# Quick film question



## iPhoto17 (Sep 1, 2014)

It has been so long since I developed film but my co worker went to Biggs Camera and picked me up a couple rolls of Ilford black and white film for me since NO ONE sells film near me anymore, the boxes don't say anything about C-41 so does that mean I can't just go to CVS and get the film developed and printed there?


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## Light Guru (Sep 1, 2014)

iPhoto17 said:


> It has been so long since I developed film but my co worker went to Biggs Camera and picked me up a couple rolls of Ilford black and white film for me since NO ONE sells film near me anymore, the boxes don't say anything about C-41 so does that mean I can't just go to CVS and get the film developed and printed there?



Ilford makes serval B&W films, what type do you have? 

I have never had film developed by CVS but some places will send film out to be developed if they don't develop that type locally. 

Or you could always develop it yourself. Developing film is easy.


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## iPhoto17 (Sep 1, 2014)

I wish I could develop it myself, which would also lead me to want to make my own prints like back in high school, I just don't simply have the room for it, I have the money but not the room. It's Ilford HP5 Plus 400 speed 36 exposures.

I've had C-41 black and white film processed at CVS and came out great and so did the 5x7 prints and got them on a disc.


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## Light Guru (Sep 1, 2014)

iPhoto17 said:


> I wish I could develop it myself, which would also lead me to want to make my own prints like back in high school, I just don't simply have the room for it, I have the money but not the room. It's Ilford HP5 Plus 400 speed 36 exposures.
> 
> I've had C-41 black and white film processed at CVS and came out great and so did the 5x7 prints and got them on a disc.



HP5 requires traditional B&W chemistry. 

It literally takes hardly any room at all to develop film. All you need is a film changing bag to load the film into the developing tank and then you can develop the film in the bathroom or kitchen. Once developed then scan the negatives.


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## iPhoto17 (Sep 1, 2014)

Thanks for the help, I'll check Adorama for both sending film out to be developed and doing it on my own, to me the hardest part was opening the film canister to get the negative out and putting it on the reel, and also I remember a lot about temperatures having to do a lot with developing.


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## limr (Sep 1, 2014)

HP5 is not a C-41 process film.

I don't know about the store near you, but most CVS stores probably don't have their own machines anymore and are sending their film out. I would send the film out to a known lab like darkroom.com or Dwayne's Photo, or even to Ilford itself, which opened up a US lab recently: Black & White Developing, Printing & Scanning from Film - Black and White Prints from Film | 35mm Black and White film | 120 Black and White film | Colour process black and white films.

As for home developing - it really doesn't take space to develop only. It's the printing equipment that really takes up the space. For development only, you just need a changing bag, the developing tank/reels, the chemicals, and a bathroom. The trick, though, is how to see the pictures from the negatives. Without having a complete darkroom, the only way to do that is to have a film scanner and digitize the negatives. If film is just a once-in-a-while thing, you're better off just sending the film out. If you do shoot more regularly, it might be more economical to think about the self-development and scanning route.


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## limr (Sep 1, 2014)

iPhoto17 said:


> Thanks for the help, I'll check Adorama for both sending film out to be developed and doing it on my own, to me the hardest part was opening the film canister to get the negative out and putting it on the reel, and also I remember a lot about temperatures having to do a lot with developing.



The temperatures are more problematic for C-41 - they're higher. Black and white tends to be about 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) which is often just a couple degrees off of room temperature.


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## iPhoto17 (Sep 1, 2014)

I rarely shoot film since I got my Nikon D3000, I just like to treat myself to film once in a while and thanks for the links, I thought I remembered seeing Dwaynes photo, I'll probably just send it to Ilford


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## iPhoto17 (Sep 1, 2014)

It seems itll be easier just to drive to Biggs and get it developed there, it's a lot more money than i thought to send it out


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## limr (Sep 1, 2014)

I believe Wal-Mart also sends film out. Last I heard, they do a better job with black and white than with color for whatever reason. Is there a Costco near you? I think they also develop film.


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## compur (Sep 1, 2014)

iPhoto17 said:


> ... to me the hardest part was opening the film canister to get the negative out and putting it on the reel



When you rewind 35mm film in the camera don't rewind it all the way back into the canister. Leave a little hanging out. Do this by rewinding slowly until you feel the film let go of the forward shaft and then stop rewinding and open the back.

 Then you won't have to open the canister to get out the film. You can just pull it out and onto the reel for developing. There is also an inexpensive little gadget that will pull out the end of the film if you do rewind it all the way back in.

Doing this will not scratch the film as some believe.

Or, alternatively, just use a can opener and pop the thing open.


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## 480sparky (Sep 1, 2014)

iPhoto17 said:


> ..........to me the hardest part was opening the film canister to get the negative out.........




Get a Leader Retreival Tool.


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## iPhoto17 (Sep 1, 2014)

We had a can opener and that leader thing you showed, I always tried to wind the film back in so it leaves a little sticking out but always messed it up somehow and either left too much sticking out or it went all the way back in, I don't miss those days at all


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## Josh66 (Sep 1, 2014)

iPhoto17 said:


> It seems itll be easier just to drive to Biggs and get it developed there, it's a lot more money than i thought to send it out


Pretty much anywhere you take it these days is going to be sending it out (probably to Dwayne's).  Anything other than C-41, that is certainly the case.

Find out how much it will be at the local lab, then compare prices with Dwayne's (where they're going to send it) - you might save a few bucks by sending it there yourself.


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