matthew_harrison2

Interestingly Japan Camera Hunter re-loads HP5+ canisters which is where I got the idea. I did message him through IG but no response. I'm using a Canon ShureShot A1 which defaults to ISO 25.

I bulk load my film onto the standard black plastic cartridges but I need to have a DX coded cartridge for one of the cameras I use. I've bought a couple of roles of HP5 but want to re-use the cartridges with my bulk loader in futuer. So my question is: how to open the cartridge (I usually use the Ilford tin opener thing but this tends to bend the lid quite a lot). Also - any general tips for this would be appreciated.

OK this has confused things as I just picked up some Kodak Indicator Stop Bath - is this going to be OK with Ilford Rapid Fixer? Looks like the main component of the Kodak stop is acetic acid and Ilfostop is citric acid - vinegar vs limes right? I guess a both acids i'm OK - they are both pushing the ph in the same direction?

This is interesting - so your saying that a short rinse in water can replace a stop bath when developing film? So I could for example develop for the 6.5 mins (for HP5) in Ilfotec HC - rinse - then fix with Ilford Rapid fixer as usual?

Great advise Ben - exactly what I was looking for. Had never heard of using a film leader to test fixer which is ingenious, but reading the other comments seems to be a common practice. Appears I have been dumping good chemicals all these years! Bill - not too much info - I get the concepts and while the two stage fixer is not something I would use now, its good to know these solutions as I might decide to use them in the future and even if I never use the method, I find the broader understanding useful. Vincent - the fixer check is something i've seen and am considering it for my print bath. As stated i'm shooting more and more film these days but most of it gets scanned. However, I have a dark room in the loft so it could be useful in a fixer that doesn't get used much. That said - I should have lots of film leaders (now i'm going to start saing them) so i'll see how I get on with those. rossb - I just ordered some HC110 last week as been reading good things about it, although using up my current Ilfotec stock first. I got three young kids so a drawer full of baby syringes!! Also picked up some of the Kodak stop bath as it dilutes 1:63 which seems very economical, plus the Ilfostop seems to grow some kind of mould jelly in the container which I have to filter with coffee filters - so hope the Kodak stop doesnt do this! Thanks all for the advise - at the moment I'm just looking for an easy workflow that produces uniform results on my negs. One last question however: As I mentioned, I currently mix in 5L containers. I easily use this in 6 months, although this might change now I'm not throwing it all down the sink! However, I've found in the past that shelf life is often much longer than that stated on the labell. Do you think its a good idea to invest in some smaller containers? I suppose it cant hurt for the small price of some 1L jars for stop and fox (will probably still use 5L for developer as I will certainly use that in 6 months). Thanks again all.

Been developing at home for years but have recently been shooting alot more film so looking to get my processes right (and more economical). This is probably a really simple question and I apologise because its probably been answered 1000 times elsewhere on the forum. I mix and store developer, stop and fix in 5L containers. I'll then dispense what I need to dev some films (usually 2 or 4 35mm and the odd 120) and usually dump everything i've used after each session. My question is - should I be returning the stop and fix to the containers?? Currently using Ilfostop which is an indicator stop bath and Ilford rapid fixer. I've noticed you can buy test kits for the fixer. I seem to remember from college, when processing film, developer is single use which seems to make sense to me - but correct me here as well if i'm wrong!!

<p>I recently upgraded to a Canon 5D3 (from 5D2) and as a wedding photographer the ability to create a backup in-camera is great for peace of mind.<br> I used to shoot on 4GB cards in the knowledge that I would only lose a small number of images through any card corruptions (not that i've ever had any!).<br> My question is, now that I can mirror SD and CF cards in-camera is it safe to shoot on larger cards, say 32GB SD and CF? Having to buy SD cards I got a couple of 32GB cards which I use with my old 4GB cards, changing out the 4GB cards regularly. In reality, what are the chances of both cards corrupting?<br> Thanks for any advice.</p>