I’ve started developing my own black and white film recently, so thought i’d post up some info on the process i’ve found.
After doing a bit of research i noticed that there seems to be a huge range of options on what is necessary or not necessary, right way to do things, wrong way to do things, whats better or worse, etc… You know, the usual shit that photographers seem to talk about, such an opinionated bunch
The more i researched, the more i got confused by the multitude of information and options available. I wasnt really getting anywhere so decided to just simplify things and give it a go.

The 3 basic steps to developing negatives are:
Developer
Stop Bath
Fixer

Now there seems to be endless options for each step, all with strengths and weaknesses. I wanted to keep things simple, so thought i’d stick with Rodinal as a developer which is the oldest commercial developer in existence, so i thought there would be alot of info around for it. Next is the stop bath which has another set of options. Many people swear by using a method that doesnt contain any chemicals, i chose to go with an Ilford stop solution instead as it will use less water. Then theres the fixer with another range of options but i kept things simple and went with Ilford again.

After these 3 processes you have a couple more options too. A Hypo-Clearing Agent which cuts down washing time considerably (instead of using 30 minutes you use 7 for example). Then you have other stuff like Photoflo which is the very last step before drying. It will coat the film and help prevent uneven drying and water marks etc. None of these are necessary, but the Hypo bath is a pretty good idea.
After you’ve completed the above steps, all you need to do is hang the film to dry. If you dont have a dedicated dryer, its recommended by many to let the film dry overnight. Its hard waiting that long though, especially when its your first roll!

Here are a few links which give some more info on the development process :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu0Ul_wsYO8
http://www.photogs.com/bwworld/bwfilmdev.html
http://www.darkroomsource.net/tech-bw-film.shtml

Here is a link to a site with a huge amount of specific development times and formulas :
http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html

Below is a picture of my gear at the moment. In addition to this i have a dust proof folder to store negatives in, plus 3 more measuring jugs.

In the photo you can see the chemicals, the developing tank (with 2 reels inside), the changing bag, thermometer, film clips, measuring syringe, cylinder measuring graduate, and a $2 shop clock.
The chemicals are cheap, and everything else is reused, so after the inital purchase the only things you’re spending money on is the film. At the moment i’m using the Rodinal at 1:50 for 13 minutes for 100ISO film, so at 6ml per roll, the 500ml bottle will last ages.

Wow, two posts in one day. Go me.
I developed my first roll of film today. As i mentioned in a previous post, i’ve been thinking of trying out some black and white film developing for a while now. This week i got some gear and gave it a go.
I shot a roll on Agfa APX100 and developed it in Rodinal at 1:50 for 13 minutes, then used Ilford stop bath and fixer.
It was a pretty straightforward process, the hardest bit was starting, as i was worried about stuffing something up. In the end i did stuff something up, but it had nothing to do with the chemicals and timing etc. It was the fact that i stupidly hung my negatives to dry in a shower with a leaking head. So i got drips of water down the bottom of my strip of negatives. Some of the water marks dried out, but others didnt. You always stuff up the shots you’re most interested in seeing dont you… Well i do anyway.
The negatives that didnt dry out are being re-soaked. Hopefully i can salvage some of them.
I was quite happy with the ones that did dry properly, so i scanned them in with my ancient scanner that magnifies grain and dissipates tonal range.
Here are a few shots that scanned ok.
They’re arent amazing, but i am more interested in seeing if i developed them correctly or not. I think they’re pretty close.
As you can tell in some of the shots, the light was incredibly harsh the day i took these…. One day i’ll be able to shoot in favourable light… One day.

EDIT: Added another pic (first one)

Took the Olympus out the other day and shot a roll of C41 b&w i had lying around. The temperature was mid 30’s and not a cloud in the sky, so the light was REALLY harsh.
The SP functioned great. Its a great camera to shoot with, really comfortable and easy to use. The only issue i had is that my light meter has bit of a mind of its own. It sometimes refuses to turn on when i take the camera out of its case. However when it decides to work it’s accurate.
This was predominately a test roll as i didn’t know if the camera would work. I didn’t even bother changing the light seals either, but they appear to be fine. The lens is super sharp and bokeh is nice and smooth. I have to get a proper film scanner now, im sick of scanning prints and getting results that don’t really reflect the quality of the negatives. Some of the shots turned out ok though i though.

