Producing B&W digital from color film

[gsgary]

I believe I understand the difference

You CAN develop color film in B&W chemicals, but they (the B&W chems) will not remove the orange mask, so it may be difficult to get a good print (on an enlarger) from it ... not really sure. It scans good enough though.

IMO, developing color film in B&W chemicals is a waste of film... It's one thing if the film is expired and you're just trying to get whatever you can. If you want color, shoot color. If you want B&W, shoot B&W. Gary will be here in a minute with scans of color film he developed in Rodinal, lol.

I love me some Rodinal, but I would rather use it on B&W film. Color film is typically more expensive anyway - it would be a shame to use it for something you could have gotten better results with, and for less money too.


Shoot the color film, have it developed normally, convert in PP. THEN, you have your B&W shots, but you still have good color negs.


Buy some real B&W film soon though.

Would i do that ok here's one

And another

 

[ronlane]

Hell, I'm glad to see new faces in the film section. Not that I don't like the rest of you guys but I'm glad to see more people get involved with film. Good luck getting started! Possibly because of the fact there's so much more work involved, film feels far more rewarding. To me at least.

Quick question, are you shooting 35mm, medium format, or something different? Just wondering, maybe someone will pipe in with a great deal on film.

I am shooting 35mm.

 

[gsgary]

Thanks Leonore. I am excited about shooting street with film. I feel that it can take my b&w obsession to another level.

B+W is great its all i shoot now, ive just picked up 100 feet of a German film called Orwo UN54 (iso100) but for street i shoot HP5

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[Josh66]

Thanks Leonore. I am excited about shooting street with film. I feel that it can take my b&w obsession to another level.

B+W is great its all i shoot now, ive just picked up 100 feet of a German film called Orwo UN54 (iso100) but for street i shoot HP5

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

I've been meaning to try that film... I bulk load pretty much all of my 35mm film.

 

[KmH]

As close as you are to Oklahoma City, I'm amazed you can't find a local source (50 mile radius) of B&W film.

 

[gsgary]

Thanks Leonore. I am excited about shooting street with film. I feel that it can take my b&w obsession to another level.

B+W is great its all i shoot now, ive just picked up 100 feet of a German film called Orwo UN54 (iso100) but for street i shoot HP5

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

I've been meaning to try that film... I bulk load pretty much all of my 35mm film.

This is Orwo developed in Rodinal on a dullish day, M4P + 28mmF2

 

[ronlane]

As close as you are to Oklahoma City, I'm amazed you can't find a local source (50 mile radius) of B&W film.

I haven't been to all the stores yet, just looking online. I have a roll of color just about shot and am going to take it to a local lab and I can ask them.

 

[Tiller]

I haven't been to all the stores yet, just looking online. I have a roll of color just about shot and am going to take it to a local lab and I can ask them.

Shot with what? Most labs I encounter either stopped carrying or carry 1 or 2 brands.

 

[gsgary]

A shop near me (Sheffield) doubled the amount of film they sold last year they even supply bulk rolls but i can get it cheaper direct from Ilford with a discount i arranged for our club

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[ronlane]

UPDATE: Dropped off 2 rolls of color to be processed and scanned, will pick up tomorrow after work. Also, when I talked to the lab, the told me that one of the local camera stores sold b&w film. So I stopped by there today and bought 2 rolls of Iford HP5 ISO 400. Now to get a chance to take a walk with them in the camera.

I'll get photos from the first rolls up this week.

 

[gsgary]

Hp5 is great film if you like a bit of contrast shoot it at 800

At 800 developed in Ilford DDX

 

[dubiousone]

Those film cameras multiply like rabbits! Hard on the wallet too, but my last thrift shop 'score', a very nice once-the-dust-was-knocked-off Canon AE-1 Program with a 50mm/1.8 lens didn't hurt too bad at under $50. A little TLC to clean it, fix the flywheel squeak and shazzam!! I blew through a roll in no time the other day so we'll see...

