I have 30 Rolls of 120 (24 C-41, 6 E-6), 12 Rolls of 35mm (C-41) for processing. What do I need to process all this film if I have no equipment?

Hi all,

So as mentioned in title, I have 30 rolls of 120 film (24 C-41 and 6 E-6) and 12 rolls of 35mm film (all C-41). I usually bring my undeveloped to a lab in NYC to get processed, but when I calculated the cost this round, it'll cost me nearly $400!

At this point, I feel it would make more sense to use that $400 I would otherwise spend on getting this film developed and, instead, purchase developing equipment and chemicals for me to process the film at home.

That said, I'd like to defer to you darkroom experts on the equipment and chemicals I would need to process such a fairly large quantity of film.

So far I only have a darkroom with a sink and running water. That's literally all I have right now to get me started.

I assume I'll need the following, but fill me in on what I'm missing:

-A large development tank with 120/35mm spools (let me know which one would be the best to process a large quantity of film)

-Large Rubbermaid container (to hold water to warm the chemicals)

-A sous vide thermometer (to warm up water in said large Rubbermaid container)

-Darkroom safelight

-Timer

-Measuring Cups/Measuring Cylinders

-3 or 4 One Gallon chemistry bottles to store/reuse chemicals

-Funnels

-C-4 chemicals

-E-6 chemicals

-Photoflo

-Film sheet hangers for drying film

-Lots of distilled water

-Rubber gloves/scissors/bottle opener

Please let me know if I'm missing anything! Much appreciated!

Instead of the Rubbermaid container, I would recommend a largish hard body insulating cooler - easily found at thrift stores around here.
The C-41 and E-6 chemical set should include Final Rinse or Stabilizer chemicals, which provide the surfactant you need - no Photoflo.
The Sous Vide is a heater, with a built in temperature indicator respecting the water bath you are using for temperature control. You will need a separate and accurate and dependable thermometer to check and monitor temperature of the chemicals themselves.
I use the Paterson tanks that permit three reels set to 135 setting, or two reels set to 120 setting, each with two rolls loaded. Have you experience loading and using similar tanks and reels - possibly with black and white?
Neither C-41 nor E-6 materials can be used with a safelight. Once the film is loaded on the reels - in complete darkness - and the reels are in the tanks, everything is done in room light thereafter.
Film sheet hangers are used for sheet film. You need film clips to hang and dry film.

All you really need is a good thermometer and a medium sized developing tank. A Jobo 1540 holds 4 x 120 or 4 x 35mm. Shouldn't require more than 1 liter for ordinary inversion agitation. We didn't have any sous vide things when I started out, they sure look cool. If you have an insulated ice chest for a water bath that would be great.

If I were in your shoes starting from scratch my shopping list would be:

1x Jobo 1520 Tank
1x Jobo 1530 Extension
3-5x Jobo 1500 Reels (can do 2x 120 per reel, 6x in a 1520+1530 tank, or 5x 35mm reels if that's in your future)
1x Jobo Roller Base (1520+1530 only requires around 600ml of chemistry with rotary use)
1x CineStill TCS-1000 Temperature Control System
1x CINESTILL TUB FOR THE TCS-1000 TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM (I set mine 5º higher than the target temp and use an alarm thermometer in the chemistry that beeps when I hit the desired temp)
4x 1000ml Pitchers
4x Funnels (or just 1 if you can clean it between each chemical)
2x CineStill Cs41 Powder Developing Kit for C-41 Color Film (Makes 1 Liter, use each kit for 2 tanks/12 rolls max if consistency is important to you)
1x Cinestill D6 DaylightChrome Cs6 3-Bath E6 Process Kit
1x KAISER DIGITAL THERMOMETER WITH PROBE (or any other thermometer, I just like this because it has an alarm when you reach a desired temp)
5x JOBO WIDE NECK STORAGE BOTTLE BLACK - 1000 ML (1 for each chemical, seals well enough to store for a week or 2)
1x Scissors
6-10x Clips for hanging film (1 for top, 1 for bottom, my favorites are the stainless Delta clips for the top and the weighted Negative Supply for the bottom)

