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JSW2 posted:I just bought a Canon A-1 from KEH's eBay store. When it arrived yesterday, everything looked fine and I started to run a roll of film through it. When I went to adjust the exposure compensation dial today though, things started to come apart. Literally. I think KEH will give you a prepaid shipping label for the return. That said, normally those dials are pretty easy to pop off. open the film back, wedge something into the film spool catcher thinger (so that it doesn't spin), and then spin the top lever off. Once you have that normally they have a little nut on them that you'll have to pull it off with. A spanner wrench or lens removal wrench is the proper way to take one of those off, but it's doable with pliers (especially if you don't care about it getting scratched up at all).
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Feb 2, 2013 23:57
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Spedman posted:Hopefully this doesn't come off as a bunch of rambling. Nah, thank you for sharing your info by the way.
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Feb 3, 2013 01:24
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maxmars posted:Nah, thank you for sharing your info by the way. No worries, all ways happy to help. Here's some shots from yesterday that I don't hate:   
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Feb 3, 2013 04:45
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A girl I know just gave me a Lomo LC-A at a party last night! Her mom was about to throw it out, asked her if she wanted it, and she remembered I liked old timey film cameras so she hung on to it for me. It's one of the newer made-in-China ones... plastic construction is a lot less hefty than the old Russian one I used to have (KIA by a freak wave on a dive boat seven years ago), but the addition of ISO 1600 is pretty nice. No strap lugs so I threw it on my Blackrapid and used it for some snaps while tooling around on my motorcycle this afternoon. edit: for lols, here's a picture of the L-CA on the Blackrapid: 
Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 12:48 on Feb 3, 2013 |
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Feb 3, 2013 10:10
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I'm inheriting an old Canon AE-1 and I'm obviously pretty excited to mess around with film. I thought it might be fun to experiment with developing myself but after reading the OP, I am thinking maybe not. Just how expensive is it to set up an absolute bare bones dark room? Is color more expensive than B&W? I've developed B&W film in a dark room in highschool but I completely forget the process. If I decide to give my film to a lab, are there any Canadians that can recommend a good place? Chains like London Drugs apparently scan film for you... Anybody have experience with them?
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Feb 3, 2013 20:20
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You don't need a darkroom to develop film. You need a development tank, chemistry, a thermometer, and a dark place to load the film into the tank. The dark place can either be a changing bag, or something like a closet or bathroom you can darken entirely. B&W development is extremely easy and there is almost no reason not to do it yourself. Colour is a slight bit harder (it requires more precise temperature control, and more precise timing) but not really much more expensive than B&W. Getting stuff developed at a lab, however, is expensive. When I started developing my own B&W film a little over 2 years ago, my calculation showed I'd be saving money over lab development after 10 rolls. And minilab film scans (which is what you get in most places) are universally poo poo.
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Feb 3, 2013 20:49
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I think I got all my chemicals, tank, dark bag, everything for under 100 bucks when I put it together. It's not bad at all.
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Feb 3, 2013 20:58
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For a pure newbie to home B&W developing, could someone point me in the right direction to the cheapest useable gear? It'd be shipping to Ireland.
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Feb 3, 2013 21:12
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Quantum of Phallus posted:For a pure newbie to home B&W developing, could someone point me in the right direction to the cheapest useable gear? It'd be shipping to Ireland. Equipment suggestions: AP processing tank Thermometer (optional, but no temperature control can give you quite uneven results) 50 ml graduated cylinder (optional, but you want to make precise measurements of small amounts of chemistry) Film squeegee (optional, but helps drying) Chemistry suggestions: Ilfosol 3 (cheap, but long-term economy isn't the best) Tetenal Superfix Odourless Kodak Photo-flo (optional, but risks drying marks without) You also need something to measure and mix your chemistry in, a regular kitchen jug is fine for that. (But I'd recommend against using them for cooking afterwards.) Also rinse a 1 or 1/2 litre soda or juice bottle for storing your working strength fixer. Alternatively for developer, get Rodinal and a graduated syringe, a 5 or 10 ml one without needle, to measure the small amounts. It should have better economy than the Ilfosol 3. (A syringe is a good idea for the Photo-flo too.) nielsm fucked around with this message at 21:36 on Feb 3, 2013 |
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Feb 3, 2013 21:30
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Quantum of Phallus posted:For a pure newbie to home B&W developing, could someone point me in the right direction to the cheapest useable gear? It'd be shipping to Ireland. You could try AG-Photographic, specifically this kit: http://www.ag-photographic.co.uk/paterson-film-processing-kit-2562-p.asp Or Firstcall-Photographic: http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/products/4309/paterson-film-developing-kit And you'll need a completely blacked out space (like a closet or something) or a changing bag to get your film onto the reels. For chemicals to start out developing, I'd recommend a bottle of Rodinal/Adonal/RO9 developer, its in liquid concentrate form and keeps forever, a bottle of Ilford Rapid Fixer and some Kodak Photo-flo. You should be able to get all three for very little.
