What are your thoughts on Ilford Pop-Up Darkroom? Are they actually reliable?

[Thinh__Le]

I'm considering getting into developing my own negatives and am interested in somehow creating a small space inside my apartment that can be easily installed and de-installed.. The Ilford Pop-Up Darkroom came to mind and am curious as to what everyone's thoughts are on how light proof this darkroom space actually is? Let me know below, thanks!

 

[logan2z]

I have never used the Ilford Pop-Up Darkroom, but if you just intend to use it for developing film, then I'd probably just buy a dark bag and a daylight developing tank instead. If you are also going to make wet prints, then the Pop-Up darkroom could be useful.

Here's another Photrio thread that could be useful to you:

Ilford Popup Darkroom

I bought this a couple of months ago and finally got around to setting it up in my basement tonight. So I thought I would offer some first impressions. I also have a Nova Darkroom tent and have been using it for a number of years. So I’ll compare the two. I don’t know if the Nova is still...

www.photrio.com

 

[Thinh__Le]

I have never used the Ilford Pop-Up Darkroom, but if you just intend to use it for developing film, then I'd probably just buy a dark bag and some daylight developing tanks instead. If you are also going to make wet prints, then the Pop-Up darkroom could be useful.

Could you recommend me some of the daylight developing tanks? I would like to experiment with making wet prints. I would be doing all of this in a room which has two windows. An alternative I had thought about is getting some lightproof curtains to cover those windows although am unsure of how lightproof the curtains actually are to seal off the light in this room. Would you know of any by chance? Thanks!

 

[logan2z]

Could you recommend me some of the daylight developing tanks? I would like to experiment with making wet prints. I would be doing all of this in a room which has two windows. An alternative I had thought about is getting some lightproof curtains to cover those windows although am unsure of how lightproof the curtains actually are to seal off the light in this room. Would you know of any by chance? Thanks!

The Paterson tanks/reels seem to be pretty popular:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/886586-REG/Paterson_Universal_Tank_with_Two.html

Jobo is another very popular and flexible system. I use Jobo 1500 series tanks and reels for developing my film and love them.

Jobo 1520 UniTank with 1501 Reel

Buy Jobo 1520 UniTank with 1501 Reel featuring Includes One 1501 Multi-Format Reel, For Up to Two Rolls of 35mm or 120, Supports Inversion or Rotation Processes, Plastic Design, Light-Sealed, Daylight Tank, Expandable with Optional 1530 Accessory. Review Jobo null

www.bhphotovideo.com

Some people prefer stainless reels/tanks. If you go that route, the Hewes reels are considered by many to be the best:

Hewes 35mm Stainless Steel Developing Reel

Buy Hewes 35mm Stainless Steel Developing Reel featuring Durable, Easy-to-Load, Handy Sprocket Tabs, Superbly Engineered. Review Hewes null

www.bhphotovideo.com

You can find used steel tanks from brands like Nikor on eBay for reasonable prices.

I personally find Jobo reels easier to load than steel reels, but that's just me.

To black out my darkroom space, I installed 6 mil plastic material over the windows. No light penetrates that material.

Delta 1 Black Out Heavy 6 Mil Plastic Opaque Material 4 ft.x 16 ft. Roll

Buy Delta 1 Black Out Heavy 6 Mil Plastic Opaque Material 4 ft.x 16 ft. Roll Review Delta 1 null

www.bhphotovideo.com

There are many blackout drapes/blinds sold on Amazon that claim 100% opacity, but I've never personally tried them.

 

[Thinh__Le]

The Paterson tanks/reels seem to be pretty popular:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/886586-REG/Paterson_Universal_Tank_with_Two.html

Jobo is another very popular and flexible system. I use Jobo 1500 series tanks and reels for developing my film and love them.

Jobo 1520 UniTank with 1501 Reel

Buy Jobo 1520 UniTank with 1501 Reel featuring Includes One 1501 Multi-Format Reel, For Up to Two Rolls of 35mm or 120, Supports Inversion or Rotation Processes, Plastic Design, Light-Sealed, Daylight Tank, Expandable with Optional 1530 Accessory. Review Jobo null

www.bhphotovideo.com

Some people prefer stainless reels/tanks. If you go that route, the Hewes reels are considered by many to be the best:

Hewes 35mm Stainless Steel Developing Reel

Buy Hewes 35mm Stainless Steel Developing Reel featuring Durable, Easy-to-Load, Handy Sprocket Tabs, Superbly Engineered. Review Hewes null

www.bhphotovideo.com

You can find used steel tanks from brands like Nikor on eBay for reasonable prices.

I personally find Jobo reels easier to load than steel reels, but that's just me.

To black out my darkroom space, I installed 6 mil plastic material over the windows. No light penetrates that material.

Delta 1 Black Out Heavy 6 Mil Plastic Opaque Material 4 ft.x 16 ft. Roll

Buy Delta 1 Black Out Heavy 6 Mil Plastic Opaque Material 4 ft.x 16 ft. Roll Review Delta 1 null

www.bhphotovideo.com

There are many blackout drapes/blinds sold on Amazon that claim 100% opacity, but I've never personally tried them.

Thanks so much for all your help. I think I’ll end up getting the JOBO 4x5 processing bundle seeing as I am working with shooting 4x5 negatives.

