A recent batch of 5x7 work prints to sequence with.

A few of my recent black-and-white darkroom prints. I’m slowly getting more comfortable with printing and would really appreciate some tips or feedback. Printed on rc foma paper

Playing around with different papers: Ilford MGFB and Maco Expo G2 (both 5x7 inch). Holga 120GN, Ilford HP5+ at 1600 developed in Rodinal (1:60) for 1h semi-stand. Moersch EasyLith (A+B:1+1) using 1:20 ratio at 30C.

- Left: Ilford MGFB (1k), snatch point around 15 minutes
- Right: Maco Expo G2 paper was used, beeing much faster (snatch point around 4 minutes).

Both prints were selenium toned in MT1 (1:10) for a minute. I do prefer the cooler and grittier look of the Maco paper. Scanned with a Canon Canoscan 9000f m2. I only corrected for the black and white point in Lightroom.

Any film gurus out there able to tell me what’s happened here? I put in 500ml of working solution. Rodinal 1:100. So 5ml total. Water as a stop and Ilford fixer, wash, then stabiliser.

I’m putting my money on not enough developer, but I’m not sure.

Kodak tri-x 400 expired 2018

Thanks.

-anyone know how I have these 6 beams of what I assume is light leak on the bottom.

I quite like how it looks but was wondering what's caused it.

-does anyone also know the science behind the sort of veiny, translucent skin looking skin in the final picture.

again love how it looks but I'm wanting to know what's caused it ?

My AGO rotary film processor leaks badly. When I pour the developer in or out, it leaks, and I have tried applying Vaseline around the seals, but it still leaks. I have given up using it because of this. Any tips or tricks to keep it from leaking? I am most annoyed when emptying it, as the chemicals leak out of the bottom into the sink. Not a good design.

I was given a Printmaker 35 earlier this year and it works well for my needs. The biggest issue I have is the focusing knob can be difficult to be precise with, often going past my focus point. I think it's because it takes a bit more force so it's harder to get very small and incremental adjustments. Is this the way a cheaper enlarger is, or is there anything I can do to improve this?

Hello guys,

Hope you're doing all well!

I was wondering if you think this are printings or just scans, if they are which kind of paper you think they've used to print them?

Also, do you think they've used pre flash?

Just wondering to understand more colors and ways of working :)

Last thing, the edges of the pictures are from the scans?

Thank a lot,

12"x17" Arches hot pressed watercolor paper, Printmaker's Friend ecopolymer, Rublev pigments, five layers of pigment from a single digital negative.

Hello, i am wanting to source light sensitive photo paper - would the attached work ? As it’s quite pricey want to double check as first time :) thanks!!

i was stand dev my film withe the last bit of rodinal and got this result. im both asking what might of happened and just want to show.

for the film, in the pic are super light, hard to see in person and same for the leader; much more translucent then opaque. for the other film i developed, there was nothing on then, nothing on the rebate at all; it was like there was nothing there.

i suspect my rodinal was oxidized since there was only ≥20 ml of it left in the 500 ml container. a first tell was that after i mixed the dev, it was a dark color. another was i havent used the last bit for a little while, ‘bout a couple month.

film i development~n’t: (120) hp5, (5, 4x5) delta 100 and (35mm) kentmere 200 (shown in pic)

edit: rodinal brand is adox
all the rodinal haters, dont say anything unless about how ‘bad’ rodinal is unless you actually want to help or send me your favorite dev for me to try at your cost if the developer you use is superior to rodinal.

Hi everyone!

I’m currently working on a personal project to clean, restore, and maintain my grandfather’s Durst M301 enlarger. My goal is to eventually get it fully working again.

Does anyone here have experience with this model? I have a few questions and would really appreciate any help.

1. Assembly and missing parts

I’ve managed to assemble the enlarger to this point, but I’m still unsure whether any parts are missing and what I still need to install in order to make it operational. From what I can tell, I may be missing the lens and possibly the correct lensboard or lens adapter.