Some more notes! Load the 120 films backwards using the tape side first and it'll push into the jobo reels easily. Room temp rotary development of C-41 should have the chemistry at 104ºF (if you pour it in at 104ºF it'll be around 96ºF when you dump it out which averages to 100ºF, test it with water if you're curious). No safelight for film loading!! Use your mobile phone as a timer, I prefer the Darkroom Clock app on iPhone. You can use distilled water if you want, but I'd really only be concerned about that if you have hard water or if you know your water leaves spots. If your dishes/glasses don't have hard water deposit after washing you're probably safe to use tap water. Jobo lids might pop with blix (it's kinda like shaking a carbonated drink), if you only plan on doing rotary development you can drill a small 1/8" hole into the lid so it can exhaust without spilling everywhere. One shot chemistry is ideal with color films in my experience and this setup gets you very close to that without needing to jump into high volume Kodak/Fuji chemistry. Film/time isn't cheap so you should treat the chemistry with the same respect and try not to push it. Nothing worse than losing images because you tried to save a buck or two on development.

You're really lucky to have a darkroom space readily available, working out of a bag can be frustrating. Good luck!

manfrominternet said:

-Darkroom safelight

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Not needed for film development (in fact, should not be used under any circumstances in this scenario!!)

xtol121 said:

1x CineStill TCS-1000 Temperature Control System
1x CINESTILL TUB FOR THE TCS-1000 TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM (I set mine 5º higher than the target temp and use an alarm thermometer in the chemistry that beeps when I hit the desired temp)

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Alternatively, any old plastic tub or bucket, thermometer and a water cooker will do as well.

Otherwise, looks good. There are several threads on assembling the necessary chemistry. A suggestion has already been given above, but there are other options as well.

manfrominternet said:

-3 or 4 One Gallon chemistry bottles to store/reuse chemicals

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One more thing: reusing color chemistry comes with a good number of catches. There are a few possibilities, but also a few rather nasty pitfalls. Be cautious in particular with C41 color developer reuse and E6 first developer reuse. Especially the latter I'd use up within the shortest timeframe possible. For C41, you could go either one shot on the developer, or use a replenished system. I'm personally very wary of the often advocated method of "I'll keep it around for a couple of months until I've run all my 18 rolls through that single liter of developer". To each their own.

I started developing colour negatives a couple of years ago. It is not as hard as it looks. My setup includes:
- a 45L storage container. I use two one inside the other to form a double-wall container. A cooler/Esky/foam container would be even better;
- a sous-vide;
- a laboratory or darkroom thermometer; Get the best you can find and look after it;
- a digital thermometer as a backup;
- Paterson 3-reel tank;
- 2 reels; I use Poilot Multi P1501, it has a tab that allows two 120 type films to be loaded onto one reel; You will need a third reel to develop three 35 mm negatives;
- cheap plastic funnels;
- 1L bottles with wide mouths (juice bottles work);
- 1L measuring cup (cheap plastic ones from the supermarket would suffice);
- timer app for your mobile phone or a cheap digital timer;
- a piece of rod/aluminium angle and cloth pegs to hang the film for drying in the shower cabin;
- nitrile gloves from a supermarket or a hardware store;
- large changing bag (I put A3 cutting mat inside the changing bag to have a flat and clean work surface).
You don't need any Cinestill/Jobo/Kaiser equipment to start. The most important piece of equipment is the thermometer.
I use Tetenal Colortec 1L kit because it is readily available locally. You should have a wider choice of chemistry in LA. I agree with @koraks regarding re-use of colour chemistry. I develop 4 rolls of 120 film simultaneously and try to use the kit within one or two weeks developing no more than 3 batches (12 rolls).
Depending on the C-41/E-6 kit you might not need Photo-flo. With Tetenal Colortec the final bath is the stabilizer which includes a wetting agent. Good luck!

My thoughts are that one also needs to build in some allowance for learning the trade and process control (or to be more blunt, rookie mistakes). While it is possible to save money by developing your own film, (more so for B&W than for color IMO), the justifications for doing your own processing are more for understanding and controlling the process than for strict money-saving, IMO.

Traditionally, people learned by developing B&W in small hand tanks, like 1 or 2 reels at a time, and without Jobo processors, temperature control systems, etc. This was partly because that was what an amateur could afford at the time (and I'm talking the 1990s, not the 1950s), but also because there's less complexity, it's easy to compensate for temperature variations, you don't need to worry about color crossover, etc. There are still some good reasons for doing it this way. Or at least, the first roll of film you load and develop should be a low-stakes test, not some images you painstakingly shot on location. You may cross-load the film on the reel, mess up the timing, get the solutions confused, etc.

A $40 sous vide from eBay works fine in place of the $200 Cinestill version. I know, I've got one. You will have trouble getting the sous vide to stay put in an insulated cooler, though there are probably inexpensvie ways to improvise a way for it to clip in place.

