# film scanning.



## bruca003 (Feb 22, 2014)

Hello everyone. I have been searching all week for what seemed to be a simple solution. I am new to film and no longer want to pay blacks $40 for 48 exposures. I am looking to buy a film scanner.
My main question is, once I use up a 24 roll of film and rewind it, at this point is where I am stuck..
Do I,
Remove the film using a film retriever and start scanning?
Or,
Do I need to still have film developed by blacks and then scan?
If the second option here is the way to go then what's the point!!
I'm still paying blacks?
..... and perhaps time to invest into a dark room?

Many thanks in advance..
Nick.


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## dxqcanada (Feb 22, 2014)

You will need to get the film developed ... you can do this yourself. B&W film is easier than Colour negative film.
B&W film chemistry is not that expensive, you just need a dark room/bag to load the film into the developing canister and everything else can be done in the light close to a sink/running water.

That's how I shoot film. B&W only. Develop myself. Negative scanner.


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## AlanO (Feb 22, 2014)

You still have to dev the negatives. If you are shooting bw the darkroom investment will be minimal compared to the scanner.


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## 480sparky (Feb 22, 2014)

After the film is exposed, it must be developed.  Either by a commercial lab or you can do it yourself.  It costs about $150 CD to get all the stuff you need to develop B&W film yourself.

After that, you can have it scanned commercially or buy a scanner and do that yourself as well.


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## Josh66 (Feb 22, 2014)

480sparky said:


> After the film is exposed, it must be developed.  Either by a commercial lab or you can do it yourself.  It costs about $150 CD to get all the stuff you need to develop B&W film yourself.
> 
> After that, you can have it scanned commercially or buy a scanner and do that yourself as well.


And this is what I recommend if you're going to be shooting a lot of film.

I would say that the "break even point" is 20 rolls.  That is, after 20 rolls, you will be spending more by sending it out than you would have spent developing yourself.


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## dxqcanada (Feb 22, 2014)

Patterson tank w/ reels = $30
Mixing jug = $10
Containers to hold chemicals = cheap

The chemicals can develop a large number of rolls
Ilford Ilfosol3 = $10
Ilford Stop Bath = $8
Ilford Rapid Fixer = $8


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## bruca003 (Feb 22, 2014)

Sounds great! Time to start researching my own darkroom. Seems like it's not as expensive as I thought. . Many thanks.


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## dxqcanada (Feb 22, 2014)

I just use my second washroom.
A darkbag is handy if you cannot light seal the door/window.
Develop in the sink.
Bathtub is a great area for drying film.
The highest expense is a good scanner.


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## 480sparky (Feb 22, 2014)

bruca003 said:


> Sounds great! Time to start researching my own darkroom. Seems like it's not as expensive as I thought. . Many thanks.



A darkroom is only required if you want to make prints directly from the negatives.  You can still develop film without a darkroom.


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## maris (Feb 22, 2014)

I'm not sure what film scanning has to do with darkroom work. My scanner works just as well in my darkroom as in my well-lit workshop. And I develop roll film in a daylight tank loaded in a dark bag. So I no darkroom is needed here as well. 

On the other hand when I enlarge those negatives to make pictures out of light sensitive materials (usually gelatin-silver paper) then I need a light controlled work-space, the darkroom. And it's never dark in there; just a restful orange safe-light colour.

I've never figured out why people make photographs on film or paper, take digital pictures of those photographs, then discard those photographs and use the obtained electronic files for print-out or display. Why not go 100% digital from original scene to final product?


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## bruca003 (Feb 23, 2014)

I found an omega d2v and everything else required for a complete darkroom. Here is the list,
Selling my Darkroom
Incl 
Omege D2V Coldhead enlarger with Zone VI compensating metronome
3 lenses* 2 nikor 80mm & 150mm & fujinon 50mm
6 film carriers*** 2-35mm / 1-6x7 / 2-4x5 and 1-4x5 GLASS CARRIER!
direct source light meter
Plus all the usual DR stuff* developing trays/ tray siphon/ 21/4 developing metal reels and tanks* 120 & 220 / chemistry jugs/ selenium toner/ HC-110 / Dektol/* stop/* fix* (components - I used to make my own)* contact sheet printer/ 4 blade easal/ gralab timer/ a lot of photo paper - some RC mostly fibre based / darkroom light.
That's everything. . He is asking $750 obo..
What do you think? 
Thank you.


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## 480sparky (Feb 23, 2014)

Are you planning on printing directly from the negatives then?

I wouldn't put much faith in the chemicals and paper.


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## bruca003 (Feb 23, 2014)

Yes i plan on printing as well. Glad you mentioned chemicals and paper cause the poster told me the same thing. Apart from everything else what do you think of the omega? I've researched it and it seems pretty rugged. I may start the offer at $450.. Thank you.


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## 480sparky (Feb 23, 2014)

It's been 30-odd years since I've been in a darkroom. I have no clue what the technology is, nor what anything is worth.


