Is It Time To Ditch My MP Film?

[S.Rolf]

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Now that I’ve decided to hang onto my MP, my next obvious question is where to send my B&W film for developing and scanning?

Someone mentioned Dwayne’s.

Any others I should be aware of?

[otto.f]

Unless you develop and print your own films yourself, I see no sense in owning an expensive MP. In your case I would sell it, buy back an M4, and spend the extra money on dark room equipment, starting with developing film. See for instance  the new LAB-BOX, discussed here in LUF. After you discovered that scanning is a pain in the ass and/or quite expensive if you want satisfying results, you can start building a darkroom for printing with ADOX MCC fiberbased paper. Once arrived there, you’re on the Olympus of analogue photography and only then you can decide whether this quality of prints is worth the extra effort (along with the joy of slow culture in photography of course). 

Edited July 30, 2019 by otto.f

[S.Rolf]

12 minutes ago, otto.f said:

Unless you develop and print your own films yourself, I see no sense in owning an expensive MP. In your case I would sell it, buy back an M4, and spend the extra money on dark room equipment, starting with developing film. See for instance  the new LAB-BOX, discussed here in LUF. After you discovered that scanning is a pain in the ass and/or quite expensive if you want satisfying results, you can start building a darkroom for printing with ADOX MCC fiberbased paper. Once arrived there, you’re on the Olympus of analogue photography and only then you can decide whether this quality of prints is worth the extra effort (along with the joy of slow culture in photography of course). 

It wasn’t until I purchased the M10 that I decided to utilize my MP for B&W only.  Until then I had been shooting color transparency film almost exclusively.  I would say from 1972 - present.  In 2000 I started printing my own color enlargements from my transparencies in both 35mm and medium format.  It wasn’t long after that I first started scanning my color film and printing via photo inkjet (Epson 2200).  

Eventually I made the switch from film (at that time using a Leica R7) to digital (Canon 5D).

A few years later I missed film a decided to buy another Leica since I had sold the R7 in order to finance the 5D.  And, with my MP I was shooting color again.  I could never really bond with the 5D so when I had the urge to buy another digital I went with Leica.  I love it.

My point is, during that whole time I was Shooting color transparencies I NEVER developed my film.  Prints, yes.  But film, no.  This thread is only talking about B&W which until now rarely shot.  So when you say “develop and print your own film”, I’m assuming you’re talking about B&W.  

Trust me, I know how to make the best use of my MP in the color world.  Again, I was only discussing B&W.  

Thanks for the POV though.

[Matlock]

40 minutes ago, S.Rolf said:

I

My point is, during that whole time I was Shooting color transparencies I NEVER developed my film.  Prints, yes.  But film, no.  This thread is only talking about B&W which until now rarely shot.  So when you say “develop and print your own film”, I’m assuming you’re talking about B&W.  

Trust me, I know how to make the best use of my MP in the color world.  Again, I was only discussing B&W.  

Thanks for the POV though.

I have always, until a few years ago when I moved house, developed and printed both B&W and Colour. I now only develop B&W and then scan the negs. It is a really easy process and, with a changing bag, there is no kneed of a darkroom. Keeping in mind the importance of dust avoidance there will be no discernible difference between your efforts and those of a lab. I accept what others have said about the pain of scanning (about as exiting as watching paint dry), but when I think of all those years in my darkroom at the farm cottage (really the bathroom) it is pretty easy. Give it a go.

[ChicagoMatthew]

2 hours ago, S.Rolf said:

Now that I’ve decided to hang onto my MP, my next obvious question is where to send my B&W film for developing and scanning?

Someone mentioned Dwayne’s.

Any others I should be aware of?

I think if you're going to shoot BW film you should develop it yourself, you'll save tons of money... BW is usually more expensive to send off for development than color. 

Also, for me, half the fun/joy of shooting BW film on my M7 is that I am part of a larger artistic process. I buy my film in bulk, roll it myself, shoot it (obviously) and then develop it in my bathroom. I pick certain developers and techniques to get a particular look and THEN, I scan it... a purist would wet print or make a contact sheet, but I think that is too much hassle. 

I also shoot an M10 in addition to my M7 and I struggled with keeping both, but I just decided that if I was going to shoot film it had to have a very decided look. Something I couldn't really get with digital. So, I shoot Delta 400 and push it to 1600/3200, pull out a lot of grain and create a very contrast heavy image. To each their own... but it works for me. 

[otto.f]

2 hours ago, S.Rolf said:

I’m assuming you’re talking about B&W

Right

[otto.f]

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1 hour ago, ChicagoMatthew said:

a purist would wet print

This is not about purism. I just cannot deny that an analogue baryt print shows more depth to me in the image than an inkjet print. Which does not mean that the most optimal tonal scale for an image that can easily be realized in a digital print is not very difficult to realize in a wet baryt print. But this difficulty is in itself also what makes some people hooked and determined to keep on trying. But that’s not purism, I’d rather say that digital prints have something to do with purism. 

[TomB_tx]

7 hours ago, S.Rolf said:

Where is Dwayne's?

Is this it?

https://www.dwaynesphoto.com/

Yes. Reasonable prices and good service.

[jeffz]

9 hours ago, S.Rolf said:

Now that I’ve decided to hang onto my MP, my next obvious question is where to send my B&W film for developing and scanning?

Someone mentioned Dwayne’s.

