a horrible chapter in our endeavor to become illustrious world famous photographers

[Helen B]

Just a side note here, but there USED to be several brands of B&W film that were C41 process. This might help you get them scanned easier??

Ilford XP2 Super is still available, along with any old stock of Kodak BW400CN that you can find. Trouble is that it is more expensive than traditional silver-image B&W film, and you may as well shoot cheap colour neg and then convert to B&W after scanning. It's no good if your daughter wants to learn trad B&W processing. You can develop traditional silver-image film to a dye+silver image using traditional methods, then bleach out the silver image to leave a very stable dye image but that is probably a bit advanced (unless you don't mind experimenting and risking failure) although it teaches a lot about understanding both B&W and colour film processes.

PS despite what the genius in the camera shop said, you can't use ICE on traditional silver-image B&W film.

 

[Proteus617]

Naptime- I'm guessing that you placed those negatives on your flatbed and scanned as reflective as is you were scanning a document without any backlight? Your big fail might just be the result of your scanning process. I bet that you have a whole lot more information on those negatives than you think.

 

[naptime]

Naptime- I'm guessing that you placed those negatives on your flatbed and scanned as reflective as is you were scanning a document without any backlight? Your big fail might just be the result of your scanning process. I bet that you have a whole lot more information on those negatives than you think.

almost anyway.

the film was laid down on the bed. then glass was laid on top to hold them down flat. then, instead of closing the lid, i built sort of an umbrella/hood out of really bright white paper to create a reflective surface to bounce the light back.

i know there has to be more on the negs.

gonna try another method i found of actually backlighting the film from above using a diffused florescent light.


but some of the images, that are super black, well, the blame goes to me for that one.

 

[naptime]

Just a side note here, but there USED to be several brands of B&W film that were C41 process. This might help you get them scanned easier??

Ilford XP2 Super is still available, along with any old stock of Kodak BW400CN that you can find. Trouble is that it is more expensive than traditional silver-image B&W film, and you may as well shoot cheap colour neg and then convert to B&W after scanning. It's no good if your daughter wants to learn trad B&W processing. You can develop traditional silver-image film to a dye+silver image using traditional methods, then bleach out the silver image to leave a very stable dye image but that is probably a bit advanced (unless you don't mind experimenting and risking failure) although it teaches a lot about understanding both B&W and colour film processes.

PS despite what the genius in the camera shop said, you can't use ICE on traditional silver-image B&W film.

yeah we wanted the experience of learning how to process at home as well. and she will have to in school also, this way we get a jump on it.

i think i'm gonna stay away from experimenting with developing for a while.... or at least until i learn how to meter with the camera. lol

 

[naptime]

Well, it's really great that you have figured out how to read the light meter now.

But, now there's bad news....light meters can be wrong. (lol) The two instances you mention, something solidly black or white, are ways that the light meter is fooled.

The meter is calibrated to make everything a middle, neutral color (called Middle, or Neutral Gray). When it sees something totally white, it say's "WOW, it's bright out there" and doesn't let in enough light, making the white turn to gray. Like wise, when it sees the solid black, it says "Wow" again, and becasue it's trying to make black turn into gray, it lets in way too much light.

These instances are where you use exposure compensation in auto modes, or in manual, you compensate for this by adding or subtracting from your light meter reading. In the case of black, the camera lets in too much light, so you might use a -1 on the meter. In case of the white subject, you want to add a little more light, so use a +1 for starters.

Another thing to use, is bracketing. Maybe shoot an exposure at -1, 0, and then at +1.

Just a side note here, but there USED to be several brands of B&W film that were C41 process. This might help you get them scanned easier??

Hope this helps

oh dear..... thanks... i think.. lol

 

[cgipson1]

Naptime.. you and Asia both have some of the best attitudes I have ever seen about learning, and about making mistakes! I hope that others see this and use it for inspiration!

 

[Kerbouchard]

Quick trick on metering, there are lots of things out and about that read a neutral grey...green grass is probably one of the more available ones. If you center your meter on grass that is lit by the same light as your subject, you should be good to go.

