Inititial developments...

Ambermile

Ambermile

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Arthur
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I'm new here so please bear with me a little... Right now I am dipping the toes in film with a few rolls and *before* I go developing things myself (after never touching film since 1984) I want to go commercial. I heard Jessops will do BW half frame stuff, is this right? In general, is Tesco developing any good since there's also a couple of standard 35mm to go (one of each)?

What I don't want to happen is me to dump them in a tank and screw up - thereby making an already uphill task damned near vertical and getting put off - hence the commercial route here. Failing the above, anyone else I should consider - I should say I am tucked away in South Norfolk and can't really drive too far.

Arthur
 
Around six months ago I pretty much did the same - my first reel of film was a roll of Ilford XP2 - a black and white film that's C41 process (i.e. process as colour neg. film in any old minilab) just to see that the camera worked. I took that to my local Asda's processing service and had a 1 hour service done while I mooced around doing the weekly shop. Second roll was a "proper" BnW film - Ilford FP4+, which was processed at Ilford's mail-order service, turned around in 1 week, pretty much as fast as I'd been offered by Jessops off the high-street. Prints came out pretty much spectacular - if onl the subject matter had measured up to the technical quality of the service. I then went on to Colour film, and was again recommended a mail-in service - Peak Imaging - they did a couple of rolls of Velvia Slide and Ektar 100 print for me - again, so well done I've never actually felt the need to try anywhere else. I've now got to the point where I process my own BnW, and bought a scanner that can cope with strips of negs or slides, so I get a dev. only service on the colour stuff.

Oh, as far as the BnW processing/printing goes - you can also get process-paid envelopes from 7dayshop which were cheaper than going direct to ilford, last time I looked :)
 
Excellent, some good stuff there - I especially like the mail in ideas! I am starting off with some of the Chinese FP4 stuff from Era, just to get the hand back in of course (that and it's £18 for 10 rolls of 36) which is why I am doing some in the half frame - more piccies=more practise :D I guess though I will have to check first if these people will do half stuff first, I know Jessops will do it but not in an hour.

So, that's me off website hopping for a bit, but before I go... I have all the stuff here to set up a colour darkroom and yet now I see the option of scanning lides/negatives as a much drier method, though clearly nowhere near as much fun. Does this stack up against wet methods very well wrt printing after?

Arthur

PS - David? I do want to do it at home, but just for the first few I want guaranteed results!
 
If you've got the kit already, I'd say go for it! Having said that, there's something to be said for a mixed approach - there was a thread on here a while back from someone who'd a whole bunch of neg's that he'd developed, but never had time to print in a wet-darkroom, and was looking to get a scanner/inkjet solution...
 
OK, had a look round and none of the above cater for half frame - and if they did they'd still hack the film into tiny pieces, not what I want at all. Looks like I'll be OK on the standard 24x36 commercially but the half is going to have to be developed home-grown I think. Jessops will develop half stuff and will even promise not to cut it up, but they cannot tell me how long it will take...

Arthur

PS - mind you, there is that guy on Ebay for £7.50 with a contact sheet (hacking up :nono:) if anyone has tried him?
 
Hmm. Chemicals all arrived now... Ilford Rapid Fixer, Ilfostop and ID-11 developer. Unfortunately, my plastic bottles and stuff are at the workshop - I will have to wait a while it seems.

Arthur
 
Now ready to roll... but no darkroom yet! I have to go get a bag. I was much better organised when I were a lad tha' knows :D

Arthur - where's that damned head again, I'm sure I done it up tight this time...
 
OK - I can proudly announce to the world... we have a developed film! I can see things on it! I remember seeing the same things before - so it must be alright. First film in years though and from the first peek at the film out of the tank it is clear that I have been too long with digital again. Some over- and some over-exposed, some not focused (!), but... some look good! This was the half-frame film from the Dial and was the first one through that camera, so as well as proving the camera still works/takes pix/is light-tight, I can also develop my own films again! Cool!

Arthur
 
Post dat stuffs.....or it never happened !




:)
 
How? Darkroom not sorted yet, no scanner (except the printer...), no ideas.

Arthur


PS - Hang on, I know someone with a wee handheld negative scanner... watch this space!
 
And so, a clicky here will take you to the album. Not all the pics from the film as not all the pics were the sort you'd be proud of. You know, the OOF, the over- and under-exposed, and so on. All part of getting back to a proper camera I suppose. I also had a few technical issues as well... It is clear the Dial (which was only used to prove it was up to being used and that clockwork wind-on is just too cool not to use) is not 100% light proof - OK for snaps I guess - but a major pita is it seems to wind on half a hole out... when I put the film in the scanner it's not in the right place, I need the holes inbetween two holes. Whatever, I learned a bit and as I made a point of trying to take old pictures rather than new ones (you'll see what I mean on PB) I am rather pleased.

Anyway, the kids like them!

12-6-2009_001.jpg



Untitled-6.jpg



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Arthur
 
Well done Arthur :thumbs: I yearn to try out some of the old B/W processing stuff too :cool:
 
Well, #2 film from the FX-D is out and developed. I am realising that this Chines film is pretty much crap, need to get some decent stuff or face weird blobs in the emulsion forever!

Scan slideshow is here.


Arthur
 
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