I just love my old cameras. I am just wondering what are the tricks to minimize the cost of developing medium format film? I would like to have professional quality.
1. I guess the first is to buy expired film? (Which is the best source to get the film, ebay?)
2. I guess I need to develop my own film on my own.
3. I need to scan the negatives with my own scanner.
Which is the best scanner to scan medium format film? Do you use one or you send it away to scan it?
BUT probably the most important question: Is it worth it to develop and scan your own film?
1. If you are looking for 'professional quality' then expired films are likely not the way to go. If you are looking for 'random, possibly great but possibly terrible' then expired film is fine.
2. Yes, develop on your own.
3. I scan mine with a Nikon Coolscan 8000, but they are not cheap unless you're lucky.
Some ideas for minimizing costs:
1. Shoot black & white. Developers are cheap, so is film. (I shoot mostly TMax 400 but sometimes Tri-X, and these aren't even the cheapest out there.)
2. For C-41, you can buy a repackaged Kodak kit to make 1L of chemicals from the Photographer's Formulary. It lasts longer than what they state on the packaging.
3. For E-6, I have been using the Arista kits from Freestyle. It uses a blix instead of a separate bleach and fix, but I'm OK with that.
4. Some people are getting good results from Epson scanners. I hate Epson because I have had problems with every single item I've ever purchased from them. Printers, scanners, portable storage - all crap.
In answer to your last question: to me, yes it is worth it. I love pulling a developed roll of film from the tank, and there is more quality detail in the negative than you could ever hope for from digital.
I've got a lot of film shots posted on http://blog.seancarpenter.us/ as well.
Dear Mr Haring,
I'm sorry, but I can't hold it back any longer. You are an utter mystery to me.
You have a nice website, plenty of photos that would qualify as better than many 'professional' wedding photographers, and the work and its presentation suggest that you are not a beginner.
Yet you frequently ask questions that one would normally expect from a novice.
Please don't take it personally, it's just that I am genuinely baffled by this apparent paradox.
Regards,
Pinhole
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