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Feb 3, 2013 21:37
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nielsm posted:Alternatively for developer, get Rodinal and a graduated syringe, a 5 or 10 ml one without needle, to measure the small amounts. It should have better economy than the Ilfosol 3. (A syringe is a good idea for the Photo-flo too.) Get Rodinal, it's great with pretty much anything, there's several very predictable formulas for developing concentrations/times, it's one-shot so you never have to worry about contaminating your solution, and it lasts pretty much forever (decades). Don't use the same syringe for Photo Flo as anything else. Photo Flo is basically dish detergent and if it gets in your developer you're going to have little air bells everywhere. You can usually buy 10ml baby syringes at your supermarket/big box store and they work fine for this.
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Feb 3, 2013 21:37
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Just go to a local pharmacy and ask for syringes, I got mine for free that way. I also use the same syringe for everything, and just wash it well between steps. 
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Feb 3, 2013 21:57
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So I developed my first roll of 120 Tri-X 400 and it was a fuckin' nightmare. The film is so flimsy and far harder to load onto the Paterson reels when compared to HP5+. I probably spent 25 minutes in my closet cursing and have never had such a problem. Ended up getting some scratches on the negs which frustrates the poo poo out of me. I guess the only solution is to switch to steel reels and never look back, but I definitely wasn't expecting it to be such a pain.
pootiebigwang fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Feb 3, 2013 |
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Feb 3, 2013 22:04
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Get these instead of steel reels http://freestylephoto.biz/55043-Arista-Premium-Plastic-Developing-Reel I've loaded tri-x, hp5+, arcros, shanghai gp3, all sorts of stuff and it's always super easy with them. The wide lip flange thing does wonders.
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Feb 3, 2013 22:16
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Thanks all!
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Feb 3, 2013 22:17
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pootiebigwang posted:So I developed my first roll of 120 Tri-X 400 and it was a fuckin' nightmare. The film is so flimsy and far harder to load onto the Paterson reels when compared to HP5+. I probably spent 25 minutes in my closet cursing and have never had such a problem. Ended up getting some scratches on the negs which frustrates the poo poo out of me. I guess the only solution is to switch to steel reels and never look back, but I definitely wasn't expecting it to be such a pain. If you're using narrow-flange reels, stop and buy the ones with the wide flanges. If you're going to try it anyway, you need to make sure that everything is bone dry to avoid it sticking, and try to get it done before the air inside your changing bag/bathroom gets too hot and humid from your sweat.
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Feb 3, 2013 22:31
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Paul MaudDib posted:you need to make sure that everything is bone dry to avoid it sticking This, a thousand times. If you need to develop several different films in a row, make sure you have some spare reels so one can dry while you use the other. Maybe use a hair dryer to speed up the process.
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Feb 3, 2013 22:40
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Mr. Despair posted:Get these instead of steel reels http://freestylephoto.biz/55043-Arista-Premium-Plastic-Developing-Reel I'm assuming these expand for 35mm and 120, am I correct? I'm also assuming they work with the Paterson tank.
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Feb 3, 2013 22:59
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pootiebigwang posted:I'm assuming these expand for 35mm and 120, am I correct? I'm also assuming they work with the Paterson tank. Yes to the first one, maybe to the second? I'm pretty sure they'd fit fine.
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Feb 3, 2013 23:09
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pootiebigwang posted:I'm assuming these expand for 35mm and 120, am I correct? I'm also assuming they work with the Paterson tank. Yes and yes. I use those same reels for both 35mm and 120 in both Arista Premium and Paterson tanks.
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Feb 4, 2013 02:10
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I got a possibly crazy idea: Buy an old, cheap trailer home and make a darkroom of it. Good idea y/N? I'm thinking it would be easier to manage than attempting to set up one in a possibly small rental apartment, and would have the added benefit of being able to haul it to events and stuff.
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Feb 4, 2013 02:25
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Certainly doable, but comes with a large host of problems, mostly to do with owning a trailer, not so much the darkroom conversion...
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Feb 4, 2013 02:31
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MrBlandAverage posted:Yes and yes. I use those same reels for both 35mm and 120 in both Arista Premium and Paterson tanks. I've even used them in random 3rd party tanks. If the reel looks similar, best guess is that it works.
