On developing 35mm film

[Peldor]

It dosn't seem very hard to develop your own film up to the negitive stage and use a scanner to pull them into your computer. I did a google search and this is what I found:

Loading the Film

Steps:
1. Take film, bottle opener, scissors, developing tank and reels into a lightproof room.

2. Organize materials on a table.

3. Turn off the light.

4. Open the film canister at either end with the bottle opener.

5. Take the film out of the canister and cut off the tab at the end to create a straight edge.

6. Insert the edge into the clip at the center of the reel.

7. Thread the film between the wire spiral on the top and bottom of the reel.

8. Pull the end of the film off the spool and remove the tape.

9. Drop the loaded reel into the developing tank and secure the lid.

10. Turn the light back on.

11. Remove the lid from the opening in the tank lid.


Tips:
Practice loading discarded film onto reels before loading unexposed film in the dark.

Keep materials in a lightproof room close at hand.

Plastic tanks with easy-load reels are an alternative to stainless-steel tanks and reels.

Now... it cant really be that easy to make your film into negitives!!!
I went to http://www.adorama.com/DKT235.html and if I am not mistaken you can develop 2 rolls of 35mm film with this dinky $10 stainless tank?!?(not including chemicals but how much can that cost?)
Please tell me that all of this is true... this would cut down on my bill BIG TIME!

[/url]

[Ads]

[Walt]

While that is the basic procedure there is a certain finesse and practice involved. B&W is fairly basic and a good way to start out. Color gets far more involved and is less forgiving with temperatures etc.

[Peldor]

Any webpages or books you guys could point me to? It would be a great help... Rember all I need to get is to the negitive stage, I dont need to make prints!

[Walt]

Are you shooting B&W or color?

[Peldor]

colcr

[Walt]

I've never tried color so I couldn't be much help. I would suggest you do a few rolls of b&w to get the feel of working with tanks, chemicals, temperature and the like.

[rangefinder]

The basic procedure is the same - the chemistry is different. As has already been mentioned colour is less foregiving with regard to processing time and temperatures.

Also the chemistry has to be kept cool until ready to use. Color chemistry can be corrosive and costs extra money for shipping (depending on quantities is considered HAZMAT).

It's time consuming then you have to be concerned about drying and dust, etc.

Suggestion: If you're going to process B&W - cool. B&W is harder to get done now days. If you're going to scan colour negatives then probably the most cost/time effective way is to get negatives processed at a one-hour place and then scan.

Of course if you want the darkroom experience - go for it. It's great but I would start with B&W first - lot cheaper - and if you like it then move on to colour.

[oriecat]

Now... it cant really be that easy to make your film into negitives!!!

No, it's not that easy. Those are just the steps for loading the film. You still have to mix the chemicals, make sure they are the right temp, time each step appropriately, agitate correctly, wash etc.

I personally would not want to mess with color. Too much hassle and room for error. I've had negs developed only with no prints for only 2 bucks at a local place.

[ksmattfish]

It is cheaper to do your own BW film.

It is usually cheaper to have your color (C41 process) developing done for you. At least for now there is such a huge volume of C41 being developed the prices are usually very low. Also there are all the points made in the above posts. I wouldn't do color developing without a Jobo processor or something like that, mainly to control the temps.

Around here I can get my C41 developed only (no prints) for $2.99 a roll at the pro labs. That's cheaper than I can do it at home (considering the cost of C41 chems) last time I checked (which was about 5 years ago).