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## maris (Feb 23, 2014)

bruca003 said:


> I found an omega d2v and everything else required for a complete darkroom...  He is asking $750 obo..
> What do you think?
> Thank you.



The list is strikingly similar to the contents of my own busy darkroom. The Omega D2V is one of the best 4x5 enlargers ever made and I haven't been able to wear mine out in a couple of decades of hard use. Yes, do offer $450 for the complete outfit. It's a fair price in a world where entire darkrooms, enlargers, lenses, everything, often get sent to landfill.


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## AlanO (Feb 23, 2014)

I agree with maris, if you have 450.00 to spend not a bad deal. I would get the specs on the lenses and do a little research, those alone may worth a couple of hundred.


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## Jamesaz (Feb 24, 2014)

Check with local photo businesses. They may have darkroom items just taking up space as production now requires digital techniques. I bought a bunch of stuff from a place that was closing out wet lab operations for cheap. It was a couple years ago but it might be worth your time to check out. Most pros are delighted to help someone starting in film photography. It's like this forum, only face to face.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## webestang64 (Feb 24, 2014)

Again....to bad people looking for complete darkrooms don't live here in St. Louis, MO. I've seen entire outfits go for $100, in some cases free.


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## timor (Feb 24, 2014)

bruca003 said:


> Yes i plan on printing as well. Glad you mentioned chemicals and paper cause the poster told me the same thing. Apart from everything else what do you think of the omega? I've researched it and it seems pretty rugged. I may start the offer at $450.. Thank you.


Looks like you are located somewhere around Toronto, ON. I see this add from Thornhill. I don't know, what is called a coldhead, but on the pictures is a regular light bulb head and is not cold. I have exactly same machine, "v" stands probably for variable condenser, which is very good and the condenser housing serves as a filter holder. Coldhead maybe cause there is a way to force cool air around the bulb housing (?). There is also odd collection of carriers, there is 6X7 but no 90mm lens, I am not sure if 80mm can cover. The most popular 6X6 carrier is missing. I may buy from you glass 4x5 to offset your costs. (If you don't plan to go into 4x5 off course.)
Yes, start bidding for $450, if everything is in good condition maybe worth it. Don't get influenced by the old price sticker. The real question is, if you have a space for this kind of machine, this thing stands 4 feet toll and weights about 30 pounds. It is not for a portable darkroom set time to time in the washroom.
Look the costs of lenses:
Large Lot of Enlarger Lenses
Check with this guy:
Nikon El-Nikkor 105mm f/5.6 Enlarger Lens Medium Format 6x6 6x7 6x9
This is interesting offer:
Omega BXL Dichroic Enlarger
Than we have in Toronto two photo-fairs:
One March 30th and one (big one) on May 25th.


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## PhillipM (Feb 25, 2014)

I bought an entire darkroom for 100.00 from a guy.  Black and white enlarger [besler] with 3 condensors, a color enlarger... can't remember the name, tongs, 3 different size trays, easels, plastic 20' x 3 sink, (2) timers, (2) safe lights, etc....

Before the darkroom, I was developing in the bathroom, and doing contact prints from 5x4 film.  Now I can print up to 16x20's if I care too. Very seldom do I though.  Mainly 8x10's and down.  

You can't beat the darkroom  if film is your thing.


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## timor (Feb 25, 2014)

PhillipM said:


> You can't beat the darkroom  if film is your thing.


:thumbup:


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## Gavjenks (Feb 25, 2014)

dxqcanada said:


> Patterson tank w/ reels = $30
> Mixing jug = $10
> Containers to hold chemicals = cheap
> 
> ...


If you're even cheaper than that...

D76 and whatever the accompanying powdered fixer is called are even more affordable, at like $5 for a gallon of working strength of either.
(ilfosol dilutes to about a gallon as well at 1:9 but coming in a 1/8th gallon container)
And I usually dilute 1:3 and do stand development, which worked better with the d76 for some reason for me, making it about 8x cheaper, not 2x.

And grocery store vinegar diluted 1:3 makes a fine stop bath for about $0.25 a gallon of working strength solution using costco vinegar.




If you do a TON of developing and like the look of "staining developers," look up "obsidian aqua" or other catechol-based homemade developers, which represent about a $50 initial investment for probably more working strength developer than you could possibly use in *years* (makes about 1/2 gallon for that much, and working strength is 1:500, so 250 gallons of working strength solution! Plus you still have a ton of  leftover chemicals for some of the ingredients, so the next batch is only like $20). And as far as anybody knows, they'll last for years too in storage, if you use marbles to keep out air from your container as you use it up (good idea for any liquid developer that's not mixed each time).




My cost for developing 4x5 sheet film = about $0.05 a shot total. For the same amount of chemicals I can develop half a roll of 35mm film (it has 1/13th the surface area), making each 35mm frame = about half a penny of chemicals.


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