Been shooting with the SP lately and its been terrific. Except for the fact that my light meter seems to be possessed! As in it’ll turn itself on or off depending on what it feels like. Luckily its been working most the times i’ve wanted it to. Thinking of taking it in for a CLA and maybe converting it to use the modern Alkaline batteries. Either that or get another one to use regularly, as i’ve become a little hesitant using my black SP as prices seem to sky-rocketing and i’d hate to loose it or drop it.
I’ve decided to start developing my own black and white film. Been thinking of it for a while now, and have finally been convinced by seeing a couple people i know get into it recently. I first learnt film developing and printing in high school and got some pretty impressive results, but i seem to of forgetting most of the details, so will have to relearn everything again. It’ll be fun though i hope! Think i’ll stick with Ilford chemicals and film at the moment, see how it goes, i forget what i used to use.
I’m going to need to invest in something that can scan film properly. My current film scanner is a flatbed scanner with film adapter but its useless. Results are really low res and overly grainy. So i have a few options; a better/newer flatbed film scanner which are quite cheap, or a dedicated film scanner which are relatively expensive. I’m really not sure what to go with yet.
Bought some Ilford XP2 Super last week. Been curious as to see how it looks with my Zuiko’s. I’ve only been using the Kodak BW400CN so far as it seems to be more common. Both are the same price though.
Really want to upgrade my 400D now. I want full frame, and something that can handle ISO noise better. Trying to find a secondhand 5D, but nobody seems to be selling, everyone must be waiting for the replacement to come out first.
Why is photography expensive… Sometimes i wonder why i didn’t take up something like whistling instead…
Oh, Happy Easter!

I say Mr out of respect because he’s damn old.. Well compared to my other cameras anyway.
I have yet another camera, and yes its a rangefinder (well it technically isnt exactly a rangefinder, but close enough). My newest acquisition is a Voigtlander Vito BL which is a terrific little thing. They’re quite an underrated camera, but everyone who has owned/used one seems to speak very highly of them. I mean, by today’s standards their operation is quite archaic, and it isn’t packed with any fancy features, but it still has alot going for it. First of all it has a very capable 50mm f/2.8 lens that produces some very distinct and impressive results. Secondly it’s compact, smaller than most of my 70’s rangefinders. Then it has the bonus of not needing batteries as it comes with a selenium light meter. Oh and last but not least, its looks damn good, i’ve already got comments about it and i’ve owned it less than a week.
Its been hard finding specific information about this camera, but there were several models in the Vito series. The BL began construction in 1956 and was based of a previous B model but came with the addition of a Bewi-Automatic Light Meter. Operating the light meter definitely isn’t simple, you need to dial in certain settings then hold down the light meter button to take a reading. If you wanted to take pictures in a hurry using the onboard light meter you’d be in for bit of a challenge. Everything else operates quite simple though, loading film is done like normal, focusing and aperture/shutter speed selections are all on the lens barrel. The ergonomics of the camera just seem so good. Its compact in width, but relatively high which means your hands can grip the camera body easily and the shutter button seems to be perfectly under your index finger without having to search for it. The film advance lever is also great as its mostly recessed into the camera body except for the end which sticks out enough for your thumb to grip easily to advance the film. It all just look so neat and well designed and would put many modern cameras to shame.
I picked this camera up for literally pocket change and it came with the original leather case, instructions, and what i eventually discovered as a plastic incident light attachment cover for the light meter, i’m sure many have been lost over the years. I was surprised that the camera not only looked close to perfect, but appears to be working perfectly too. I was all prepared to go in and start taking apart the shutter etc but everything works wonderful.
I love cameras like this, small, unassuming, and still functional even after 50 years. I wonder how many consumer goods coming out now will be as useful in 50 years time as this little camera is.

Below are a few pictures of the little beast. I still havent cleaned it yet, but you can see the great conditon it’s in.

Well last year i saw some pictures a guy took with a home made pinhole adapter for his DSLR. The results were quite interesting, and thought it’d be fun to try out. All you really need is a body cap for your camera and a piece of aluminium foil. I didn’t have a spare one at the time so never bothered with it, but last year i bought one for about $1 when i was in Japan and thought it’d be good for this project. Last week i finally got around to making the pinhole body cap and had some fun testing it out.
Here are some pictures i took around my house the day i made the pinhole cap. It was raining outside so i couldn’t get any external shots which is what i originally wanted.
I didn’t apply any post processing to these shots, besides one that i stitched together.

*This one was made from two photos stitched together.

It was all a bit of trial and error, and conditions weren’t ideal, but i think the feel of them are quite interesting, and i look forward to trying the pinhole adapter outside.
Oh here’s a picture of my homemade pinhole body cap clearly crafted to the highest quality and standards….
All you do is drill a hole in the plastic body cap (can be any size you want really). Then you get some aluminium foil, put a tiny hole in it with a pin, and stick the aluminium foil to the body cap so the pinhole is as close to the middle as possible. That’s it!

Ok, i’ve noticed for some reason all of the photos on my blog get stretched vertically if viewed on a smaller screen. That’s really strange. Will have to figure out why it doing this.
Might use it as an opportunity to revamp the whole look of the blog anyway.
Wish me luck =/

Finished with the OM1 now. Works and looks great (except for a couple little bumps on it). Will put a roll through it soon.
Below is a pic i took with my digital camera the other night. I got bit of an unusual result. It actually looks like it was taken with a film camera i think. I didn’t apply any post processing to the photo at all besides bringing the levels in a little. I personally like how it came out.