processing 4x5 color and bw

<p>hello. don't know what happens .. but I've sold my digital gear and want to shoot film. i buying a graflex crown 4x5. to shoot sheet films bw and color. i want to do portraits with one studio flash on different backgrounds. anyway I want to develop them myself. its like this: i have plenty of time to do this, and i have the possibility to make a little darkroom and i don't have lots of money but realize that it will cost a little. So i want to ask how i get started- I've never done this so it has to be in the most uncomplicated way and I'm willing to go far to learn:) ill be very happy to get any kind of info, links, books act to get started. thanks in advance jeppe</p>

<p>Hi Jeppe,<br>

I am going to suggest that you pick up a 35mm camera of any brand with a simple 50mm lens (or whatever it has). I would suggest that you familiarize yourself with the whole darkroom process by shooting BW (non C41 process) 35 (even just a roll or two) The cost of investment in a cheap 35 body (auto focus or manual) is very minimal. I'm not saying that the learning curve is steep, but IMHO I would rather mess up a roll of 6 dollar film than 4x5 sheets.<br>

Plenty of info here on PN on what equipment, chemicals and procedures on this. I would also think it important to know what your end product is going to be. Are you going to print (I assume so since you mention darkroom) or are you going to scan?<br>

If you are going to print, you are going to need to source an enlarger that can handle a 4x5 negative. If you are going to scan, that is a whole different animal.<br>

BW is relatively simple, easy and forgiving. Home color processing can be more demanding. If shooting color (C41) process you may want to research availability of developing mail order.<br>

I wish you well in your endeavor!<br>

Mark</p>

<p>To process B&W you will need to keep all chemicals and wash water within 2°F of the desired processing temperature usually 65°F to 75°F with 68°F optimal during the processing session.<br>

To process color you will need to keep the chemicals and wash water within 1°F of the processing temperature of 100°F during the processing session.</p>

<p>To process B&W you will need 4 trays to do tray processing or a 4x5 developing tank such as Jobo 2500 or Combi Plan, a Photo thermometer, and a timer. You will need a B&W developer and fixer; stop bath, hypo clearing agent, and wetting agent such as Photoflo are optional.</p>

<p>To process color you need a set of color chemicals, a film tank, and the ability to keep the film in constant agitation during the development step as well as the photo thermometer and timer. </p>

<p>If tray processing you should wear latex gloves or similar. The bleach used in color processing is the worst you have to deal with and it is often combined with the fixer and called Blix in press kit color chemistry.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/200629163442455.pdf">http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/200629163442455.pdf</a></p>

<p>These two books remain a great starting point for B&W:<br>

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Photography-Revised-Edition/dp/0316373052/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1341083588&sr=8-4&keywords=horenstein">Henry Horenstein, <em>Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual Third Revised Edition</em></a>. ISBN 0316373052.<br>

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Basic-Photography-Technical-Manual/dp/0316373125/ref=la_B001IGUW4Y_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1341083647&sr=1-4">Henry Horenstein, <em>Beyond Basic Photography: A Technical Manual</em></a>. ISBN-10: 0316373125.<br>

I concur with starting with 35mm B&W to just get processing down pat. Then you can start dealing with all the alternatives of how to process sheet film (trays, hangers in deep tanks, BTZS tubes, FR tank, CombiPlan tank, Nikor adjustable sheet film tank, Jobo reel/tank, Jobo "Expert" tank), which have various quality, price, daylight/darkroom, and availability issues.<br>

You also need to learn to be nimble at buying the necessary film processing gear used on eBay, much of it isn't made new anymore.<br>

As for processing your own color, it is challenging to do it well for less than a professional lab. The color developer starts a rapid self-destruction process as soon as it's mixed. Very easy to waste a lot of money throwing out dead developer.</p>

<p>Don't know where you are, but the hey-day of the 4x5 Graphic was a while back. As a result, equipment that handles that large a negative is hard to find, especially if you're not in a large city that has one of the old-time camera stores left.<br /> At the end, you can do like the early workers and develop in trays, but this is much more difficult with modern panchromatic films. In the old days, the films weren't sensitive to red, so developing could be done by eye under a safelight, as so many of us did, even in the years after WWII. Color is another story altogether.... There were daylight developing tanks for 4x5 (see the old catalog page below), but it would be hard to come up with these today. <br /> Contact printing is quite possible with 4x5, but enlargements take pretty hefty enlargers. If can find them, they might even pay you to take them away, but those days have probably passed.</p>

<p>On the other hand, many flatbed film scanners can do larger negatives fairly well, so only the purist route is difficult once you have the film developed.</p>

<p>Good luck, this is not something to be undertaken lightly. The results are something to see, when it all works right however.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>Film processing (b&w AND color) is no more difficult than the average hobby. Today, thanks to websites like ebay for low-cost equipment, and photo.net and APUG.org for learning, it is easier and more rewarding than ever. I know, because I do it and have for years. Before really sinking your money into darkroom equipment, I suggest you look for books on processing on ebay and amazon (for example), and read them, and/or read the archives here and on APUG on processing. There is wealth of information there, especially on APUG since it is a site devoted to film. Then you will know exactly what equipment and chemistry to buy. Good luck. By the way, there was a post earlier that gave the impression color developers have a short life. Not so. Stored properly, in full, glass jars, I have had color developers last at least three years, and still give excellent results.</p>

<p>Jeppe,<br>

Go here<br>

<a href="../learn/darkroom/">http://www.photo.net/learn/darkroom/</a><br>

I wrote these articles a number of years ago and hope they help you.<br>

4x5 is my favorite, the resolution and image size can't be topped (other than 8x10 or larger view cams)<br>

I have another article coming soon on making your own BW chemistry from scratch.<br>

Hope this helps<br>

Jerry Sparrow</p>

 

<p>**Duplicate**</p>

<p>Ansel Adam's book "The Negative" is about the best book you can get on developing B&W 4X5 negatives. Forget about 35mm, that would just get you confused. Start off with a dip-and- dunk-tank just like JDM mentioned above.<br />I would stick with the stainless steel type. Then get yourself a rack to hold the B&W 4X5 film. You are going to need a light-tigh darkroom to develop the film. A bathroom prefrably without any windows will work fine.<br />As far as printing B&W 4X5 fim you are ither going to need a scanner(flatbed style), or a 4X5 enlarger. Brand new these enlargers cost a ton but you can find them on the used market for peanuts. The problem is where are you going to set it up ?<br />You can also use a JOBO CPE2 to process your B&W/Color film and paper. These days they are hard to find even used. I have 2 of them collecting dust, but I'm waiting till they become classics.<br /><a href=" </div>

Thanks guys.. You have been very helpfull here. My ambitions regarding 4x5 is been lowered . Ive bought a rolleicord but

still im looking to do my own bandw. Thanks again.

<p>I just priced out developing and printing my own color C41 vs BW 4x5's. I already have a BW darkroom and can do my own negative development and enlarger printing.<br>

<br />Color 4x5: $3.25 film, $3.50 lab development, $3.60 scan and digital print = $10.35 for C41 neg and print<br>

BW 4x5: $1.25 film, $0 lab development, $1.00 8x10 RC paper print = $ 2.25 for BW neg and print<br>

<br />I quickly decided I'm not doing color 4x5 for now. I'm more than happy doing BW for large format, and save color for 35mm film or digital. </p>