Colour Film Developing

DocFrankenstein said:
Why would you want to do processing yourself? If you're getting 10 bucks an hour at your day job, it's simply not worth it in terms of time and space involved.
Well, if time is about 15 minutes for a couple of rolls and space is 2-3 feet to work in and a place to store 3 bottles then for me the question is why not?

If I can get my films developed 24/7 with a 15m turn around and save money too, well... I'd be mad not to really.

DocFrankenstein said:
Get a 6 mp DSLR and a calibrated monitor, and your workflow will improve dramatically.
Why spend £500 on a 6MP DSLR when a 25MP SLR will cost less than £200?

BTW, my monitors are calibrated to my printer not my camera. ;)
 
It IS a simple fifteen minute job, but you've got to mix your chemicals, get them to temperature, wind the film onto the spool in a blacked out room or dark bag, which is quite tricky unill you've had some practice...
Process the film then clean up after yourself. And personally I always find that getting the chemicals out of the spiral and corners of the tank can take a good twenty minutes, and then there is whatever you used to heat your chemicals that will need cleaning too...
Having said all that I honestly do recomend trying it - if you enjoy doing it then it will be really worthwhile I just personally find it a really unfulfilling process.

You will need:
Developing tank (spirals included)
Blacked out room or dark bag to load film onto spiral
3x something to heat chemicals up in
Water source - well away from anything that will statin.

I think that's everything?
 
Marctwo said:
If I can get my films developed 24/7 with a 15m turn around and save money too, well... I'd be mad not to really.
Just as alex described - it's more than that. But if you can have dried and cut up negatives in 15 minutes AND have the place clean... more power to you.

I know it takes me about 30 mins, which is 5 bucks by itself. Also... I've heard numerous times that for consistent color the temp has to be within .5 centigrade. And that's almost unrealistic without a thermostat.
 
Well, I've just done my first film and the negs look great! :mrgreen: Unfortunately, I won't be getting my scanner for a few days so I can't post any or check them out properly yet. :(

The whole process was so simple, clean and efficient - I really don't know why more people don't do it.

Oh... I'd just add one more thing to the 'things you need' list: a film retriever. ;)

I guess I'll just have to see if I can get consistant results now. :lol:
 
Oh... I'd just add one more thing to the 'things you need' list: a film retriever

If i'm way off base here, feel free to ignore me. By this do you mean a tool to pull the leader back out of the canister? If so, they way most people do this (in BW) is to take a can opener to the canister and the pull the reel out.
 
Yes. With colour you don't have the luxury of any kind of working light so it's much easier to start loading your spirals with the lights on. ;)
 
When you are rewinding the film just listen for the click when the film comes free of the sprockets. That way you can cut the 'blunt' end on the film, in the light ready to load into the spiral in the dark. Just keep pulling, then when you get the the end, really tug and it will jut pull free of the canaster.
 
I'm using a 300v which automatically rewinds the film right into the canister after you shoot the final frame. As I didn't have a retriever this time, I left a shot on the film and took the film out then. Being a prewind system, this is safe for 34 frames.

I did actually cut straight through the first frame (canister side) so that's a lesson learned. :lol:
 
ksmattfish said:
Yowza! If you are having to pay those kind of prices it would probably save money. Out here in the midwest it's $3 for 35mm C41 develop only, and $4 for 120 develop only, and they'll knock a buck off those prices if you get prints too.

Wow. Where are you getting your prints done? I think I pay about $6 a roll in Lincoln. Saved cash by sending them out to Snapfish, but then again I guess there's always a risk of film or prints getting lost in the mail. Six of one, half dozen the other, I guess.
 
Marctwo said:
Cheers guys. Maybe I'll just stick to the labs then. :lol:

Of course, I'm only talking about developing the film. I'll still be doing all the image processing on computer. ;)

If you scan it yourself, check out MPIX s film mailers... very cheap and they send you back your negs in record time.
 

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