[Alliecat]

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The last place in town to get film developed that I know of is Wal-Mart, and they don't return the negs anymore ...

Whaaaa....? They don't give you your negatives? What the **** possible point is there in that? I don't understand...

Unfortunately there don't seem to be mail-order places in Canada, & thanks to Cda Post's silly rates, a film can is just too big to go through the lettermail slot so it would have to go parcel rate anyway. Which is upwards of $12.

[Pioneer]

Yep, the last order I sent in through Wal-Mart came back with no negatives. The lady apologized but said that this is how it would be done from here on out. I had heard that this was happening on another forum but I figured it wasn't all Wal-Marts. Turns out I must have been wrong. It certainly applies to ours. I am not a conspiracy nut but this smells like just one more attempt to push the rest of us into the digital world.

As for cost of shipping, that isn't too bad here in the States so far, but developing costs are pretty high. It costs me right close to $6 a roll to develop a roll of 35 at the lab I use most frequently. Prints cost a little more and a standard quality CD is a little more. The high quality scans (which are very, very nice) cost as much as developing the film. I do the high quality scans with some of my medium format work but rarely with my 35mm.

I have been developing, printing and scanning my own black and white for quite a while now, and I just bought some chemicals for color developing and paper for printing. I guess I am about to find out if I am up to the more stringent process of developing my own color film. Could be fun...or it could be a small disaster!

[Alliecat]

Yep, the last order I sent in through Wal-Mart came back with no negatives. The lady apologized but said that this is how it would be done from here on out. I had heard that this was happening on another forum but I figured it wasn't all Wal-Marts.

But it just makes no sense. They have to develop the negatives to get the prints off them so I can't see why they wouldn't then give them to the customer. I'd be writing outraged letters to management. Ridiculous. I'm glad you mentioned it though because 1 of my 2 remaining alternatives here in Canada is a WalMart so hopefully I'll remember to ask if they are following suit.
"Always bet on chaos over conspiracy..." As far as pushing people into digital, I'd expect it to be some stupid 'innovation' on management's part. I mean, if they wanted to push people to quit using film they could just quit developing it.
I wish I could develop my own. But it sounds kinda tricky & I am reluctant to try, & waste film messing up test rolls.

[Edit: read the discussion on photo.net. I still think it's completely ridiculous.]

[Pioneer]

Yeah. Ask everytime you have film developed. They give you a photo CD so I guess someone decided that was a good replacement for negatives. Pfft!

Developing is not bad at all, at least black and white. I have a small plastic daylight developing tank with two reels that I load the film into. When I first started I just went in the bathroom, locked the door, turned off the light and loaded the reels. Recently I bought a "changing bag" from Freestyle for $35 and do it inside the bag. Once the film is in the tank and the lid screwed on everything else is done in the daylight. Pretty snazzy really. The hardest thing was learning to load the reels in the dark but even that isn't tough. I am pretty much a klutz and I can have two films loaded up in about five minutes, start to finish. Everything else is done at room temp, 20 degrees C for you. I just fill up two plastic gallon jugs with water and keep them under the counter in the kitchen. The water is always just about the right temperature. I use Rodinal 90% of the time because that is what I started with and it is a liquid that can be easily and quickly mixed for each batch. I mix the developing solution in a plastic beaker. The only other chemical I use is fixer which I also buy from Freestyle and mix for each use. That is it for me. I use plain water for a stop and plain water for a rinse. Pretty simple, I do it all at the kitchen counter and then hang the developed film over the tub to dry. I slide the tub doors shut and it can be handled with no trouble in about 4 hours.

I have an enlarger so I can print using paper if I want, and I do every now and then. I love those pictures because they look so good. But 90% of the time I just scan. I have a little Epson V500 flatbed scanner that does a great job. The scanner cost me $149 from Amazon with free shipping, and it is a snap to use. I bought a couple of pieces of glass from BetterScanning.com that fit the little Epson film holder so my scans work a little better but I actually used the regular holder for a long time with no problem. The little glass pieces come in handy when the film gets really curly.

The way I understand it, the only difference between black and white and color developing is that the temp has to be higher, and the chemicals are different. I have tried it a few times and it has worked out OK but I don't think I am doing a good enough job of keeping the temp at 100 degrees F.

But, that's it. My very simple film workflow in too many words. If I can pull it off I suspect anyone can. My grandkids are actually loading their own film on reels and developing their black and white. I do the chemicals but they do everything else.They had some trouble at first but they are little pros now.

