- Location
- Switzerland
- Name
- Matt
First, a couple of caveats:
I really wish Ars-Imago would change the clip - since the axle it's attached to by a rather flimsy plastic strip is an exchangeable part of the spool, it would be easy to replace it, and at it is it's the most probable point of failure. The second point of contention is the exact position and shape of the film guide, at least for 120 film - I think it's maybe a bit too simple and doesn't help enough in correcting minor mistakes. But to be fair, if everything is lined up perfectly, it works flawlessly.
I will do another round of development using the 120 back - I'm convinced that it *can* be "learned" better. But I was hoping for something considerably less fiddly and error-prone. As things stand, I'll probably go back to my Paterson tanks for 120 in the future - yes, setting things up takes more time, but error checking (and correcting) is much easier, and sub-par results a lot less likely. I doubt that I'll ever use the Lab-Box 120 tank for a roll I expect really good images on. It may be alright for "quick and dirty" stuff, though (it'll probably get quicker *and* dirtier this way ...).
I'll report on my experiences with the 135 back soon.
M.
- I'm still a complete beginner when it comes to developing film, so you have to take everything I say with a grain of salt at the very least.
- None of the issues I encountered are unrelated to my own limitations - if something's a problem with the product, it's exacerbated by my personal shortcomings.
- I was consciously taking a lot of additional risks I won't go into here, mostly regarding the chemistry used (partially untested and/or
- The Lab-Box I have is the backer's version with the crank and the Professional lid with a timer and thermometer built-in, very handy. Both accessories are highly recommended and really practical. However, the general design of the Lab-Box means that it's so small that it's actually a bit cramped to handle and hold on to. It works, it's nice and small, but it's not that comfortable to hold (left hand - on the lid or back) and do agitation (right hand - the crank). That said, the crank clearly beats the knob, and the timers in the Professional lid work great, even though there's no acustic support - something that would have made things a little easier for me: I could have used the stool to sit on while working the crank, but I was unable to really see the display from that position, so I had to stand up the whole time when operating the Lab-Box - my back was kind of shot after three-odd hours.
- I've only used the 120 back so far because that's what I was more interested in - after all, it allows daylight loading of 120 film, which in itself is awesome. And well, it worked - after a fashion. Here's a list of all my troubles:
- You *will* expose some of the film to light, maybe losing the first frame (that happened on *all* rolls from old 6x6 folders - the No. 1 frame was affected in some way. This is basically unavoidable because you have to attach the clip that'll drag the film onto the spool (more on that in a bit), and you need some space on the film itself to do that. Furthermore, if the clip is not attached correctly, all sorts of bad things can happen:
- When the clip slipped for the first time, I managed to figure out what the problem was - only to open the Lab-Box before checking if the film chambre was closed. Minus one roll. I think it had to happen once - but the slippage shouldn't have happened in the first place.
- On one roll, the clip tore the end of the film, so I had to cut off a centimeter or so and re-attach it. But if you slip the film in just a touch to far, the film gets warped and will not lay flat on the spool. This resulted in some smudging and creasing during development and also when pulling the film off the spool - 50-60% of the frames lost.
- Another role crumbled up on the spool, so it was totally ruined during development (smudged all over, only one frame almost usable).
- The warping that can occur if the clip isn't attached in an optimal way can result in unevenness that can be exacerbated during development; on my last roll, things weren't as bad as I had feared, but some frames aren't completely flat and even.
- So, from six roles attempted, that's a total of four to work with, two of which are damaged or at least impacted to some degree. Of course, as indicated, some, if not most problems *can* be attributed to my own mistakes - but I feel things should certainly be less failure-prone.
- I think the clip itself is the main reason for most issues: It's fiddly and prone to damaging the film while not at all being easy and straightforward to attach sufficiently precisely to work well. On more than one occasion, it became detached (no doubt because of some tiny misalignment - so, also due to my own clumsiness). And before you ask: No, I have not used PET based films (I double-checked!) - those are known to tear too easily.
- It's also far from easy to pull the film safely onto the film guide if the alignment isn't perfect - even though the guide helps somewhat in counteracting some problems, its placement can cause additional issues because it's impossible to be sure that everything is working as it should. The whole thing is a tad flimsy - it's certainly more delicate and less securily alignable than it ought to be (maybe a smooth metal guide would help).
- Now, my bathroom *can* be turned into a darkroom (it was specifically modified to provide for that), but it's impossible to correct for all mistakes in the dark and only by feel - at the very least for me. This means that if something goes wrong, you're screwed (or at least I am). You'll then have to either sacrifice a frame to have enough space to work with or end up with warped film, which, at the worst, will be smudged and ruined.
- My intermediate solution for all the issues I described above is this: Prepare everything, including attaching the clip, than close the door, turn the lights off and try to get the film on the spool with the lid off (instead of closed) - which kind of negates all the advantages of daylight loading.
- If push comes to shove, sacrifice the frist frame. I don't like doing that at all, but on all roles I pulled out the film to the point where it touched the edges of the film guide, the roll went on the spool just fine.
- You *will* expose some of the film to light, maybe losing the first frame (that happened on *all* rolls from old 6x6 folders - the No. 1 frame was affected in some way. This is basically unavoidable because you have to attach the clip that'll drag the film onto the spool (more on that in a bit), and you need some space on the film itself to do that. Furthermore, if the clip is not attached correctly, all sorts of bad things can happen:
- Oh, and *don't* wear an activity tracker in the darkroom ... I forgot to take mine off (I was aware of the problem) once ... oh, well. I'll the "damage" when I do the scanning.
- Related, but somewhat of a "duh!" effect: I've been a bit wary of "spiraling up" 135 film in the changing bag - but it worked a treat yesterday, in fact, much more straightforward and easy than doing the same for 120 film. This only just goes to show: Try things and learn how to do them - if the design's right, it'll work out if you put your mind to it. Working with the Paterson tanks is super-easy overall - and they allow for the development of several rolls at once, too.
I really wish Ars-Imago would change the clip - since the axle it's attached to by a rather flimsy plastic strip is an exchangeable part of the spool, it would be easy to replace it, and at it is it's the most probable point of failure. The second point of contention is the exact position and shape of the film guide, at least for 120 film - I think it's maybe a bit too simple and doesn't help enough in correcting minor mistakes. But to be fair, if everything is lined up perfectly, it works flawlessly.
I will do another round of development using the 120 back - I'm convinced that it *can* be "learned" better. But I was hoping for something considerably less fiddly and error-prone. As things stand, I'll probably go back to my Paterson tanks for 120 in the future - yes, setting things up takes more time, but error checking (and correcting) is much easier, and sub-par results a lot less likely. I doubt that I'll ever use the Lab-Box 120 tank for a roll I expect really good images on. It may be alright for "quick and dirty" stuff, though (it'll probably get quicker *and* dirtier this way ...).
I'll report on my experiences with the 135 back soon.
M.