Hey /p/
Digitalfag here, I want to get into shooting film (including developing my own B&W film).
Are there any infographics on shooting and developing B&W film? Including gear needed etc.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a good developing set that I can get online? I went to my local camera store and the developing kits all seemed terrible quality (cheap plastic) and were wayyyyyy overpriced for what they were.
I will primarily be shooting architecture, is there any B&W film that is better suited to this over another?
Thanks.
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I assume you mean 35mm since you posted an F2 and didn't specify, but for architecture you would probably be best suited by large format although medium format could also work well especially if you get a camera with movements. I also assume that you're developing your film and then scanning it, right? Getting into wet printing is quite a bit more stuff on top of these basics. As for film, just use something slow for maximum resolution since you'll probably be on a tripod anyway.
But anyways, for 35mm get Hewes stainless steel reels and a stainless daylight developing tank. The equipment for MF is basically the same but with reels sized for 120 film rather than 35mm, obviously. For large format you'll want a different type of tank but LF is a whole different world unto itself. Plastic reels promise to be easier to use for beginners but it's all a goddamn lie and those reels are unreliable You'll also want a windowless bathroom or something to load your film into the tank in absolute total complete pitch black darkness with no little light leaks, you can do the rest of the developing in the light once that part is done.
You'll need a big ~1L graduated cylinder to mix chemicals in, a funnel, something to stir with, probably a meat thermometer or something although you can get away with being pretty lax on temperature control with B&W processing, a stopwatch/cell phone (get the massive film dev phone app, by the way), some weighted clips to hang your film for drying, a pair of scissors, negative sleeves to store the negatives, a sharpie to clearly and systematically label your goddamn sleeves so that you can remember what you're look at when you pull out your negatives 6 months from now, and bottles to store your chemicals in. Store the chemicals in the dark in very tightly sealed bottles to keep them fresh for longer, preferably in either plastic opaque bottles or amber/brown colored glass bottles.
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>>2725952
And of course there's already guides on the internet about this stuff:
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/200629163442455.pdf
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/aboutus/page.asp?n=40
http://www.lomography.com/magazine/56919-a-beginners-guide-to-cheap-and-easy-developing-of-black-and-white-film-at-home (this guy stores chemicals in clear plastic and uses plastic reels, don't be a retard like that guy. Also changing bags are really annoying in my opinion, I'd rather black out a bathroom instead)
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum221/50712-beginners-guide-b-w-processing.html (APUG is great, shitpost on /p/ when you want to have fun but lurk on APUG when you want to actually learn stuff)
>>2725952
Is there a big benefit shooting medium format ober 35mm for architecture?
I planned on getting the nikon 28mm ais tilt shift and an f2as to start off with.
Thanks for the informative replies.
>>2725957
Larger films give way more resolution, 35mm cameras are really mostly meant for speed and ease of use, both of which you will not have anyway when you're shooting on a tripod carefully adjusting a tedious little tilt-shift lens. Even a shitty medium format camera and lens will outresolve the shit out of your precious high quality small format Leica or whatever, and a 4x5 camera with a potato lens in front of it will absolutely shit on any other camera ever built. You may be under the impression that 35mm is big and cool because in the digital world that's FULL FRAME size, but with film 35mm is the tiny little toy size.
LF and some MF cameras also allow movements which are pretty critical for serious architecture work, a tilt-shift lens will do the same thing to a limited extent but it's a little silly to put in all that effort with just 35mm when you could be shooting larger film anyway since you've already lost the convenience advantage of 35mm.
Get a Linhof 6x7 or 5x4 and forget 35mm it sucks in architectural snapping. Always has. It's a compromise.Hassel with a Biogon - better than most but go large format for that money. Parallax correction lenses also suck. Even a Speed Graphic or a cheap Horseman 5x4 is way better than any 35 limited shit. make sure the bellows/front end can rise and fall. Makes sure the lens on the front is a Schneider a Rodnestock of a later Tessar. Sinar is god tier but the results blow you deeeeeeeeeeep!