The first year I did C-41, I just used my bathtub tap to mix hot and cold water to keep a small tub at correct temperature; it worked fine.

Donald Qualls said:

The first year I did C-41, I just used my bathtub tap to mix hot and cold water to keep a small tub at correct temperature; it worked fine.

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Same here. Kitchen faucet and a plastic storage tub. Worked surprisingly well. When I stumbled across a 2nd Jobo, I purchased it because it's evidently more convenient.

You guys are all seriously the best. <3

Should I get one big development tank like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/40340-REG/Paterson_PTP118_Multi_Reel_8_Tank_Super.html
or this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1339686-REG/jobo_2550_640ml_high_efficiency_multi.html

Or, as xtol121 mentioned, two smaller tanks like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25556-REG/Jobo_J1520_Two_Reel_Film_Tank_1520.html with a Jobo extension: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25595-REG/Jobo_J1530_Three_Reel_Extension_Module_for.html

I should have also pointed out that I also shoot 4x5 and have at least 12 sheets that I'd also like to process with these tanks!

manfrominternet said:

Should I get one big development tank like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/40340-REG/Paterson_PTP118_Multi_Reel_8_Tank_Super.html
or this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1339686-REG/jobo_2550_640ml_high_efficiency_multi.html

Or, as xtol121 mentioned, two smaller tanks like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25556-REG/Jobo_J1520_Two_Reel_Film_Tank_1520.html with a Jobo extension: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25595-REG/Jobo_J1530_Three_Reel_Extension_Module_for.html

I should have also pointed out that I also shoot 4x5 and have at least 12 sheets that I'd also like to process with these tanks!

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Those big Paterson tanks need to be used upright, which would require over 2 liters of solution. I developed color in Paterson tanks for 30 years always set the tank in a water bath. Never more than 3 or 4 reel tanks.
I would buy the Jobo kit , this will hold 4 35mm or 4 120. You need to get 2 more reels (total of 4)

manfrominternet said:

Should I get one big development tank like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/40340-REG/Paterson_PTP118_Multi_Reel_8_Tank_Super.html
or this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1339686-REG/jobo_2550_640ml_high_efficiency_multi.html

Or, as xtol121 mentioned, two smaller tanks like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25556-REG/Jobo_J1520_Two_Reel_Film_Tank_1520.html with a Jobo extension: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25595-REG/Jobo_J1530_Three_Reel_Extension_Module_for.html

I should have also pointed out that I also shoot 4x5 and have at least 12 sheets that I'd also like to process with these tanks!

Click to expand...

@xtol121 has the best idea. I love Jobo stuff.

manfrominternet said:

Should I get one big development tank like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/40340-REG/Paterson_PTP118_Multi_Reel_8_Tank_Super.html
or this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1339686-REG/jobo_2550_640ml_high_efficiency_multi.html

Or, as xtol121 mentioned, two smaller tanks like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25556-REG/Jobo_J1520_Two_Reel_Film_Tank_1520.html with a Jobo extension: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25595-REG/Jobo_J1530_Three_Reel_Extension_Module_for.html

I should have also pointed out that I also shoot 4x5 and have at least 12 sheets that I'd also like to process with these tanks!

Click to expand...

For me 3-reel Paterson is ideal since I use 1 L kits. It is roughly the same height as my 1 L bottles which makes a neat set-up. I have an old Jobo 1020 tank and use it for black-and-white. It is a great system and the new models must be even better.
There are sheet-film holders for 3-reel Paterson tanks and similar systems for Jobo. I think their capacity is 6 sheets but I might be wrong. I use the "taco method" with my 9x12 cm sheet film (B&W). Not ideal but it works.

Donald Qualls said:

You will have trouble getting the sous vide to stay put in an insulated cooler

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I did. Clipping the sous vide to a large jar filled with pebbles/rocks/sand etc. solved the problem. I put a cooling rack (used for baking) at the bottom of the container to make a flat steady platform and improve circulation.

Romanko said:

Clipping the sous vide to a large jar filled with pebbles/rocks/sand etc.

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This is a great idea.

manfrominternet said:

I should have also pointed out that I also shoot 4x5 and have at least 12 sheets that I'd also like to process with these tanks!

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4x5 Ektar is currently around $65 per 10-box, so that's around $75-80 of film in one go. That's pretty serious, and hence I'd consider a serious solution - something like a Jobo processor and suitable tanks. Might as well do it properly!