[arnold]

Well it seems that more of us might have to go the way of home developing at this rate. Who would have thought, back in the days of B&W that the day would come that only specialized labs would handle it. I paid $18 for one (eight pictures 6x9) 120 roll of B&W just to be developed. Scanning was just as outrageous.
Anyway back to the K1000. I have noticed how it's reputation of being recommended by photo schools, has made it well known. It is an SP 1000 with a K mount. The odd thing is that the KM, which is a K1000 with a self timer and depth of field button, often sells for less simply because it is less well known.
I agree with the original sentiments of this thread; about the simplicity which allows one to focus on the photograph itself rather than the camera first and working through pages of menu. I love the solid metal feel of the cameras of this era. Molded plastic doesn't give me joy even if it works well.

[Pioneer]

It is kind of strange that the simple K1000 should be so popular, but it certainly is. If you think about it there is nothing about that camera that should make it so popular. I really wasn't kidding when I said that I don't know why I use it, but I most certainly do.

I own at least one example of all the K series, and I do enjoy using every one of them. I even had my KM modified by Eric Hendrickson with a split prism screen like the one I have in my K1000 SE. With the exception of the depth of field and self timer both my KM and My K1000 are practically identical. I had that done because I really did believe that I would start using the KM more often, but just I keep on using the K1000 instead. I shoot 20 rolls of film through the K1000 for every 1 roll I shoot in any of the other K cameras combined.

It is super reliable and so simple that it truly is the only camera I own that I rarely have to think about what I'm doing, it is almost truly instinctive for me. I literally can tell you exactly what the shutter speed is or the aperture of that old M 50mm 1.7 lens just by counting the clicks when I turn the dial or ring. In fact, I know that old camera so well that I can literally set the exposure settings before I ever lift the viewfinder to my eye, and 99 times out of 100 I am dead on the money. I know that if the needle is at the upper end of the center section that I am 1 stop over exposed. I know that if I am above that center section, but not yet pegged at the top, I am two stops over exposed. I know just where that needle needs to be if I want to silhouette someone, or if I want to show every detail of their face against a bright sky.

The only two things that I think I would change if I could are the brightness of the viewfinder and the flash sync speed. It makes every DSLR viewfinder out there look sick, but if you have ever had the opportunity to look through the viewfinder of the LX, or the Contaflex, you would be spoiled for life. Of all the SLRs I have ever used those two cameras have the most sparkling clear viewfinders I have ever used. And I love using leaf shutters because flash synch is any speed you want it to be.

But enough blathering. Time for a picture.

[Alliecat]

My grandkids are actually loading their own film on reels and developing their black and white. I do the chemicals but they do everything else.They had some trouble at first but they are little pros now.

That is really cool. Good for them. That's something they will always remember, learning that from you.
I'd have a go if someone would show me, but I'm not too motivated to get into it on my own.
What do you do with the chemicals when you are done with them & can't re-use things any further? They can't go down the sink, right? We have a well so things definitely couldn't.

... I literally can tell you exactly what the shutter speed is or the aperture of that old M 50mm 1.7 lens just by counting the clicks when I turn the dial or ring....

Yeah, I love it that I can use it in the dark without having to see what I'm doing. No silly menus to scroll through...
I had a penpal visiting once, years ago. We did some night shots on the beach. She had a film camera too; I forget what it was. But she took a picture & from a little way away I said, "that sounded like a 60th" (or something like that) "...was that what you took it at?" She was so impressed that I could tell from the 'click' what speed she used

[Pioneer]

Yeah, I have a septic system so I don't dump things down the sink. The solutions all go into a big blue mixing bowl and then get carried out and dumped behind the garage. All I know is that the weeds are REALLY green back there, so I am pretty sure I am not huring anything.

Maybe sometime in the far away future someone will find silver in the ground and think they hit it rich.

[Eyewanders]

I don't care that the latest post to this thread was nearly two years ago... I'm just happy that I finally read the single greatest post on this entire forum after all this time. I'm trying to imagine the picture that says these thousand words (give or take?) and I think I have a pretty good idea. Glad I happened along.

[Alliecat]

I don't care that the latest post to this thread was nearly two years ago... I'm just happy that I finally read the single greatest post on this entire forum after all this time.

Haha. Yes, it should be bumped every now & then. Just think, there are photographers out there who don't even know what a K1000 is

[eagle1]

Very nice OP! That's the same reason I use my Spotmatic F for most of my 35mm photography needs.

[Pioneer]

Thanks guys. I love this camera and still use it all the time.

Here's one I grabbed at last light one day last week using the K 55/2.

[builttospill]

Nice Pioneer. Here's one taken within the last few years from the K1000 I've used since childhood:

[Pioneer]

Love that shot BuilttoSpill. Such a "trusting" look on that little girl's face.

[Arjay Bee]

Here is the ultimate K1000 accessory for your Mobile Phone - Just noticed it -no connection to the seller etc etc.