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Feb 4, 2013 03:05
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BANME.sh posted:I'm inheriting an old Canon AE-1 and I'm obviously pretty excited to mess around with film. I thought it might be fun to experiment with developing myself but after reading the OP, I am thinking maybe not. Just how expensive is it to set up an absolute bare bones dark room? Is color more expensive than B&W? I've developed B&W film in a dark room in highschool but I completely forget the process. Do what I did: go on Kijiji and find somebody selling a kit that they're not going to use - for $50 I got a kit that included a tank, a couple of reels (the plastic kind with the wide flanges - highly recommended!), a full set of chemicals, and various odds & ends (thermometer, hilariously translated from Italian user's manual, drying clips, squeegee, etc) from a guy who never used it because he bought it the day his wife announced she was pregnant. It's really, really easy. Seriously. Easy. Don't get lost in the OP, scroll down the first page to 8th-Samurai's how-to guide for B&W developing. Easy easy easy. Keep in mind that it is not necessary to go all the way to prints (as awesome as wet printing is) - a developed roll is my usual end-product, which I then scan on my ultra-cheap pulled-from-a-recycle-bin flatbed scanner. And the AE-1 is a fine camera, well done! If you're inheriting it there's a good chance the batteries are toast. The mark-up in local stores (e.g. London Drugs) is ridiculous - buy on-line, I like an ebay store called "Hillflowerstore" based in California, but there are a million options. **** The only advantages I can think of for a trailer for a darkroom over just a shed all have to do with being in the position of having enough spare room (i.e. land) to choose between building a shed and parking a trailer, unless you already have a trailer. Why would you need a portable darkroom? Are you planning a long road trip, shot on film? Because if you are, that's awesome and I want a part of it.
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Feb 4, 2013 04:59
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Thanks for the tips. Yes, I live in Alberta. Never thought to look on Kijiji for used developing gear but that's a good idea. Will any scanner work for film? I own one but it doesn't have any of the film scanning attachments or whatever. I was always under the impression you needed a specialized scanner.
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Feb 4, 2013 06:51
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For scanning film, you need a backlight. This means a light in the lid of a flatbed, and usually a film-holder, too. I have an Epson something 3700 something, I can't remember at the moment and it's not in front of me, and because I don't have the film-holder for it I stole the holder out of an Epson something 200 at work that was never going to be used. Most 3-in-1 scanner/printer/fax machines I've seen don't have a backlight, and basically suck anyways; such annoyances will fill any search on Kijiji for a scanner somebody's looking to unload. There are so many choices out there that I find a useful technique is to google whatever comes up as available, and hope you can find a review on CNET or Consumer Reports or something from years ago that talks about scanning film or transparencies (or has pictures that show the inside of the lid). Or buy new, and poke around the display models at a store. Don't get a specialized film scanner - those little boxes that connect via USB and can scan only film are poo poo. A specialized film scanner that actually does a good job costs more than the computer running it. Also, Scanning thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3307521
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Feb 4, 2013 08:25
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Quantum of Phallus posted:Lomography are releasing some sort of bizarre Aerochrome imitation. I am going to buy and shoot this overpriced film.
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Feb 4, 2013 09:47
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Just completed the first revision of my guide to enlightenment using Digibase C-41 kit. It's still a draft, what do you think? https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-a2RSUOEyw6MjJPSjlSbE93QjA/edit thanks. Quantum of Phallus may be interesting in having a look at it, I bought almost every item in there from firstcall, a uk based online shop for all things photography. I do think two heaters are overkill but I could afford it, makes everything simpler, you'd be ok with just one.
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Feb 4, 2013 10:16
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I notice from one of the links in your slides that there's a dev time for 25C. Surely developing C-41 at that temperature is going to produce a cyan shift even with the longer time? I guess if people were to do it at that temp it would allow you to use a very cheap aquarium heater to keep the temperature constant.
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Feb 4, 2013 11:19
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aliencowboy posted:I am going to buy and shoot this overpriced film. Or treat yourself it a roll of the real stuff: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Aerochro...a#ht_500wt_1156 maxmars posted:Just completed the first revision of my guide to enlightenment using Digibase C-41 kit. Good job writing that up  I've got a couple of points: - Personally I don't think the heaters are necessary, a nice big tub and some hot water will keep the chems at the right temps for long enough, but I fully understand why you'd want them. - I prefer to mix up 625ml of developer (1/4 of the Maxi sized kit) so that I can do either 1 roll of 120 or a couple of 35mm, and as you go through the rolls you'll find you've got less and less after each roll as you won't get back all that you put in. - And the mixed developer will keep for at least a couple of months with all the air squeezed out the bottle and kept in the fridge. The unmixed chemical concentrates should last for a couple of years.
