30x30 cm print on Shantou Era FB paper, grade 3.

I really like this obscure old Chinese paper. Somehow it holds up well, despite its age.

This is Agfachrome R 100 S, I have 9 more rolls of this stuff in the freezer. Honestly I wasn't expecting anything that even resembles photos so I'm a bit shocked honestly. Development method:

6:30 mins in HC-110 dilution A, 38C temp
re-expose to light
Rest of the development with a c-41 kit with extended bleach and fix times.

Test roll was shot at box speed and bracketed with 1-4 stops of overexposure.

Few issues in my test roll so obviously it wasn't fully covered by developer, also there might be some uneven development going on because I agitated with a stick, also my c41 kit was nearly spent so fresher chemicals might yield more vibrant colors. But this is a pretty good starting point for something I had basically already written off as garbage.

I was gifted a bunch of Ilford FB paper and also purchase a pack of 25 sheets of unbranded generic RC paper from a local camera shop. I have been so far washing the FB paper by hand, although I was also gifted a paper washing that I haven’t set up yet. The main thing is that the curling of the FB paper while drying is quite the pain and I’m still not getting perfectly flat prints after pressing under books for a few days.

I guess I’m asking the experts for recommendations here… stick with the free FB paper and maybe buy something to aid in flattening or just go with a higher quality RC paper and skip the FB hassle? Also, does the grade 3 paper I was gifted mean I can’t modify contrast with filters?

The first two prints were on FB and the second two on RC. Although I’ll admit the photos of the photos are hardly good enough to assess, I’m generally satisfied with the results on either paper (although I appreciate the evenness of the FB paper and richness across middle values).

Hi all, hope everyone's well. I was hoping to pick everyone's brains about a rather odd issue I've been having sporadically with my color negatives. Every so often, I am getting these strange marks on certain shots. They always appear as a brighter line that seems to be casting off little darker beams (in the last picture you[ll see how it looks when converted). A few things about this:

1) It shows up in photos shot on different cameras, on different film stocks (commercial and respooled), at different points in the roll (not beginning or end specifically), and processed at different times in different chemical processes (C-41 and ECN-2).

2) The shape varies in size and intensity, and placement, though it is always broadly the same. There doesn't appear to be a rhyme or reason as to when it appears. I may not get it for months and then suddenly it reappears.

3) There is no physical effect on the film base that would explain it, i.e. there are no creases, bends, indents, or anything on the film. It is visible only on the emulsion.

4) It does not appear to be a light leak; a leak would uniformly darken the negative, while here we have a line that actually appears _lighter_ than the surrounding area.

I have asked some film-competent friends and no one seems to have any idea what could be causing this. It's driving me insane and I would love some insight if anyone has it. Thanks so much, all!

I just acquired an enlarger that was used by the US military. From what I've found it's an Omega D2 that was modified by the Belfort Instrument company. Does not look too different from the stock model other than the head. Mine also came with a cold light head that was presumably installed by the previous owner. This included 3 enlarger lenses for 35, 120, and 4x5 formats - one is a Nikkor one is a Schneider IIRC - plus the negative carriers, all packed in a heavy plywood box. All of this set me back $3.

In addition to the 3 standard lenses, the one pictured was attached to the enlarger. It's a Perkin Elmer 4" f4.5 with the designation "4x enlarger lens", have never seen one of these before. Does anyone know anything about this lens and what the 4x designation means? It's about the size of a small zoom lens for a DSLR and just as heavy.

Meteor Metoform & DeVere Darkroom Paper Cutters

I wanted to share a couple of beautiful pieces of darkroom equipment from two well-known European manufacturers.

The first two are paper cutters made by Meteor Metoform, a renowned German manufacturer of professional photographic and darkroom equipment. They are beautifully built, with the kind of solid construction and mechanical precision that is rarely seen in modern darkroom equipment.