Any others I should be aware of?

I use https://www.4photolab.com and I am very satisfied.

[Frase]

looking at the prices for a basic scan and process $32 a film, for the price of that you could buy a secondhand tank chemicals and as a lot of people are doing now scan using digital camera.

[Ouroboros]

One of the reasons the ‘I Like Film’ thread is the most interesting and vibrant thread on the forum is because everyone who contributes to it is inherently creative, curious and willing to experiment.  Whether the workflow is totally wet or ‘hybrid’ is irrelevant to me.  

The process of exposing and processing film, scanning and printing or making prints in a darkroom is a cerebral and immersive creative proces that is all too easy to forego for the sake of the almost instant gratification of digital photography.  The title and opening post on this thread illustrates my point.  

It’s relative to the type of photographer you are, your aspirations and objectives and, to some extent, your individual personality.   Far from being tedious to me, scanning film is another stage of the creative process in making a print.  When I get it right and achieve the hybrid image I originally planned in my mind,  the satisfaction I gain is far greater than I get  with a digitally captured image. 

If would be a shame to stop using a camera like the MP simply because digital photography is ‘easier’.

 

 

Edited July 30, 2019 by Ouroboros

[ianman]

I agree with others.... develop the B&W yourself. It really is a piece of cake. Printing is another matter. It all depends what you want to do with your photographs. I use a little Plustek Opticfilm 8200i scanner and the results are perfectly good for viewing on screen. I use this as a preview system and if I want a better scan, then I will take that negative to a professional lab or get them make a silver print.

I don't understand why people seem to have issues with dust. I live in a *very* dusty house and have no issues. I dry the negs in the shower, they are cut and stored in paper sheets and only taken out for scanning. Occasionally I will use the blower once the negatives are in the holder and that will easily get rid of any dust.

[Matlock]

6 minutes ago, ianman said:

I don't understand why people seem to have issues with dust. I live in a *very* dusty house and have no issues. I dry the negs in the shower, they are cut and stored in paper sheets and only taken out for scanning. Occasionally I will use the blower once the negatives are in the holder and that will easily get rid of any dust.

I think what most people are referring to is dust during the scanning process. I certainly never have any problems during the developing stage but scanners, by their very nature, attract dust unless great care is taken. Well worth that extra effort though.

[otto.f]

2 minutes ago, Matlock said:

I think what most people are referring to is dust during the scanning process. I certainly never have any problems during the developing stage but scanners, by their very nature, attract dust unless great care is taken. Well worth that extra effort though.

That’s what I think too. Never, hardly, any problems in the darkroom. As soon as my slide or negative hits the scanner, Plustek or Epson850 for larger formats, it’s me who bites the dust

[ChicagoMatthew]

9 hours ago, otto.f said:

This is not about purism. I just cannot deny that an analogue baryt print shows more depth to me in the image than an inkjet print. Which does not mean that the most optimal tonal scale for an image that can easily be realized in a digital print is not very difficult to realize in a wet baryt print. But this difficulty is in itself also what makes some people hooked and determined to keep on trying. But that’s not purism, I’d rather say that digital prints have something to do with purism. 

I agree there is nothing like a well done darkroom print, they are spectacular. There is a guy on instagram that does amazing work @kityoung135 . Check him out.

But, a person that chooses to stick to traditional methods over newer ones, or traditional style over modern style is by definition a purist.

 

[Jeff S]

14 hours ago, S.Rolf said:

Where is Dwayne's?

Is this it?

https://www.dwaynesphoto.com/

Around since 1956, and also has the distinction of being the last certified processor of Kodachrome in the world in 2010.

Jeff

 

[ianman]

1 hour ago, Matlock said:

I think what most people are referring to is dust during the scanning process. I certainly never have any problems during the developing stage but scanners, by their very nature, attract dust unless great care is taken. Well worth that extra effort though.

Possibly I was not clear. Yes, of course I meant during the scanning process which is why I wrote "Occasionally I will use the blower once the negatives are in the holder". But again, I live in a very - really - very dusty house and don't have issues when scanning. I get much more dust on the sensor of my M9 than on film during scanning. A little care is all is required.

[Stealth3kpl]

I've been thinking of selling my Q and M-P240 in favour of keeping my 2 MPs. They are the best digital cameras I've owned and were superb whilst on a trip where I didn't wish to carry a lot of film. However, I've barely touched the Q since 2016 and the M-P240 since september 2017. I prefer using my MPs. I guess it depends on which final output you prefer. 

Pete

[Steve Ricoh]

5 hours ago, Jeff S said:

Around since 1956, and also has the distinction of being the last certified processor of Kodachrome in the world in 2010.

Jeff

 

 

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[a.noctilux]

As decades user of Kodachrome, I learn to be a bit "in the b&w world" since about more than ten years now.

Always learning 😇 with pleasure.

For me nothing is the same, just in the way of thinking "color or b&w" before tripping the shutter.

In my Kodachrome's time, I had to adjust the best when taking the pictures, parameters (or bracketting ) to have what I wanted in slides,

and after tripping the shutter, I had no control in final results, a kind of " take the picture, we'll (at Kodak) do the rest ".

...

In b&w world, the whole process of making of the final results can be fine tuned all over since tripping the shutter to print: the processing (by myself of course)

can be adapted to do the best out of the subject/film contrast, etc. then another possible finetuning with scan/print from the negatives.