I think i’ll get the 6mil plastic material. A question I have is what sort of lightproof tape do you use to adhere these to the wall so that they don’t fall? Let me know, thanks!

 

[logan2z]

A question I have is what sort of lightproof tape do you use to adhere these to the wall so that they don’t fall?

I used black gaffer's tape. It doesn't allow light to penetrate and is very sticky. The only issue is, if left up for too long, t can be difficult to remove without removing some paint along with it. One thing you could try is to use painter's tape first (which is not generally lightproof) and then put the gaffer's tape over it. That should make it lightproof and it will be easier to remove since it won't be stuck directly to the paint.

 

[Thinh__Le]

I used black gaffer's tape. It doesn't allow light to penetrate and is very sticky. The only issue is, if left up for too long, t can be difficult to remove without removing some paint along with it. One thing you could try is to use painter's tape first (which is not generally lightproof) and then put the gaffer's tape over it. That should make it lightproof and it will be easier to remove since it won't be stuck directly to the paint.

Thanks so much! Will do just that

 

[koraks]

One thing you could try is to use painter's tape first (which is not generally lightproof) and then put the gaffer's tape over it. That should make it lightproof and it will be easier to remove since it won't be stuck directly to the paint.

It depends on the painter's tape used. Most of the tape I've come across if left on a painted surface for more than a few weeks will also damage the paint when removed, or leave lots of persistent glue residue.

In my previous darkroom I had blackout curtains with velcro along the edges. In practice I never removed the curtains, and I had to add (with tape) a layer of tinfoil because the blackout material wasn't quite as 'blackout' as I had anticipated.

Currently I have a set of panels that I made out of thin plywood to fit my windows. They slide in and friction fit. An additional L-shaped plastic profile keeps virtually all of the light out; on very bright days I can pull some blackout material roller curtains for additional proofing. The advantage of this setup is that it takes less than a minute to go from darkroom to daylight and back again. I wouldn't want to go back to a permanently blacked out room.

 

[logan2z]

Currently I have a set of panels that I made out of thin plywood to fit my windows. They slide in and friction fit. An additional L-shaped plastic profile keeps virtually all of the light out; on very bright days I can pull some blackout material roller curtains for additional proofing. The advantage of this setup is that it takes less than a minute to go from darkroom to daylight and back again. I wouldn't want to go back to a permanently blacked out room.

If it's not a dedicated space, then a removable solution like yours is ideal.

I actually share my dry space with my office so I don't want a permanent solution either. What I've recently done is to cover the window screens of my windows with 6mil black plastic affixed with gaffer's tape. The screens fit into a channel in the inside window frame so they can be easily installed/removed. It's not 100% light tight but pretty close and seems to be good enough.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'm considering getting into developing my own negatives and am interested in somehow creating a small space inside my apartment that can be easily installed and de-installed.. The Ilford Pop-Up Darkroom came to mind and am curious as to what everyone's thoughts are on how light proof this darkroom space actually is? Let me know below, thanks!

You might want to use the Changing Room for loading film onto reels and into the tank.

Photoflex Changing Room

Photoflex Changing Room - The Photoflex Changing Room is an upgrade from the traditional dark bag.This double walled, light-tight changing bag includes an internal frame that provides plenty of room to work and an internal, removable "trash bag" for film…

www.freestylephoto.com

Welcome to APUG Photrio!!​

 

[Alex Benjamin]

You might want to use the Changing Room for loading film onto reels and into the tank.

Photoflex Changing Room

Photoflex Changing Room - The Photoflex Changing Room is an upgrade from the traditional dark bag.This double walled, light-tight changing bag includes an internal frame that provides plenty of room to work and an internal, removable "trash bag" for film…

www.freestylephoto.com

Welcome to APUG Photrio!!​

I used the Harrison changing tent for 4x5, and the SP-445 for developing the sheets.

Harrison Standard Film Changing Tent (36 x 27 x 14")

Buy Harrison Standard Film Changing Tent Review Harrison null

www.bhphotovideo.com

Stearman Press SP-445 Compact 4 x 5" Film Processing System

Buy Stearman Press SP-445 Compact 4 x 5" Film Processing System featuring Developing Tank with Two Holders, Holds Up to Four 4 x 5" Sheets at a Time, Requires 16 oz of Solution, Liquid Level Indicators, Inversion Agitation Method, Light-Sealed, Daylight Tank, ABS Plastic Construction, O-Ring...

www.bhphotovideo.com

 

[Sirius Glass]

I used the Harrison changing tent for 4x5, and the SP-445 for developing the sheets.

Harrison Standard Film Changing Tent (36 x 27 x 14")

Buy Harrison Standard Film Changing Tent Review Harrison null

www.bhphotovideo.com

Stearman Press SP-445 Compact 4 x 5" Film Processing System

Buy Stearman Press SP-445 Compact 4 x 5" Film Processing System featuring Developing Tank with Two Holders, Holds Up to Four 4 x 5" Sheets at a Time, Requires 16 oz of Solution, Liquid Level Indicators, Inversion Agitation Method, Light-Sealed, Daylight Tank, ABS Plastic Construction, O-Ring...

www.bhphotovideo.com

Which is larger than the Changing Room which is tight for loading and unloading Grafmatic 45s.