spout and comes out the bottom for a good flushing. I think that machine is cooler than the tank.

[eddie1960]

Thanks. Some people don't like the HP Combie tank because it has a small spout and takes about 30 seconds to fill and drain. But if you start your drain 15 seconds before the developer is done, it all evens out close enough. 15 seconds here or there is really of no consequence with the latitude of film, IMHO. The tank is great for washing. Water goes in the top spout and comes out the bottom for a good flushing. I think that machine is cooler than the tank.

i looked at the Ag-O-Matic on Vimeo good job. that machine is crazy

for people who haven't seen it I will toot your horn for you (way beyond my skill levels )

Vimeo

[tuco]

i looked at the Ag-O-Matic on Vimeo good job. that machine is crazy

Thanks again. That video turned out to be a bigger project than I'd expected too. I have a new project I'm working on. A wireless remote and wireless IR beam switch for mechanical film cameras. It's almost done.

[eddie1960]

the video was very slick, i'm dead envious of the ag-o-matic though. So far beyond my skill set it's not even in the same universe

[unixrevolution]

Tuco,

That Ag-O-Matic is insane! Very nice! I don't even want to think about how much it would cost to buy one, or how much I'd have to learn in order to even assemble it in kit form, much less design it from scratch.

[tuco]

Tuco,

That Ag-O-Matic is insane! Very nice! I don't even want to think about how much it would cost to buy one, or how much I'd have to learn in order to even assemble it in kit form, much less design it from scratch.

Thanks. It's not cheap but I didn't care. In the video you'll see my first one. I had to build that on a thin budget and had hardly any tools. It worked okay but only for films that fit the agitation profile it could do and was bulky. So when I made the second one, I was going to spend pretty much what it took to get what I wanted.

Funny the PMK Pyro agitation profile prompted me to make it in the first place. It's profile is brisk agitations every 15 seconds and for some films that was up to almost 15 minutes. Now I can just load it up and walk away returning when the alarm goes off 15 seconds before it is done. I do the developer, fixer and after bath staining with the machine. Stopping and washing I do manually.