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 p.1 #17 · Re-entering film maybe, need info! | |
jimmuller wrote:
And that is exactly why I phrased my original post the way I did. The only "process" I know about film is taking an exposed roll.to a shop and waiting for the results to, ah, roll in. That's hardly a process, and certainly not involving other than loading film in the camera. Unlike digital, it has downsides such as cost and no immediate return. If I'm going to jump in, the water had better not be too cold.
So I was wanting to learn about possible "more involving" options. I believe I have. So thank you all. But keep responding!
Dropping off at a lab is an entirely valid way to engage with film. Home development is absolutely doable for just about anyone, but it isn't for everyone. For instance, I don't like staying on top of C-41 shelf life or exhaustion, and while I do usually shoot enough C41 to support doing it myself, I still find it much more convenient to have my local lab process it for me. I don't have them cut or scan, just process. It's $5 per roll, usually ready next day.
As for home development, C-41, ECN-2, and E-6 require fairly precise temperature control. I've done C-41 using a water bath, but if I do it again, it'll be with a sous vide circulator or a Jobo. Still, the water bath works. You can usually do 16 or 32 rolls per batch with most of the kits I see, but you're not going to get a lot of shelf life out of the mixed chemicals. You would ideally have steady work, or you could wait and do batches. Some people mix from scratch ( @lifeandmylens@ had a write-up detailing his ECN-2 process, for instance), but that's not something I've tried. But actual color development is easy and it's meant to be a very standard development process.
B&W can be as simple or as complicated as you like. There's monobath, there are tons of developers, there are different dilutions, different methods of agitation, optional rinse steps, etc. It's generally done at room temp, but nothing is ever written in stone. Even room temp isn't always the same. So B&W can take a bit of experimentation to get to a point where you're happy, but the process itself is very easy.
Typical gear to do this is a changing bag, some tanks and reels, ways to measure liquids, bottles for storing chemicals, a good instant-read thermometer is nice, funnels, clips to hang the film, scissors, etc.
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