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Changing Bags: Which one? And why?

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Locutus of Borg

Locutus of Borg

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Feb 17, 2022
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42
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Mountain Grove, MO
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My darkroom had to be repurposed for awhile so no printing for 6 months or so . . . šŸ˜¢

Caveat: I have never used a changing bag.

There are dozens of bags out there . . . I like the idea of the changing tents like this one but the price is prohibitive. I like it because you are not fighting with the bag itself.


1773147346260.png
 
Depends a lot on what you use it for. For roll film, a regular changing bag will work OK:
1773147934021.png


For sheet film, I find it inconvenient and the kind of tent you link to may work better.

You could also DIY a box with a lid and two sleeves sticking out from an appropriate blackout material. Takes a little time & ingenuity to build, but it's not super difficult and the total cost will be a fraction of the tent you referred to.
 
I got the Harrison Pup film changing tent. A little cheaper than the Standard. Got it when I started doing 4x5. Loading film holders is a breeze ā€” as is putting 35mm and 120 film in Paterson reels and tanks (love it that I can put at least 4 tanks at a time). Really sped up my film processing. The Pup is a little tight when loading the 4x5 films in the Stearman SP-645, but it's a very minor drawback (I just need to tilt it a little).

Folds neatly, so very easy to carry around.

Added bonus: except on very hot summer days, hands don't get as hot and moist as in the changing bags.
 
I like the Photoflex Changing Room dark tent. It's fast and easy to set up, folds flat instantly but has lots of space inside for loading everything up to 5x7. Cost about $100.


Edit: I thought the B&H dimensions were wrong, so I measured mine. It's 15" high x 15" wide x 20" deep. But I can actually load 5x7 film holders in it, as well as my Unicolor rotary tube for processing. (And I used to use one of these to load mags for my Kinor 35 motion picture camera.)
 
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I've been using the same changing bag for 20 years for 35mm to 4x5. Any larger than 4x5 would probably be difficult. Buy a large 30" new one. Used changing bags are trouble. They should have inner and outer sections and zipper for each section. The inner section should be a lighter silky material. They fold-up nice and store well.
 
Locutus of Borg said:
Forgot to mention . . I do 120 and 35mm (Hasselblad 500CM and my Pentax K1000)
Click to expand...
Regular changing bag will be OK. As @Alex Benjamin says, your hands can get a little sweaty in there if you take long to load the film. If that's an issue, the only thing that helps is a bigger volume, so a tent etc. But you could just start with a plain old bag and see how it goes.
 
Using a changing bag requires a bit of organization to make the task a bit easier. It's completely do-able, though. The bigger changing bags have work out beter for me so look at dimensions in addition to price. I find sweating to be a bit of a problem at times and that impedes loading film onto reels. The question might not be so much, "which one?" but "why not both?". The only changing bag that I've had a complaint about, but not enough of a complaint to stop using it, is the Paterson as the cuffs are unusually smalI and tight.
 
Locutus of Borg said:
My darkroom had to be repurposed for awhile so no printing for 6 months or so . . . šŸ˜¢

Caveat: I have never used a changing bag.

There are dozens of bags out there . . . I like the idea of the changing tents like this one but the price is prohibitive. I like it because you are not fighting with the bag itself.
Click to expand...

Since you shoot 35 and 120 I'd go with the one @koraks suggested and see if it works for you. Those are the formats I shoot and have never found a need for a better changing bag. I would likely change to a tent though if I lived in a hot and humid environment.
 
I use exactly the kind Koraks pictured. Regarding sweaty hands, I take off some clothing to make myself colder a few minutes before I use it. Chewing on ice cubes or frozen fruit is also a strategy.
 
Making something of a tent out of a normal changing bag is not too complicated. A tall Paterson tank already gives you a higher ceiling in there. Adding a few flexible rods would be feasible. No need to spend lots of money.
 
I initially bought an eTone changing bag, but upon inspection, the arm holes were not tight at all (usually they suffocate your arm), so I didn't trust it to keep the light out.

I decided to buy a brand new paterson one so that I wouldn't wonder if the changing bag was causing problems.

Lesson learned, don't cheap out on darkroom items.
 
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I can feel air going through the wrist holes at times in my changing bag but due to the double-sleeve design it has never fogged a film.
 
mehguy said:
the arm holes were not tight at all
Click to expand...

I don't know specifically about the eTone bag, but the one I have is 'double-walled', and the arm holes are double as well: there's an inner and an outer hole. The elastic bands have become slack over the years, so they don't really work well anymore. However, if I ensure that the inner band sits somewhere below my elbow and the outer one above my elbow, the setup is perfectly light tight. This may apply to other bags with a double lining as well.
 
koraks said:
I don't know specifically about the eTone bag, but the one I have is 'double-walled', and the arm holes are double as well: there's an inner and an outer hole. The elastic bands have become slack over the years, so they don't really work well anymore. However, if I ensure that the inner band sits somewhere below my elbow and the outer one above my elbow, the setup is perfectly light tight. This may apply to other bags with a double lining as well.
Click to expand...

This is very true. I've not had a problem with the eTone changing bag or any other with "looser than Paterson" cuffs/sleeves. I suppose another option is to use the bag in a dim or darkened room. Personally, I close my eyes tight when using them. LOL

For some people, chosing the right tool might require a bit of experimentation until the right one is found.
 
If you have some patience, you can work at night in a windowless room or closet with the lights off. You can even do it under a heavy set of blankets at night. Lots of possibilities, and all free. It just requires a bit of imagination, and pre-planning.
 
I can attest to the Harrison film changing tent (standard size). It was cheaper a few years ago $250. The current price of $340 makes it harder to recommend, but at the previous price point I would say it is a no-brainer if you don't have access to a truly dark room. Very roomy, well constructed, and actually light tight. My previous Patterson changing bag was a challenge when loading film holders AND wasn't actually light tight!!! That detail took me a long time to figure out and left me wondering why some of my film had fogged, even under dim room lighting.

Edit: There are some reviews of the Harrison changing tent stating that the materials start to decompose after many years. I've had mine for 2 or 3 years now and its been fine so far.
 
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