Getting Good Negatives

Careful use of a light meter is the essential first step for getting good negatives

©PeterParsons

Getting a correct exposure by careful use of a light meter and adjusting for bellows extension, the Mamiya TLR black and white photographer is still faced with a number of developing choices to obtain a good negative.

Darkroom printing is an art unto itself and requires skills developed over time, along with a thorough knowledge of equipment and materials.

I will assume most current black and film users will want to develop their own film.

Negatives can then be scanned for internet use and to make prints using a printer.

Outsourcing digital files to a lab is also a great way to get excellent enlargements from your black and white negatives.

The most inexpensive and quickest way to get good negatives is to develop film yourself.

Normally we arrive at a film/developer combination based on a recommendation or through experimentation.

T-Grain films such as Kodak T-Max or the Ilford Delta range are the most recent in film technology before the digital tsunami and they are still available along with their recommended chemistry.

My favorite film/developer was and still is Kodak's Tri-X and D76.  I used this combination for many years as a newspaper photographer before colour in newspapers became dominant.

For my current Mamiya work I use Ilford HP5 Plus film which is similiar to Tri-X, but less expensive.

Digital Truths Massive Developing Chart is also a good source for different film/developer combinations: https://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php

I still have a good stash of Kodak powder chemicals developer D76 and Fixer left from a large purchase made several years ago and will use these until they run out before turning to Ilford.

My 120 film is developed at home in the laundry tub using a 16 ounce stainless steel tank and film reel.

I do not recommended the adjustable reel plastic tanks such as the Paterson for 120 films. They do a great job for 35mm films but I have found the 120 reel size does not allow for good flow of developer during agitation, often leading to uneven negatives.

Air bubbles, overdeveloped edges and underdeveloped central areas of the negative are most common complaints using these reels which are adjustable for both 35mm as well as 120 films.

Other required items are a film changing bag so you can load film onto reel in daylight. You can however find a completely darkened room.

Loading film on a metal reel is the most daunting of tasks for the novice developing their first films.

Sacrifice a roll or two of unused film so that you can practice (by visually observation) before loading your exposed film onto reel inside the light proof changing bag.

I use D76 diluted 1:1 for film developing and this is dumped after each roll. The stainless steel developing tank holds 16 ounces. The one gallon size of 128 ounces will develop about 16 rolls of film.

The gallon size of Kodak fixer is used full strength and returned to its jug after each use.

Do not use the fixer beyond  manufacturer's recommended capacity as scratching negatives during squeegee use is increased.

A thermometer is needed to mix the developer and water to a working temperature of 68 degrees F.

Try to always use the same temperature of developer/water mixture by carefully adding small amounts of either warm or cool water along with the developer in a container (8 oz each of developer and water) until the 68 degree temperature is obtained.

Careful and consistent agitation is the key to evenly developed negatives.

Pour developer into tank and give it a couple of good raps to dislodge any air bubbles which may be attached to film. Every minute slowly invert the capped tank gently a couple of times. After 13 minutes are up dump the developer.

Fill the now empty tank with water for a 30 second quick rinse and then add fixer. Agitate fixer in the same manner as the developer. Kodak's powder fixer requires a soak of at least 10-12 minutes at 68 degrees.

Wash in running water at 68 degrees for at least 30 minutes

A wetting agent such as Photofo can be used after wash but is not necessary. Carefully wipe film with a film squeegee. Be careful not to scratch film. Hang to dry using film clips or clothespins.

Examine you negatives. If the side edges and central areas look even your agitation was successful.

Darker looking edges are a sign of overly aggressive agitation. With under agitation the edges look good but central areas are too underdeveloped looking.

Good luck! It may sound relatively straight forward, but it may take a number of rolls before the goal of consistent results are obtained.