Fred Miranda wrote:
I discovered a video showing a much simpler way to load film onto a developing reel compared to doing it inside a bag. I haven't noticed any downsides to this method. Has anyone else given it a try?
This is how I've done all my rolls so far. I like it because I'm not fumbling with getting it inserted and started while in the bag. Cutting the corners off also prevents the film from snagging as it gets spooled in.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I discovered a video showing a much simpler way to load film onto a developing reel compared to doing it inside a bag. I haven't noticed any downsides to this method. Has anyone else given it a try?
Lumenlabs wrote:
This is how I've done all my rolls so far. I like it because I'm not fumbling with getting it inserted and started while in the bag. Cutting the corners off also prevents the film from snagging as it gets spooled in.
Back in the film days I used the Patterson tanks and reels and also clipped the corners of the film so that it loaded more smoothly. IIRC I might have actually cut it in an arc, but I think just rounding the corners will go a long way to a smoother loading experience. But I never thought to 'pre-loaded' it on a reel, which in hindsight seems logical. I had a closet that I made light-tight and would load the film there, rather than in a changing bag. After a while loading in the dark became pretty effortless.
Another critical factor for smoothly loading film on Patterson reels is to ensure they are 100% dry. This is more of a potential problem if you have a limited number of reels and have to do multiple developing runs in a day. I found a hairdryer worked pretty well at quickly drying the reels. This was never a problem with steel reels due to how they're loaded, but those IMO are more prone to user loading error, and if accidentally dropped and warped, would potentially ruin film due to film to film contact.
Same. I just use a couple of drops of water. This works all the time. Desmolicious wrote:
FYI, you don't even need a film retriever. Just another roll of film. Lick the end (I'm serious) and feed it into the canister. Wind that canister slowly until it grabs the moist film. When it does that, pull it out.
Lee Saxon wrote:
Yeah, sadly, a $99 minimum is extremely easy to hit buying film these days .
One should never buy film with a minimum dollar value. But a minimum number of rolls per order - I recommend twenty as a starting point. Then you never have to worry about free shipping thresholds.
Had a few rolls developed from Halloween. Two of the three 120 rolls I sent in had weird issues like this on them. That straight line at the bottom and also a small light leak up top.
The lab also forgot to overscan borders. I contacted the lab about this and the borders and they said it's most likely a camera issue, not a scanner issue (HS1800) but that they also have new staff working. So they'll check out the negatives and rescan anyway since they didn't overscan.
The problem with that assessment is the two rolls that were affected were shot with completely different cameras. And the third roll is completely unaffected. I guess I'll see with the new scans or ultimately when I get the negatives in hand.
But in the mean time, what do you think caused this?
lifeandmylens wrote:
The problem with that assessment is the two rolls that were affected were shot with completely different cameras. And the third roll is completely unaffected. I guess I'll see with the new scans or ultimately when I get the negatives in hand.
But in the mean time, what do you think caused this?
Ruling out the cameras, I don't think that's a scanner issue but rather a processing issue: maybe someone turned on a light or didn't handle the film in complete darkness, something like that? You'll know for sure when you see the negatives, but if the new scans have the same issues in the same places it's not likely the scanner (especially since one roll was unaffected).
I'm pretty happy with my lab overall but they do make mistakes. They once sent me scans of someone else's film, added as a subfolder to the folder that contained my scans, and this weekend they sent me two sets of scans of the same film, one on Saturday and then the other on Sunday.
bjhurley wrote:
Ruling out the cameras, I don't think that's a scanner issue but rather a processing issue: maybe someone turned on a light or didn't handle the film in complete darkness, something like that?
I think you're right. That makes more sense. Luckily these weren't super important pictures.
They just responded actually. It's on the negative. Now they're saying they don't think it's a camera issue, but they think I loaded or unloaded the film incorrectly. Or that possibly the glue tape seal that keeps it sealed came undone on them. But then they proceeded to apologize again for the new hires. Another possibility is this is the first order I mailed in a box instead of an envelope, so maybe it got jostled in shipping. So I don't know. But I'll tape the 120 rolls in the future to be safe.
lifeandmylens wrote:
Thanks Fred. No biggie. I'll follow along on your journey on developing at home. Curious to see how it goes. I may try it one day!
If this kid can do it, so can we!
&t=12s
Benefits:
1) Price: The complete development kit is around $200. After that, you'll only need to consider the expense of the chemicals, which comes to approximately $1.5 for each roll.
2) No need to stress about your film getting misplaced during shipping. This can be significant!
3) Handling sloppy developers who may accidentally damage or improperly expose your film. Once a mistake is made, there is no going back.
4) Counteract the high expense of film these days.
5) It might be enjoyable. I'm not entirely certain but I do make my own yogurt!
Once my M2 returns from DAG, I'll give this a shot with inexpensive film to begin with, allowing me to learn from any early errors.
Desmolicious wrote:
One should never buy film with a minimum dollar value. But a minimum number of rolls per order - I recommend twenty as a starting point. Then you never have to worry about free shipping thresholds.
Twenty rolls of HP5+ was $155.80, $7.79 a roll. It arrived from Ohio to Portland, Oregon in less than a week. Midwest Photo had the best price for film of any of the online shops.
Fred Miranda wrote:
If this kid can do it, so can we!
&t=12s
Benefits:
1) Price: The complete development kit is around $200. After that, you'll only need to consider the expense of the chemicals, which comes to approximately $1.5 for each roll.
2) No need to stress about your film getting misplaced during shipping. This can be significant!
3) Handling sloppy developers who may accidentally damage or improperly expose your film. Once a mistake is made, there is no going back.
4) Counteract the high expense of film these days.
5) It might be enjoyable. I'm not entirely certain.
Once my M2 returns from DAG, I'll give this a shot with inexpensive film to begin with, allowing me to learn from any early errors....Show more →
Have fun! After many years, in 2019 after tiring of the crummy B&W scans from the local lab, I bought a tank, some HC-110 and a pop up dark tent. Both the developing and scanning have been learning experiences.
madNbad wrote:
Twenty rolls of HP5+ was $155.80, $7.79 a roll. It arrived from Ohio to Portland, Oregon in less than a week. Midwest Photo had the best price for film of any of the online shops.
I ordered the same film from them last week. Got some Portra 400 as well.
I have to say I learned a lot from this thread. Thanks Shawn for starting it. I'm seriously thinking about creating a forum dedicated to film photography!
lifeandmylens wrote:
They just responded actually. It's on the negative. Now they're saying they don't think it's a camera issue, but they think I loaded or unloaded the film incorrectly. Or that possibly the glue tape seal that keeps it sealed came undone on them. But then they proceeded to apologize again for the new hires. Another possibility is this is the first order I mailed in a box instead of an envelope, so maybe it got jostled in shipping. So I don't know. But I'll tape the 120 rolls in the future to be safe.
Are you giving the backing paper a little tug before taping? It looks like the rolls have been a little loose allowing some light to leak in. Make sure the paper is tight.
The images look great! Keep at it because it's the only way to learn.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I ordered the same film from them last week. Got some Portra 400 as well.
I have to say I learned a lot from this thread. Thanks Shawn for starting it. I'm seriously thinking about creating a forum dedicated to film photography!
Earlier this year I bought Fuji 200 3x36 for $15 from them. Fresh. I bought at lot... mpex is THE place to buy film.
Also try Kentmere 400 - it really is excellent and just over $5/36 exp.
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