There's just something about it; I recently went digital, been out of photography as a hobby for a good long while but I have to say, I have WAY more fun with my film stuff! My last roll, Fuji Superia/200 I shot out of a Mamiya 500DTL I just had repaired. Lenses were Mamiya 50/1.4 and a Tamron 90mm adaptall. I was EXTREMELY happy with the color, sharpness and overall great looks. Yeah, I'm ot giving up film anytime soon! (I have a TLR Diacord and a roll of 120 Ilford, someday I'll actually be brave enough to LOAD it...

Hell, I'm glad to see new faces in the film section. Not that I don't like the rest of you guys but I'm glad to see more people get involved with film. Good luck getting started! Possibly because of the fact there's so much more work involved, film feels far more rewarding. To me at least.

Quick question, are you shooting 35mm, medium format, or something different? Just wondering, maybe someone will pipe in with a great deal on film.

 

[minicoop1985]

Those film cameras multiply like rabbits!

Holy crap they do. 6 months ago there were probably 4 or 5 around here. Now there's probably more than 30, though that number fluctuates quite a bit.

Hard on the wallet too, but my last thrift shop 'score', a very nice once-the-dust-was-knocked-off Canon AE-1 Program with a 50mm/1.8 lens didn't hurt too bad at under $50. A little TLC to clean it, fix the flywheel squeak and shazzam!! I blew through a roll in no time the other day so we'll see...

There's just something about it; I recently went digital, been out of photography as a hobby for a good long while but I have to say, I have WAY more fun with my film stuff! My last roll, Fuji Superia/200 I shot out of a Mamiya 500DTL I just had repaired. Lenses were Mamiya 50/1.4 and a Tamron 90mm adaptall. I was EXTREMELY happy with the color, sharpness and overall great looks. Yeah, I'm ot giving up film anytime soon! (I have a TLR Diacord and a roll of 120 Ilford, someday I'll actually be brave enough to LOAD it...

Oh bah, if I can load a Rollei without destroying it (I actually just got a roll out of a Rolleicord I restored with some fantastic results-not the pictures, the camera works) you can load a TLR. Loading modular backs with no experience is a bit unnerving too, and incredibly easy to screw up. I'd say you'll be fine-go for it! Wait level finders are a totally different experience and a lot of fun.

 

[ronlane]

So I got the film back and got the disc. My question is, do you just leave them as is or do you do any post in LR?

Here are a few that I did without LR processing and then with some small processing in LR4. [The subjects are more about texture and my family]

1) With some processing in LR4.



2. Without LR


3) without any processing


4) with flash on camera no processing in LR



5) with flash and processing in LR4.

 

[limr]

It depends on the photo if I do any digital editing. Sometimes I'll adjust the scanner settings to bring exposure up or down a notch (there's not a lot of leeway there.) For some color shots, I might bump the colors a tiny bit or adjust the white balance. In black and whites, I'd fiddle with contrast or the shadows/midtones/highlights settings. I generally do very little, partly because I don't enjoy the process but partly because there's less you can do with film than with a RAW file. I'm also one of 'those people' who like to get it as right as possible in the camera, so the picture that doesn't require anything is considered a hit for me. It's very rare, of course! At the very least, I'm cropping or straightening. Oh, and cloning out dust spots, of course. I've gotten very skilled at that clone tool. With lab scans it's not really an issue, but if you ever get to the point of buying your own flatbed film scanner, then you too will become well acquainted with that clone tool

Of course, it also depends on your preference. Your first shot of the leaves, for example, looks good after the processing. Colors are more vibrant and details are sharper. But I also like the dreamy, low contrast unedited version. For that one, I might have cloned out the satellite dish in the background, but left the colors and contrast where they were. You probably envisioned it more like the edited version and if you were able to get it to that point, then that's what you should do.

Here's the important question: how do you feel about your first results?? I can't remember if you said or not, but had you ever shot film before?