ilford 120 film - developing.

[chess_coffey]

<p>hi, there - <br>

i've been developing ilford 120 black and white film for a few months now, but actually have no idea if it's possible to turn the developed film into prints. i have savings so money isn't a huge issue when it comes to equipment if it's necessary, but i wondered if i could do it, how i could do it etc?</p>

<p>any help would be greatly appreciated!</p>

<p>thanks. </p>

[larrydressler]

<p>The 2 main ways are a Medium format Film scanner and an enlarger. I don't want this to turn into a what is better and what scanner/enlarger is best thread so I will just leave it at this.</p>

[kris-bochenek]

<p>I scan my film and then I send it to online photo printer. There are many options but scanner saves you space and setting up an enlarger. I once wanted a darkoom, but after printing tonnes of photos in my College's darkroom I will stick with just developing, scanning and sending out for printing.</p>

[kris-bochenek]

<p>I scan my film and then I send it to online photo printer. There are many options but scanner saves you space and setting up an enlarger. I once wanted a darkoom, but after printing tonnes of photos in my College's darkroom I will stick with just developing, scanning and sending out for printing.</p>

[Mike Howard]

<p>What Larry and Kris say is right on, however I will interject one old saying from the film days...</p>

<p>Shooting film without having a darkroom is like owning a puppy without a leash.</p>

<p>To me, scanning is tedious work, but is pretty much necessary these days if you want to post anything on the interwebs. For prints, it's darkroom all the way for me for B&W. So, you may want to consider doing both. You can get into a basic darkroom setup for pennies on the dollar and get your fingers wet, as it were. If you live in the US, I have an Epson 3170 scanner which though not great, does decent enough on medium format to test out printing the "new" way. You are welcome to it, email me off thread and I'll send it to ya.<br>

YMMV, of course, and have fun!</p>

[bgelfand]

<p>Hi Chess,</p>

<p>As Larry wrote, there are two ways to make prints from 120 film - scan or use a traditional darkroom; I do both.</p>

<p>For color film, I have it developed only then I scan the negatives on an Epson V600 scanner. It does a reasonable job. I make low resolution scans of my black and white negatives which I catalog on the computer in Photoshop Elements Organizer; I also use the low resolution scans in lieu of contact sheets to decide which frames to print. I also use the V600 to scan my prints so I can post the images on the Web.</p>

<p>I set my darkroom up in our second bathroom. My setup will break down in less than 30 minutes and move to any storage area, in my case the garage. It takes about the same amount of time to set up.<br>

<br />Here are some pictures:<br /><a href="http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00R/00R3X4-75697984.jpg">http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00R/00R3X4-75697984.jpg</a><br /><br /><a href="http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00R/00R3XC-75699584.jpg">http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00R/00R3XC-75699584.jpg</a><br>

You will notice that even with the darkroom set up, the toilet and one sink are available for use.<br>

<br />The platform for the enlarger is built of plywood. The 2x4's supporting the rack are held by rafter hangers attached to the plywood ends. The ends are held at the bottom by 1x2's. The rack itself is nothing more than closet basket material from the local hardware store. It works great. Any chemicals drip into the tub and can easily be washed down the drain.<br>

<br />The bathroom window is blocked off by a piece of plywood with foam rubber glued to the sides to provide a tight seal. I painted the wood with latex paint - a primer coat followed by two coats of flat black. I painted the hardware with flat black spray paint.<br>

This set up is light tight enough for printing, but probably not for loading film into tanks. Since we are renting, I do not wish to make an alterations to the house. I use a changing bag to load the developing tank, and develop in the kitchen using the kitchen sink.</p>

<p>I print both 35mm black and white and 120 (6x6) black and white in this darkroom.</p>

<p>Since you develop film, you already have graduates, timer, and thermometer. All you need to add are the enlarger with timer, negative holders, lenses, easel, trays, safe light, and tongs. If you use variable contrast paper, you will need the contrast filters.</p>

<p>I like the Beseler 23C series of enlargers - either the 23CII or 23CIII with condenser. My feeling is keep it simple. The Beseler is a sturdy enlarger (some say built like a tank). THere is little that can go wrong with it other than the bulb burning out; I have a spare bulb. Beseler is still in business; spare parts are readily available. THe 23C series is physically smaller than the 4x5 enlarger and fits a home darkroom better.</p>

<p>For lenses either the EL-Nikkor or Schneider Componon-S series are good lenses and readily available on the used market. Rodogon lenses also have an excellent reputation, but I have never used them. For 120 film you will need an 80mm lens - probably an 80mm f/4</p>

<p> </p>

[kris-bochenek]

<p>Nice set-up Brooks, Seems like you don't need anything very elaborate to produce prints.</p>

[russ_kerlin]

<p>It's all about what you <em>want</em> to do and what you <em>like</em> to do...there is no "right or wrong" answer.</p>

<p>I have a scanner that I use to upload to Flickr, etc. It works well, and I don't mind scanning negatives (120, by the way). I sometimes even use it to scan a negative to see if it is worth printing and to also help with cropping/burning/dodging options. So in this regard, it is very useful.</p>

<p>However, I enjoy the challenge of trying to produce a good print with an enlarger. I'm not saying that creating a good print by scanning and sending off some place to print is a "no brainer". However, there is something about the creative process of putting your negative into the enlarger, finding the right exposure, dodging and burning, putting the exposed paper into the chemicals, and then mounting/matting that appeals to me. It seems to complete the creative cycle, and for me, this is what I prefer to do. </p>

[chris_waller]

<p>Chess,<br>

I print in a conventional darkroom using a Meopta Magnifax 4a enlarger. These days you can pick up a good medium format enlarger at a very reasonable price.</p>

[Bill Bowes]

<p>Hello everyone. Combine the best of both worlds! I am a b/w analog photo guy since the 50's and still use an assortment of 35mm and MF cameras. Film is developed in various soups and then scanned on my V600. I then select the negs to be wet printed and crop them in the computer and adjust contrast. My printer is set to use only black ink and a print is made from which I mark dodge and burn patterns. When I do get into the wet darkroom, my time for each print is about 1/10 that if I just went in "blind". Use your head! Enjoy, Bill</p>