Does anyone knows where is the cheapest place to develop b&w or color 200mm film. I used a diana f+, which is pretty expensive to play with. I developed it once at Triple D @ $13 for b&w film a few years back. Recommended places anyone? Thanks!
hi charliebomb,
it costs around 4.50 - 6 sgd for C-41 (ie. color or xp2 b&W) film.
this is the standard rate for development, ie film -> negative
it costs more if you want to print.
B&W requires a somewhat different process and costs more.
if you are an occasional user, then shooting color C-41 (not slides) makes
economical sense. if you intend to shoot more, say B&W, then developing your
own film is very cheap.
an initial setup of around 100 sgd + another 30-50sgd of chemicals, you will be
good to go for 30-50 rolls of film. Let me give you an example,
d-76 powder is available at ruby for 12 sgd, this makes a 3.8Litre stock solution.
a 120 format requires around 500ml of solution+water.
assuming you mix it at 1+3 dilution, you are looking at 500 / (1+3) = 125ml of stock solution.
So a 3800 ml of stock solution can make 3800/125 = 30 rolls of BW 120-format film.
It is likely that your stock solution will go flat after 6 months than you using up 30 rolls within that time.
raytoei
that is making prints.Hi
Jus curious . Developing also means dark room, skill and the red colour light u see on tv when they develop films?
that is making prints.
developing film you don't need darkroom, don't need the red color light, loading film into developing film can be done with a changing bag.
Hi, there... and apolgies TS if for the intrusion.. Some question I have may also benefit newbies here. I am one here also who like to try on bw and at same time manage cost.
. Bulk loader,
. Development tank, Reels n such that do 35mm and 120.
. Chemicals, Developer, Fixer, wetting agent. HC110, Rodinal
. Thermometer, timer...
. bulk films, bw, slides..
Do we actually save if we got them online, price + shipping from maybe, b&h or its the same if we buy them all from Ruby.
All advise and inputs are welcome.
Thanks.
I started out with the bare minimum cuz I didn't want to spend too much. For developing, this means a developing tank, changing bag (large), hc110 developer and ilford rapid fix. This is the bare minimum.
I didn't use thermometer, just used the coldest tap water. Instead of scanner I used DSLR and ipad! Definitely not recommended, though you can still get good results but it was so tedious. Eventually you will buy everything else if you enjoy film, so if you can afford it try to buy the good quality stuff first or else you might end up buying twice. I even sold my DSLR to buy more film!! Haha
Im in the process of selling off my ep3 too. got started to this (expensive) hobby thru the need for a decent camera and got hooked to vintage lenses that I used with my ep3. That was when i saw a deal for a yashica fx 3 for pretty darn cheap and THAT WAS IT. The moment i had it in my hands i knew i wanted to learn more about film.
Whenever I go out, its the fx 3 that I bring with me, not the ep3 hence decided better to let it go than keep it in a dry box most of the time. Plus, with the additional cash, I do intend to try my hand at developing B&W negatives soon! Sending my rolls to the shops all the time is getting a bit too expensive (and far) for me.
Will be looking to get help and guidance from you guys!
yes, I agree, the benefit of doing self processing and printing is to have total control of the output, but you need to see whether is justifiable.
your time cost money, your space cost money, your set up cost money, saving on chemicals and paper? that is noting.
I used to have a darkroom with proper set up, air con, custom made sink, 4x5 enlarger, set of three trays from 4x5 up to 20x24, couples of daylight roll film processing tanks, about 10 to 15 reels, sheet film processing tank, darkroom timer, enlarger timer, thermometers and many other things. all given up because simply it does not justify my time.
and I had given up shooting film for more than 10 years.
I think its a myth that self development is cheaper. It is only true when you develop a lot of film (>20 rolls a month). Otherwise the time and money you spend buying equipment and learning how to do it right and the time to actually do the development, will probably cost more than sending it to a lab especially if you are a low volume shooter. Self development is more for people who are interested to learn more about film and the development and want to get better quality negatives through more control. Not that I want to pour cold water, but I think its important that others don't get a misconception.