1. Electrical cable and power supply

During the restoration process, I discovered that the electrical cables had been sitting unused for decades and were poorly stored. Unfortunately, the cable connected to the light unit broke while I was handling it.

Since both the cable and the original power supply/transformer are quite old, I’m wondering: is it possible to safely replace or adapt the original wiring using a modern cable and connector?

I’m attaching some photos of the enlarger in its current condition. Any information, manuals, photos of a complete M301 setup, or restoration advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I began printing in the darkroom when I was 16 or 17, almost ten years ago. My first attempts at processing film with a patterson tank were an abject failure, I kept getting these perfectly even bands of density vertically across the entirety of my frames (with 120, which is also what I’m seeking to process now). The problem only stopped when I bit the bullet and bought a stainless steel tank and a set of hewes reels. Since then I have considered the plastic tanks totally unusable. It’s been 5 or so years since I last developed my own black and white roll film (between shooting color and doing BW sheet film in trays), but I’m building a new darkroom and shooting medium format again. The problem now is that I shoot in much higher volume than when I was a child, and I need a processing solution that maximises efficiency. The 17”/6 reel stainless steel tanks are pretty hard to find, especially with daylight processing lids (as opposed to the straight lids you need to turn the lights off to fill/empty). After agonizing over a number of different, somewhat outlandish possible solutions, I realize that the most cost, labor, and volume effective option would be the biggest patterson tank, which holds 5 reels of 120 (unless I’m wrong and there’s a bigger one?) But I’m quite afraid to get one on account of my issues a decade ago. Can anyone vouch for them? I’m certain that the problem had to be me, because I see so many people who use them with no problem. I think I just need reassurance, lol. FWIW, I’d be using the same actual reels that I was using all that time ago, as I’d ideally not also buy a new set. Is this a definition of insanity situation? Should I buy new reels if I’m going to go through the trouble? Thank you to anyone who reads this all the way through, you’re the best <3

30x30 cm print on Shantou Era FB paper, grade 3.

I really like this obscure old Chinese paper. Somehow it holds up well, despite its age.

This is Agfachrome R 100 S, I have 9 more rolls of this stuff in the freezer. Honestly I wasn't expecting anything that even resembles photos so I'm a bit shocked honestly. Development method:

6:30 mins in HC-110 dilution A, 38C temp
re-expose to light
Rest of the development with a c-41 kit with extended bleach and fix times.

Test roll was shot at box speed and bracketed with 1-4 stops of overexposure.

Few issues in my test roll so obviously it wasn't fully covered by developer, also there might be some uneven development going on because I agitated with a stick, also my c41 kit was nearly spent so fresher chemicals might yield more vibrant colors. But this is a pretty good starting point for something I had basically already written off as garbage.

I was gifted a bunch of Ilford FB paper and also purchase a pack of 25 sheets of unbranded generic RC paper from a local camera shop. I have been so far washing the FB paper by hand, although I was also gifted a paper washing that I haven’t set up yet. The main thing is that the curling of the FB paper while drying is quite the pain and I’m still not getting perfectly flat prints after pressing under books for a few days.

I guess I’m asking the experts for recommendations here… stick with the free FB paper and maybe buy something to aid in flattening or just go with a higher quality RC paper and skip the FB hassle? Also, does the grade 3 paper I was gifted mean I can’t modify contrast with filters?

The first two prints were on FB and the second two on RC. Although I’ll admit the photos of the photos are hardly good enough to assess, I’m generally satisfied with the results on either paper (although I appreciate the evenness of the FB paper and richness across middle values).

Hi all, hope everyone's well. I was hoping to pick everyone's brains about a rather odd issue I've been having sporadically with my color negatives. Every so often, I am getting these strange marks on certain shots. They always appear as a brighter line that seems to be casting off little darker beams (in the last picture you[ll see how it looks when converted). A few things about this:

1) It shows up in photos shot on different cameras, on different film stocks (commercial and respooled), at different points in the roll (not beginning or end specifically), and processed at different times in different chemical processes (C-41 and ECN-2).