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Feb 4, 2013 11:52
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The Clit Avoider posted:I notice from one of the links in your slides that there's a dev time for 25C. Surely developing C-41 at that temperature is going to produce a cyan shift even with the longer time? I guess if people were to do it at that temp it would allow you to use a very cheap aquarium heater to keep the temperature constant. There are reports on the forums of people doing it at 25C but then the process would take too much time for my liking; aquarium heaters usually go up to 34C, with a precision of 0.5C, it may be a viable option since they cost slightly less than half of what the heaters I use cost.
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Feb 4, 2013 11:53
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The Clit Avoider posted:I notice from one of the links in your slides that there's a dev time for 25C. Surely developing C-41 at that temperature is going to produce a cyan shift even with the longer time? I guess if people were to do it at that temp it would allow you to use a very cheap aquarium heater to keep the temperature constant.  I processed that in trays (it's a 4x5) at 21C, no colour shift.
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Feb 4, 2013 11:58
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Spedman posted:Good job writing that up Thanks I've already seen a couple of nonsensical things I will correct, but the process as I am doing it is in place. Spedman posted:I've got a couple of points: I will mention that. Do you use a thermometer to check temperature? At which temp do you start your process? E.g. if you did it at 40 deg, would you start when water is at 40 or slightly more? Spedman posted:- I prefer to mix up 625ml of developer (1/4 of the Maxi sized kit) so that I can do either 1 roll of 120 or a couple of 35mm, and as you go through the rolls you'll find you've got less and less after each roll as you won't get back all that you put in. I understand that. The quantities I've included are good for five 35mm rolls processed in a Jobo single reel tank, which is compatible with the max number of rolls you should be able to process with a single kit. With my bad english I'm trying to say that if you start with 300 ml, you will be able to safely process 5 35mm rolls before quantity becomes an issue and this is in line with the advertised number of rolls you can process with the kit. How many rolls can you process before the developer is depleted, using your quantity? Spedman posted:- And the mixed developer will keep for at least a couple of months with all the air squeezed out the bottle and kept in the fridge. The unmixed chemical concentrates should last for a couple of years. Thanks for the info, is it first hand or do you have a source handy?
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Feb 4, 2013 12:05
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maxmars posted:I will mention that. Do you use a thermometer to check temperature? At which temp do you start your process? E.g. if you did it at 40 deg, would you start when water is at 40 or slightly more? If I process hot, I'll do it at 37-38C, and I'll have the water coming out of the tap at around 45C and let the chemicals sit for 30mins or so. One of the best things you can get is a digital thermometer, makes life much easier. maxmars posted:How many rolls can you process before the developer is depleted, using your quantity? Really depends on the type of rolls and the time between rolls, the higher the ISO of the film the less rolls you'll get out of a lot of chems. But on average I get around 12-15 rolls out of 625ml. The exhaustion of the developer won't be a sudden thing either, the negatives will just get thinner and grainier. maxmars posted:Thanks for the info, is it first hand or do you have a source handy? If you have a look at the maco direct website they give the storage times for the non-mixed chems (order of years), but as for mixed chems thats from my own experience. Refrigerating makes a HUGE difference to the shelf life.
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Feb 4, 2013 12:43
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Spedman posted:..Snippage.. Interesting info, thank you Spedman.
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Feb 4, 2013 14:28
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Thanks for the info guys, here's some gently caress ups from the roll I mangled.  Lessons learned, next roll will be better.
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Feb 4, 2013 15:43
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maxmars posted:
Thanks!
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Feb 4, 2013 16:49
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ExecuDork posted:For scanning film, you need a backlight. This means a light in the lid of a flatbed, and usually a film-holder, too. I have an Epson something 3700 something, I can't remember at the moment and it's not in front of me, and because I don't have the film-holder for it I stole the holder out of an Epson something 200 at work that was never going to be used. I already see a few flatbed photo scanners on Kijiji for < $80. Nice. The scratches make this photo look better 
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Feb 4, 2013 18:29
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pootiebigwang posted:Thanks for the info guys, here's some gently caress ups from the roll I mangled. Yeesh, finger on the trigger + loaded bullets. You must really trust your friend not to sneeze! ha.
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Feb 4, 2013 19:03
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Prop bullets are a possibility.
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Feb 4, 2013 19:06
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