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01-10-2019, 02:20 PM   #16
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Thermometer, hanging clips, various measuring cylinders, wetting agent, hypo wash, archive sleeves, funnels and storage bottles to name a few additional things you might want to develop your own. Rodinal at 1+100 is also a very common dilution to control contrast on long-toe films.

01-11-2019, 02:13 PM - 1 Like   #17
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Sorry, beginner here so please excuse my ignorance. I have similar goals to the OP, getting into developing B&W and scanning negatives. To just "wade" in with little investment in case I decide it's not for me, my plan had been to try developing with Cinestill Monobath. One product, no mixing. It's been on sale for 16.99 which some say can do 15+ rolls. I'm not promoting the product and have only seen online reviews and Youtube clips, but it seems easy enough and cheap enough to give it a try. My Dad's got an old stainless developing tank and reel I can use so all I'd need is a dark bag and some minor items like thermometer, funnel etc. I thought of getting an Ebay Epson V500 scanner but thought to start I would rig up a contraption to "scan" my negative with my DSLR. The idea being that I could view the images to decide what looks good enough to print, then have the local photo lab make prints off my actual negative if I get some good shots.

Any thoughts on why this is a good or bad plan?

Thanks,
01-11-2019, 05:26 PM   #18
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lhorn Quote
To just "wade" in with little investment in case I decide it's not for me, my plan had been to try developing with Cinestill Monobath.

Any thoughts on why this is a good or bad plan?
Welcome aboard!

Thanks for the heads up but it does sound too good to be true especially since they use magical and foolproof in the description . . .

However, if it works then it seems worthwhile trying it.

Seems as good a plan as any although b&w processing is really simple once you get the first roll done.
01-11-2019, 05:47 PM   #19
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I’ve seen some good results with monobath developers, although I’ve never used them myself. To simplify the initial cost, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad idea.

Eventually you’ll end up like me; making my own black and white developers from raw chemicals, then deciding to develop C-41 color, and finally developing E6 because you just want to. Lately I’ve even been looking at methods to develop Agfa cine films... It won’t end.

01-11-2019, 08:59 PM   #20
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I agree its probably fine to start with, and can potentially minimize the startup costs. Alternatively you could do a 2-chemical setup for about $30. As I mentioned above, for a bang-for-the-buck setup Rodinal is great. Most of the film I developed with it I used 1:50 so it lasts forever ($12 for 500ml means at 1:50 you'll get about 60 400ml tanks which is 2 rolls in a stainless tank, so up to 120 rolls.) Skip stop bath, just rinse, and reuse the fixer. Its much less dilute, about 1:4, but since you can reuse it, it will last for close to the same length (though some films like Tmax need the fixer stronger to fully clear so you'll have to dump more often.)

The benefit of multi steps is it gives you more flexibility to adjust what you're doing and while Cinestill probably gives times for common films, the Massive Dev Chart will provide starting points for just about any film you can find.
01-12-2019, 12:08 PM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by abruzzi Quote
... (though some films like Tmax need the fixer stronger to fully clear so you'll have to dump more often.)
You can also do what Kodak recommends for T-Max 100. A two-stage fixer step. That is, you fix normally with one mixed fixer and then fix with a second mixed bottle of fixer for an additional minute or so.

I keep a clipboard on the wall with the number of rolls I fix for both fixer 'A' and fixer 'B'. I mix a new batch on a fixed number of rolls of film processed per the directions on my fixer. Fixer B will last a much longer time than fixer A of course.

When advising someone to skip an acid stop bath and just use water, IMHO, you should clarify something about the process especially for a beginner. An acid stop bath is typically 30 seconds. That's too short for water only. A person new to developing might think that a single fill and agitating for 30 seconds is good for water only too. Stopping with water only really needs to be done by filling and draining the tank 5 or 6 times or so.

Last edited by tuco; 01-12-2019 at 12:19 PM. Reason: Sp
01-12-2019, 02:24 PM   #22
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Pro Photo Connection is pretty cheap:
Film Processing & Scanning | Pro Photo Connection

Process One is another one to check out:
Process One - Film Processing and Photofinishing Services

01-12-2019, 04:34 PM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by disconnekt Quote
Pro Photo Connection is pretty cheap:
Film Processing & Scanning | Pro Photo Connection

Process One is another one to check out:
Process One - Film Processing and Photofinishing Services
Thanks, especially for mentioning Process One. For those of us who live in the middle of the country, it's good to find some labs closer to home. Their prices are good, and I like the fact that you can send them just about anything: E6, C41 or monochrome in Kodak X-Tol, 135 or 120. But what about quality? And have you seen any scans done by Process One?
01-12-2019, 05:07 PM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by tuco Quote
You can also do what Kodak recommends for T-Max 100. A two-stage fixer step. That is, you fix normally with one mixed fixer and then fix with a second mixed bottle of fixer for an additional minute or so.

I keep a clipboard on the wall with the number of rolls I fix for both fixer 'A' and fixer 'B'. I mix a new batch on a fixed number of rolls of film processed per the directions on my fixer. Fixer B will last a much longer time than fixer A of course.

When advising someone to skip an acid stop bath and just use water, IMHO, you should clarify something about the process especially for a beginner. An acid stop bath is typically 30 seconds. That's too short for water only. A person new to developing might think that a single fill and agitating for 30 seconds is good for water only too. Stopping with water only really needs to be done by filling and draining the tank 5 or 6 times or so.
True. I’d actually recommend stop bath, its not that expensive, but if someone is trying to go simple, it’s something they could drop. Thanks for the recommendation on the two stage fix, I’ll have to look into it. Up until now I’ve kept the fixer until the tmax showed magenta color even after a significant fix time.
01-13-2019, 12:42 PM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by runswithsizzers Quote
Thanks, especially for mentioning Process One. For those of us who live in the middle of the country, it's good to find some labs closer to home. Their prices are good, and I like the fact that you can send them just about anything: E6, C41 or monochrome in Kodak X-Tol, 135 or 120. But what about quality? And have you seen any scans done by Process One?
Not yet, I havent gotten a chance to use them yet (tight on funds right now) to see how good the quality is.
01-14-2019, 11:04 AM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by abruzzi Quote
...Thanks for the recommendation on the two stage fix, I’ll have to look into it. Up until now I’ve kept the fixer until the tmax showed magenta color even after a significant fix time.
I should add, if you are going to try this two-stage fixing, that you should keep fixer B pretty fresh. That is, you don't want to run it down to near exhaustion. And by tracking the number of rolls developed, you can use fixer B as Fixer A when it's getting used up and make a fresh batch of fixer B. And also employ a good long wash too.

Last edited by tuco; 01-14-2019 at 11:13 AM.
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