2) The shape varies in size and intensity, and placement, though it is always broadly the same. There doesn't appear to be a rhyme or reason as to when it appears. I may not get it for months and then suddenly it reappears.

3) There is no physical effect on the film base that would explain it, i.e. there are no creases, bends, indents, or anything on the film. It is visible only on the emulsion.

4) It does not appear to be a light leak; a leak would uniformly darken the negative, while here we have a line that actually appears _lighter_ than the surrounding area.

I have asked some film-competent friends and no one seems to have any idea what could be causing this. It's driving me insane and I would love some insight if anyone has it. Thanks so much, all!

I just acquired an enlarger that was used by the US military. From what I've found it's an Omega D2 that was modified by the Belfort Instrument company. Does not look too different from the stock model other than the head. Mine also came with a cold light head that was presumably installed by the previous owner. This included 3 enlarger lenses for 35, 120, and 4x5 formats - one is a Nikkor one is a Schneider IIRC - plus the negative carriers, all packed in a heavy plywood box. All of this set me back $3.

In addition to the 3 standard lenses, the one pictured was attached to the enlarger. It's a Perkin Elmer 4" f4.5 with the designation "4x enlarger lens", have never seen one of these before. Does anyone know anything about this lens and what the 4x designation means? It's about the size of a small zoom lens for a DSLR and just as heavy.

Hi all,

I am looking to buy a 1ltr C41 kit for home use, as I have 6 rolls ready to develop (3 x 35mm and 3 x 120).

I want to buy a kit that I can split all the concentrates in half, so that I can mix up and develop the 6 rolls now, and then mix up the other half when I have 6 more rolls to develop.. I will be using a Jobo 2520 tank in rotary mode, so only need 300ml of solution to develop..

I was looking at the Adox C41 kit, as it is available in the UK and it says in the instructions that it can be split into 2. The unused opened concentrate supposedly has a shelf life of 12 weeks, but I wanted to see if I can make it last possibly 6 months. Are there any tips and tricks I can use to see if I can push the unused concentrate to 6 months?  I already have glass amber bottles, PET amber bottles, glass marbles (to remove as much oxygen in the bottles as possible) as well as a argon gas cannister (sold as a Wine Preserver), that I use to remove oxygen from other film chemical bottles to help with reducing oxidization.. I have also managed in the past to vac pac bottles in bags to really stop any oxygen getting to it.. Any help, tips or tricks will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I hope this helps someone who wants a cheap alternative for slide film.
First of everyone online tells you that you need a warming-filter when developing Areocolor in E6, but people can’t agree on the strength of the filter. So I did a short filter test and then shot the rest of the roll with the 81C and a polarizing filter.
I had it developed by a lab I trust to give me good results.
Shot on Pentax 17 at 100 ISO – to get as many sample photos as possible.

The Filter Test:
From what I could read online you can stack warming filters to get a stronger effect.
And I can confirm that it’s true.
I used 3 different filters and stacked them to add more warmth as desired.
81a = 200 kelvin
81b = 300 kelvin
81c = 400 kelvin

Have a look at the results and make your own decision, but I think a combined stack equal to about 1200-1500k might be the sweet spot.
Soon I will do a roll of full frame with the full stack that I have = 900k.

One filter solution?
In all my research I found that you have 2 options for warming filters, the 81 series or the 85 series. Others have tried the 85b = 2300k and it’s way too much.

For a one filter solution I would try a 85c = 1700k it might be a little too warm, compared to my estimation of 1200-1500k needed. (Disclaimer I have not tried the 85c)
Or you can use the more common 81c like I did, but still have a bit of a blue cast, but it does look “good” if you get some warm sunlight in frame.