Tipster: How to Develop Medium Format - 120 Black and White Film

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If the word medium format makes you shiver, and the idea of self-developing 120 film scares you off, we have prepared a very simple tipster for you. Let's break the ice slab and conquer the world of medium format, from shooting to development.

As we said, there is no need to panic; the process is the same as it is for 35 mm film. The only difference here is your reel, which must be the corrected size of 120. It is good to practice loading the film before you find yourself with your hands in a dark space. This is, after all, the most delicate part of all the steps to follow.

No fear of loading

When opening a 120 film, you'll find that there is a protective foil. The protection needs to be pulled away from the film. In the end, they are tight with a small strip of tape. Delicately take it away. If you can't rip it off, use some scissors. Once your film has been removed from the foil you can now load it to the reel. Be extra careful not to overlap the layers. It can damage your frame and consequently ruin your film. Make sure you load your film in a pitch dark environment.

There are different solutions to loading film in the dark, such as dark bags and dark boxes. Be a step ahead and check to have the material you'll need ready; once you start this process, you mustn't have any light leaks. Once you start you won't be able to take your hands out of the bag until you've loaded it to the reel and sealed it. Alternatively, if you have access to a dark room ( for example, your bathroom ), be aware that light could go through your door, let your eyes get used to the dark and see if there is any light coming through. Perhaps covering the glimmers with some towels is a good security measure. A list of useful tools for 120 film loading:

  • Scissors
  • Tank
  • Spool / Reel
Photo by Elisa Parrino

Development

Our film of choice is Berlin Kino ISO 400 and we developed it using HC-110 for 300ml solution-B. To prepare your solution, you will need to combine 31 ml of HC-110 and add 269ml of water at 20°. Pour your solution into your tank and immediately start the timer. Agitate for 5 seconds every 30 seconds, over 7 min. Once the time is over, rinse with running water, or fill your tank and shake it for about 2 min.

Pictures: Step 1 and step 2

Fixing

Now it's time to fix your film; we used Ilford Rapid Fixer: 1 to 4, which means: 100ml of fixer diluted with 400ml of water, also at 20°. After you washed the developer with water, pour the fixing solution and start timing. The recommended time varies from 3 to 5 min. If you use a fresh melange, 3 min is enough, however going over 5 min should not affect your results too much.

Remember that you can reuse your fixer until exhaustion. If you do, have some of the formula ready, proceed to reuse it. After the fixer has no more life, it must be discharged properly according to your city regulation. Check with your trusted photo lab, and see if they collect the chemical waste; it can be a safe way to handle it.

Picture 1: measuring the solution, picture 2: examining the negatives 3 axes point to invert after scanning.

Dry and Scan

We highly recommend to dry your film overnight. We never use the hair dryer, to avoid contamination from dust flying on your film. Be patient and you'll have a better change of clean negatives once you'll scan it. After waiting for the film to dry overnight you can now check your negatives, then you'll be ready for scanning.

We used our Digitaliza 120 Scanning Mask, a digital camera and a light panel. Use a macro lens to photograph the negatives then invert in post using Lightroom or Photoshop. Go onto your curve panel, invert your axes points and you'll have a positive image.

Photo by Elisa Parrino

After Thoughts

During the loading process, some light might have filtered through. Surprisingly I'm not disappointed by the results as I think it's one of those times when we have a happy accident and it gives the final images a special touch. The Berlin Kino ISO 400, is also known to have a soft characteristic which I found especially fitting for this set.

For this time, I also reused a fixing solution that I had ready from a previous project. We all love analogue photography for the challenges that gives, every time and its remarkable flexibility and sensitivity to external variations. Unless you are making some mistakes; many of these variables will contribute to enhancing your pictures and producing unique photos. I'm personally very fond of the medium format, its size and the composition are a true delight to me.

Photo by Elisa Parrino

We look forward to seeing your experiment with medium format films and home development techniques. Comment below the different formulas you have tried, or that you'd like us to try, and share your results with the Lomography Community !

written by eparrino on 2022-02-25 #tutorials #developing #tipster #black-white

Berlin Kino B&W ISO 400 120 Film

Capture life’s most elusive moments in everlasting monochrome charm with the 2019 emulsion of our iconic black and white cine film.

3 Comments

  1. leisuresuit
    leisuresuit ·

    Cool!

  2. trad69
    trad69 ·

    Don't forget to wash again after the fixer.

  3. eparrino
    eparrino ·

    @trad69 Yes! absolutely! You are right! :)

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