You can also pick up a neutral grey card at Home Depot by swinging by the paint samples. Or, you can pick one up for under $10 bucks at adorama... MQDGC Adorama Gray Card Exposure Aid, Pack Of(3)

 

[Joel_W]

Naptime, I'm a manager for CVS Drug Stores, so I have a pretty good understanding of our photo labs. As far as film goes, we develop both color and B&W negative film that was designed for c-41 processing. The printers in my store can print both color and B&W as all 5 of them use what's called a ribbon. There are no liquid chemicals used in the printing process. We offer CDs from the Kiosk scanner/printers for color digital, scanned in color and B&W photographs. We have the option to scan in color negatives in another system to CDs. I believe that it also does B&W, but in the 5 years I've worked with this equipment, we've never been asked to do that, so I'll check on Wednesday (I'm off today), and let you if we can do it.

One issue with our photo labs, as well as Rite Aids, (don't know about Walgreens labs), is that there must be a 1/2 dozen different types of lab setups still out there. One store uses what we have, and the next one still has one of the older liquid chemical models. Dry side, which we use ,eliminates screw ups in chemicals for printing, but you still run the risk of ruining negative film from inexperienced lab techs who don't run test strips, or understand how to correct for negative results. Unfortunately, this happens all the time.

Drug store kiosks, and photo depts. are what they always were, a place for the average P&S crowd to get their pictures processed and printed, quickly, and at a discount price. Our printers now can turn out better results then one may think, but it's still no where the quality of a good lab or do it yourself on a decent printer.

The Walmarts here on Long Island have excellent photo labs, and offer better and a wider range of services then we do. You might want to look into that, and see if they offer the services you need.

 

[Proteus617]

the film was laid down on the bed. then glass was laid on top to hold them down flat. then, instead of closing the lid, i built sort of an umbrella/hood out of really bright white paper to create a reflective surface to bounce the light back.

I've seen cellphones used as illumination units. Take a photo of something that's really white with the phone. Display the image and turn the phone upside down on the negative that you are scanning. Instant illumination unit. Too bad you are in Toledo. I'm about to get rid of a trashed Epson 3170 scanner. Trashed, but still works OK-ish if you don't mind dealing with a list of quirks. PM me your zip and I will see if I can ship it for something reasonable.

 

[LightSpeed]

Naptime- I'm guessing that you placed those negatives on your flatbed and scanned as reflective as is you were scanning a document without any backlight? Your big fail might just be the result of your scanning process. I bet that you have a whole lot more information on those negatives than you think.

almost anyway.

the film was laid down on the bed. then glass was laid on top to hold them down flat. then, instead of closing the lid, i built sort of an umbrella/hood out of really bright white paper to create a reflective surface to bounce the light back.

i know there has to be more on the negs.

gonna try another method i found of actually backlighting the film from above using a diffused florescent light.


but some of the images, that are super black, well, the blame goes to me for that one.

Excuses excuses.
From a big tough marine , no less.
Just look at how menacing he looks. He'd wear Gipson out like a cheap party dress on prom night.

 

[loopy]

neither walgreens, walmart, or riteaid can scan in b&w film onto cd. they can ONLY scan in c41 film. wth????

I feel your pain, I remember going out with my k1000 thinking that I was rocking it only to find out that not a single shot turned out. Oh well, the joys of film.

When I worked at Walmart, we could scan b&w to cd-rom. Sure that was 6-7 years ago, but I have a hard time believing that they can't do it. Their machines can't process the film, but scanning shouldn't be an issue - I wonder if the tech was confused or misinformed. I know that if the strip was cut we charged per frame, if it was left in a roll we generally charged a flat rate.

 

[sm4him]

I don't have anything to really add to this conversation, informationally, but I just wanted to say that this has been an enormously refreshing thread to read through! Interesting, entertaining, helpful, some really good links to other information....I really needed this! Quite refreshing after some of the other threads I've wasted precious minutes of my life on recently.

 

[CCericola]

 

[CCericola]

The only difference between that video and your camera is he can adjust the ISO, You can only adjust the ISO by loading a different speed of film. If you load 100 speed film and tell the camera it is 400 the meter will be off and you pictures will not turn out like you want them to.

 

[radiorickm]

Quick trick on metering, there are lots of things out and about that read a neutral grey...green grass is probably one of the more available ones. If you center your meter on grass that is lit by the same light as your subject, you should be good to go.

You can also pick up a neutral grey card at Home Depot by swinging by the paint samples. Or, you can pick one up for under $10 bucks at adorama... MQDGC Adorama Gray Card Exposure Aid, Pack Of(3)

You'll really laugh at this, but in the old days, we metered off the back of our free hand to get a good reading on the reflected light....really......lol