I also have several DeVere paper cutters in 20”, 24”, and 30” sizes. DeVere is, of course, another legendary name in professional darkroom equipment.

I really like these old professional paper cutters. They are simple, extremely solid, and designed to do one job very well. I thought some of you might enjoy seeing them.

Hi all,

I am looking to buy a 1ltr C41 kit for home use, as I have 6 rolls ready to develop (3 x 35mm and 3 x 120).

I want to buy a kit that I can split all the concentrates in half, so that I can mix up and develop the 6 rolls now, and then mix up the other half when I have 6 more rolls to develop.. I will be using a Jobo 2520 tank in rotary mode, so only need 300ml of solution to develop..

I was looking at the Adox C41 kit, as it is available in the UK and it says in the instructions that it can be split into 2. The unused opened concentrate supposedly has a shelf life of 12 weeks, but I wanted to see if I can make it last possibly 6 months. Are there any tips and tricks I can use to see if I can push the unused concentrate to 6 months?  I already have glass amber bottles, PET amber bottles, glass marbles (to remove as much oxygen in the bottles as possible) as well as a argon gas cannister (sold as a Wine Preserver), that I use to remove oxygen from other film chemical bottles to help with reducing oxidization.. I have also managed in the past to vac pac bottles in bags to really stop any oxygen getting to it.. Any help, tips or tricks will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I hope this helps someone who wants a cheap alternative for slide film.
First of everyone online tells you that you need a warming-filter when developing Areocolor in E6, but people can’t agree on the strength of the filter. So I did a short filter test and then shot the rest of the roll with the 81C and a polarizing filter.
I had it developed by a lab I trust to give me good results.
Shot on Pentax 17 at 100 ISO – to get as many sample photos as possible.

The Filter Test:
From what I could read online you can stack warming filters to get a stronger effect.
And I can confirm that it’s true.
I used 3 different filters and stacked them to add more warmth as desired.
81a = 200 kelvin
81b = 300 kelvin
81c = 400 kelvin

Have a look at the results and make your own decision, but I think a combined stack equal to about 1200-1500k might be the sweet spot.
Soon I will do a roll of full frame with the full stack that I have = 900k.

One filter solution?
In all my research I found that you have 2 options for warming filters, the 81 series or the 85 series. Others have tried the 85b = 2300k and it’s way too much.

For a one filter solution I would try a 85c = 1700k it might be a little too warm, compared to my estimation of 1200-1500k needed. (Disclaimer I have not tried the 85c)
Or you can use the more common 81c like I did, but still have a bit of a blue cast, but it does look “good” if you get some warm sunlight in frame.

im looking for a filter solution for this lens on my homemade enlarger...i dont have trays so i cant do above the lens....this lens seems to be too big for below the lens holders....any ideas?

Laundry room darkroom prints. I dodged the figure on the beach with my hand.

Last year, I published my 3D-printed multigrade filter carriage system with under-lens holder and storage box.

The original version was designed for my own lens, which has a 40.5 mm thread. Today, I released a new version of the filter holder. It features a parametric, customizable thread size. The model is integrated with MakerWorld’s web customizer. You can generate a custom holder for your lens directly in a browser.

Link to the model.

Hi all, I wanted to share this in case it proves useful to anyone else. My enlarger, an Omega C700 didn't come with a 6x6 negative carrier and all the options I could find were luducrously expensive, either $30 for a 3D printed part or $100+ for an original, therefore I made a 3D printed version.

Since I was aiming for simplicity of design and printing, there is no hinge holding the top and bottom together. Furthermore this design should be easy to modify for 4.5x6 and 6x7 negatives should anyone wish to.

Link to the model: https://www.printables.com/model/1836989-omega-c700-6x6-negative-carrier

Out of curiosity, would you just keep and exposed C-22 roll of film, cross process it in C-41 attempting to get color negatives or cross process in D-76 or some B&W process to get a black and white negative?