>>2725936
Plastic reels/tanks are fine. Initially, I think they are a lot harder to fuck up (unless you don't dry the reels), but a lot of people swear by the stainless ones.
I prefer non-tabular film to stuff like t-max, but that is personal preference. I've never used TRI-X 320 tho.
I would maybe shoot a roll or two or three with 35mm until you get comfortable with film, especially since the cameras are cheap.
35mm is kinda a compromise. If you want portability or like the look, it's good, but I have a feeling you'll probably want to use MF or larger, quality wise.
I've only shot 35mm and 120, but I know LF cameras have movements that are useful for certain things.
If I was using a tripod for every shot, I'd definitely go bigger than 35mm.
>>2725961
What do you mean by MF cameras also allow movements?
If I get a Pentax 645 (just an example) from the quick google search that I have done there is really no tilt shift lenses available.., What am I not understanding here?
Specifically, what would a good MF setup be for architecture work? LF is too much of a hassle as I need to also travel, MF I think I can deal with.
Thanks for the replies.
LF - large format - MF medium format. Ytube working with a 5 x 4 camera and you will soon pick up things like risng front and rear. This facilty enables you to stop a building falling down on you in the frame or looking distorted etc. You are correcting the parallax in the camera not pshop. The resolution on a piece of 5 x 4 film with a fifty year old Schneider lens will still beat the shit out of anything today - old 35mm film or Nikon full frame digital.. Seriously.
Look at Sinar, Wista, Horsemann...
>>2727253
>What am I not understanding here?
Ehr, english.
>some MF cameras
>some
>not all of them, just some
Pic related.
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Camera-Specific Properties: Camera Software Pictomio 1.2.27.0 Image-Specific Properties: Image Orientation Top, Left-Hand Horizontal Resolution 350 dpi Vertical Resolution 350 dpi Exposure Time 1/125 sec F-Number f/13.0 ISO Speed Rating 200 Lens Aperture f/13.5 Flash No Flash, Compulsory Focal Length 75.00 mm Color Space Information sRGB Image Width 800 Image Height 600 Rendering Normal Exposure Mode Manual White Balance Manual Scene Capture Type Standard
>>2727281
So how does tilt/shift work exactly? does the lens need to be larger than normal for that specific format (say MF lens on FF body) to get the full image? I mean it doesn't have to be that large but at least a good deal wider than regular lenses right?
>>2727281
Something like this is not realistic for me to carry around..
Unless I can find something reasonably sized that doesnt cost upwards of $10,000USD then I may just go with 35mm F2AS with 28mm shift to get started.
As mentioned in a previous post I will also be traveling, MF is realistically as big as I can go I think.. That Fuji is a monstrosity
>>2725936
> I will primarily be shooting architecture
Why do this with film? It will just cost more over time. And you're only going to do B&W, too..
>>2725936
Plastic (ABS) tanks are very good, it's called patterson tanks.
About shooting and developing, it's way better to read a book guide on the matter than to search for tips and small manuals. One good and complete book is "Way Beyond Monochrome", by Ralph Lambert. It is quite simple from the start, but goes deep on the technical matters if you want to.
Anyway, shooting architecture you probably want some contrasty film and superpanchromatic, such as T-Max and, better yet, Rollei 80s.
You'll probably want to sticky to MF and LF, for movements, tonatily, etc. 35mm is mostly a plain bad choice for architecture if you're not shooting digital.
The Hasselblad w/ biogon, as >>2727067 talked, it is a very very good choice. Not all the movements, but it is simple and astoundingly good, even handheld. There are some similar LF cameras, made by photographers usually, on largeformatphotography.info forum they're common.
>>2727298
>how does tilt/shift work
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+does+tilt%2Fshift+work
>>2725936
I grew up with film.
>>2727670
so then the camera crops in on the image but only uses a lens that will cover a FF sensor?
