First Roll Developed at Home, Have I Got It Right?

GrittyShaker

GrittyShaker

Messages
1,424
Name
Scott
Edit My Images
Yes
:wave:

This was shot with an Olympus OM-10, on Fuji Superia 200, and developed with Tetenal C41. Can anyone tell me from this shot whether I've got it right or not, as it's the first roll of film I've developed in a lot of years, and the first colour roll full stop?

It lacks colour, but I'm not sure whether I'm to blame, or if that's just what the film is like. Or perhaps the cheapo scanner (Veho VFS-008) I used isn't up to the job. :shrug:

F3770C23830F4ECBAB559F31F7C780FA-0000331151-0002705850-00800L-49AF1F9E79F64B069937C1CF00EE9177.jpg


Thanks in advance for any advice. :)
 
I am no fan of fuji 200 and have had mine dev'd at my local jessops in the past. I'd suggest that your chems may be a little cool or you didn't develop for long enough as the grain looks much better than I've seen before and the colours are a little more subtle (And a HECK of a lot nicer!)
Of course a cheap scanner, first film and no control measure isn't the perfect recipe but I definitely wouldn't be unhappy with that result. Have you adjusted the levels and do you have any more to show?
 
Thanks for commenting. I've got a few more rolls of Fuji to get through. I thought it best to practice with cheaper film, rather than wasting good stuff. That one is completely unadjusted, aside from the colour inversion that the scanner did.

Here are a few from my Flickr, edited very quickly in LR the other day. I still don't have the vaguest idea of how one goes about editing shots from film to get the best results.

Steetley Magnesite by S_M_Photography, on Flickr


Steetley Magnesite by S_M_Photography, on Flickr


Steetley Magnesite by S_M_Photography, on Flickr


Hemlock by S_M_Photography, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
Looks good to me. Not the best film in the world but some nice results.

Mart
 
GrittyShaker said:
Thanks. (y)

I'll experiment with some decent film once I can be sure I won't balls up the developing process. :)
Click to expand...

Fuji c200 has it's quirks, but you can grow to like it's grain and slightly unfaithful colours! Even if it wasn't one of the cheapest films around, it's still best practise to stick to one film developer for a while. You get a feel for it and notice the differences when you do change - if you change to say Kodacolor Gold on your third roll, you won't be sure if the differences are down to a slight temperature variation or slightly different agitation technique or slightly older chemicals or whether it's all due to a different film.

What you've done so far all looks good to me, most scanners will try to correct the colour cast to some extent, so you have to accept that you may need to manually adjust it to get it how you like it!
 
Great advice, thanks. (y)

I tried to develop a couple of rolls of 120 a few weeks ago, and failed miserably. They were shot on a Holga though, and I was stumped as to whether it was the camera's fault, the film's fault, or the fault of my developing! It wasn't till I developed this roll of 35mm that I discovered it was my fault for not getting the chemicals up to the correct temp.

I'm finding that, as long as the results are reasonably acceptable, the process of shooting and developing the film myself is a reward in itself. :)
 
when I'm trying out a roll of different film, or I'm not sure if my chemicals are 100%, i'll tend to take a test frame which I can use to tweak the white balance on...


Reala100_2010-08-30_009_colour chart by The Big Yin, on Flickr

Ok, you lose a frame, but on 35mm, it's not too big a deal really...
 
I'd suggest taking 2 rolls of the same thing on the same film, develop one yourself and get a lab to do the other. Scan them both yourself and compare, then you'll know if your chemicals are off.

I plan on getting a C41 kit but only for cross processing so temps will be pretty much irrelevant.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top