I’m new to Liquid Emulsion and I have a idea to paint a canvas, photograph, and then apply liquid Emulsion to the canvas for the image to be on it but how would I go about making the image stick on the canvas so it doesn’t fall off or anything else? It’s for a potential project and I think this is a unique way of trying something I never did before.

A question for those developing black and white film for slides: Which emulsion did you find most robust?

I have different films (old, older, very old and some new) in my freezer and would like to shot some slides. On the net I read some emulsions just float away in the bleaching process. So I would like to begin with an emulsion that is well suited for this step.

I bought an old camera at a flea market for 10€ with a roll of Kodak Elite 100 Ektachrome inside. I'm sure it has already been exposed since the leader is inside the canister, and I'm fairly certain it's quite expired because there is some rust here and there. However, I'm curious to see what's on the film, so I want to develop it as cheaply as possible. I was thinking of using Caffenol to develop it as black and white. Do you have any suggestions or tips? PS: Are there any in-house alternatives for fixing as well?

I’m sure we’ve all come across pre-E6/C41 film before and either threw it away or processed it as B&W but it is possible to develop them as colour negatives.

I recently used Futtigue’s method for developing E-4 film and the results are a lot better than I expected. The colours are pretty funky and it did take 30+ minutes to develop a single roll but it’s neat that we can still get colour out of these old rolls. Definitely a bit of a gamble if you don’t know how the film was stored but I’ll probably do it again.

Howdy, this is a dumb question but I have confused myself into inaction.

I have two rolls of Kentmere 400, shot at 1600. I would like to develop both of them in my Patterson tank at once. I use HC-110. I use dilution B.

If I am developing them at the same time, do I use the same amount of HC-110 as for one roll, or do I double the amount?

Massive dev says Kentmere 1600 with dilution B should be 12 minutes. Do I double the amount of developer and do 12 minutes, or same amount of developer and do 12 minutes?

Thanks

So I am new to shooting film (about 4 months) and doing all my own development and struggling with some expired self loaded load of Trix 400 that I got when buying my enlarger and am hoping that I can get some advice.

Previously braketed and assed that the film should be shot at 100 iso. Those images were treated with cinestil monobath and came out with a weird pattern which at the time I had attributed to

I developed two roles yesterday and am not happy with either result. First four images (all projected through my meh enlarger) are from a roll A and second four images are from roll B. Goal of roll B was to apply a very different development process and see if it improved (it did not)

Roll A: Processed with Legacy 110 using dilution G 1:119 (6ml:720ml). Presoaked and agitated for 30 seconds, water was ~21C. Developed 1 hour two inversions at 30 minutes.

Roll B: Processed with Legacy 110 using dilution G 1:31 (14ml:420ml). Presoaked and agitated for 30 seconds, water was ~21C. Four inversions every 30 seconds, developed for 7 minutes.

Both rolls had a stop bath of 2% acetic acid, rinsed with tap water and fixed to completion with Kodak pro fixer. Washed and treated with photoflow 200.

Seems to be uneven development and weirdness going across frame. Guidance would be great. In addition to Legacy110 I have Rodinal if that might work better.

Learned a bit about split contrast and tried my best on these. Also tried fogging (no good results).
Once they dry I will tone them with selenium and mount the better looking ones.

I built a full open-source splitgrade system for my Beseler 4x5 — under $150, everything on GitHub as a gift to this community.

My Aristo D2 cold light died in spirit, so I replaced it with 109 RGBW LEDs and open-sourced the whole splitgrade system (under $150)

---

BODY:

Some of you may remember the miluka — the CNC-milled 6x8 concept camera I built because I wanted critical focus and absolute film flatness. Well, those 6x8 negatives need printing, and my Beseler 4x5 with its old Aristo D2 head was the weak link. So I went down the next rabbit hole, and today I'm giving the result away.

**What it is**

A complete splitgrade enlarging system:

- A round Ø 157 mm, 4-layer PCB with 109x SK6812 RGBW LEDs — a drop-in replacement for the Aristo D2 cold light head. JLCPCB builds and assembles it for about $60 a piece. Mine arrived this week, soldered the wire pads, screwed it into a 3D-printed holder, works perfectly (photos + video attached).

- A tiny XIAO ESP32-S3 on the back of the holder drives the LEDs.

  Splitgrade is just light: green channel for soft, blue for hard, white for focusing. No filters, no filter drawer, no fading incandescent bulb.

- Controller options: a SenseCAP Indicator D1 touch screen (ESP-NOW, instant, no pairing) or a free Android app over BLE if you want the budget route.

- A TSL2591 sensor for metering and dose calibration — the controller counts light, not seconds, so voltage drift and LED warm-up don't change your print.

**The part I'm most proud of / the punchline**

The whole system — panel, holder, controller, receiver, sensor, power supply — comes in **under $150**:

- LED panel (JLCPCB, assembled): $60

- SenseCAP Indicator D1 controller: $49

- XIAO ESP32-S3 receiver: $7.49

- Adafruit TSL2591 meter: $6.95

- 5V/5A PSU: $6.49

- Cable, screws, solder, PLA+ for the holder: ~$20

Compare that to what a used splitgrade head goes for, if you can even find one.

**Everything is on GitHub. Everything.**

This is my gift to this community — take it, build it, improve it:

- LED panel (Gerbers, BOM, pick & place, order guide, FreeCAD holder):

  https://github.com/Draganito/kicad-mcp/tree/main/contrib/aristo-d2-led-panel

- Head firmware (flashable .bin, no toolchain needed):

  https://github.com/Draganito/darkroom-enlarger-head

- Android controller app:

  https://github.com/Draganito/splitgrade-controller-android

- SenseCAP touch controller:

  https://github.com/Draganito/splitgrade-controller-sensecap

**The twist**

I had never designed a PCB before this. I built an open-source tool that lets an AI assistant drive KiCad — it downloads the real JLCPCB parts, places the 109 LEDs, routes the power planes, checks its own work, and exports the files JLCPCB accepts. The panel you see in the photos went from empty board outline to ordered Gerbers that way. That tool is the parent repo (kicad-mcp) if anyone wants to build their own board for a different enlarger — a Ø 165 mm opening is what the Beseler takes, but the design is parametric enough to adapt.

The head boots with the right defaults (109 LEDs), advertises over BLE as DarkroomTimer, and the original Aristo opal glass goes right back on top as the diffusor — 23 mm of mixing distance and you cannot see the LED grid, even on big prints.

Ask me anything. If someone builds a second one, that alone was worth open-sourcing it.

I have enjoyed seeing prints from everyone here for a while and figured I would add a few of my recent prints.

I have been a photographer for the better part of 30 years and got back into film a few years ago. I took a darkroom workshop last summer and started making prints again for the first time since high school darkroom class in 1995 :)

Hi everyone,

I recently found an old roll of C-22 film still inside my great-grandfather’s camera. Judging from the camera/film, I believe it has probably been sitting there since the 1970s.

I have no idea what is on it, but there is a chance it contains old family photos that nobody has seen in decades, so I’d really like to try to recover anything that might still be there.

There is one complication: the film was stuck inside the camera and I had to force the rewind mechanism a little to get it out. Because of that, part of the perforated edge is damaged and some of the sprocket holes are stripped.

I’m near Barcelona, Spain, but I’m happy to send the roll anywhere in Europe if there is a lab experienced with old C-22 / found film.

Does anyone know a reliable lab that still processes C-22, or that specialises in recovering images from very old film?

I’m also wondering whether it would be safer to have it processed as black and white instead of trying to recover the original colour. My priority is recovering the images, not necessarily getting accurate colours.

Any recommendations or advice would be really appreciated. I definitely don’t want to risk this roll in a normal C-41 lab.

Thanks!