Several factors led to my renewed interest in film photography. I worked as a portrait photographer in the early 2000s, where I learned to load and shoot rolls of 70mm film with an old Camerz camera. A few years ago, I inherited my wife’s grandfather’s Canon F-1 camera, and a few months ago, a friend at our local camera club sold me a 1950s Kodak Duaflex IV. This was the final catalyst that led me to pick up yet another hobby.
I soon learned that the Duaflex IV uses 620 roll film—and just as quickly discovered that it’s no longer available. Fortunately, Kodak had originally spooled standard 120 film onto their own proprietary spools to encourage customers to buy Kodak film. That meant that, with a bit of tweaking, I could still use modern film in the Duaflex. You can re-spool 120 film onto an existing 620 spool, but that seemed more complicated than necessary. A toenail clipper and some sandpaper did the trick nicely. There are plenty of videos online explaining the process, but essentially you clip the rim off the spool and sand down the remaining parts. The 120 roll then fits neatly into the 620 camera.
I brought the first roll I shot to the local camera store and was pleasantly surprised by the results. I now knew the old camera worked—but I quickly realised it was going to be expensive to use…
…unless I learned to develop film myself.
Developing The Knack
There were a few things holding me back. For one, I couldn’t get film onto a reel for the life of me. I watched a dozen videos but just couldn’t get the hang of it—until I discovered reels with a built-in track that guides the film and ratchets it along using small ball bearings.
The actual development process felt completely foreign to me. I searched online and found a video of someone developing black-and-white film in his bathroom. With most focused on extremely technical details, this video showed that you could simply follow a few basic steps—and made it look surprisingly easy. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the video again or I would share it here.
From what I can recall, he explained how he loaded the film in a bathroom with the door shut and the lights off. After adjusting the temperature by feel, he began with a rinse. He added developer and agitated for the first minute, then for about ten seconds every minute, for a total of 7.5 minutes. Instead of using a stop bath, he rinsed and agitated with water before moving on to the final fixing stage. All chemicals were returned to their original containers for reuse, and his developing was done. He hung the film to dry—and that was it. Extremely simple, but effective.
This is essentially the method I use today. I followed the directions for Kodak D-76 developer and Ilford Rapid Fixer and mixed my chemicals. Rather than working in a darkroom, I used a changing bag to prepare the film and load it into the developing tank. I then turned the sink in the laundry room into a makeshift workshop where I developed my first roll of film. It was magical opening the tank and seeing my negatives visible on the newly developed film.
For a few days, I used my cellphone to scan the film against an LED photo light. It wasn’t ideal, but it gave me a quick and easy way to scan and share my images. I inverted the photos using the curves tool in Lightroom Mobile and fine-tuned them using the available editing controls. I soon realized that for larger negatives, I’d need a better light source, and discovered the CS-LITE camera scanning light source.
It’s a small LED panel boasting 95+ CRI and works extremely well. The accessories were a bit pricey, so I found 3D models and printed a tray to hold 120 film on the light, along with a 35mm film holder. The cellphone scans looked even better and eventually led me to set up my Fuji X-T2 on a boom arm to scan images directly into my PC at the highest quality I could achieve.
I could now develop my own images, but it still felt like cheating to scan them into a computer and treat them like digital photos. I was hooked and now I wanted the full analog experience.
Looking On The Bright Side
I searched online for a good deal on a photo enlarger. I found someone selling an entire darkroom setup but it included a metal sink, and a lot of extras that I didn’t want. They weren’t willing to sell the enlarger separately, so I had to pass.
I reached out through my camera club and received a few responses, but couldn’t believe my luck when one person replied that he was cleaning out his basement and was willing to give me the equipment if I picked it up. Even better, he lived only about 30 minutes away. Before I knew it, I had an Omega System C-700 condenser enlarger and a Super Chromega C-700 dichroic enlarger, along with a timer, safelight, multiple film holders, an easel, a contact sheet maker, and even a full set of filters.
I had a table in the corner of my basement that had become a dumping ground for photography bags, umbrellas, and light accessories, so I cleared it off and set up the enlarger. I needed space to develop prints, so I ordered a steel rolling prep table. It worked out perfectly: I could store chemicals on the shelf underneath and roll it into the laundry room to set up next to the sink. It was just large enough to hold multiple developer trays and also served as a workbench beside the enlarger.
I spent a few weeks sourcing the rest of the equipment and chemicals I’d need:
- Developing trays (I initially bought a generic brand but later picked up Patterson trays, which I prefer)
- Silicone tongs
- Ilford Multigrade developer
- IlfoStop for the stop bath (I wasn’t sure water alone would work here as it did with film development)
- Ilford Rapid Fixer (to save money, I mixed a fresh batch using the same fixer I use for film)
- Paper — I started with Ilford Multigrade 5×7 paper
Finally Up And Running
The printing process felt magical as the image slowly appeared on the paper. I managed to produce a few decent prints before learning my first big lesson. My safelight was very dim, and I could barely see beyond my immediate work area. I didn’t realize I’d left the paper bag open when I turned on the light to review my prints. The entire package was exposed to enough light to ruin every remaining sheet. Those packages aren’t cheap, so I was pretty upset with myself. I used the remaining sheets for testing and practice, though every print had dark edges and fogging where the paper had been exposed.
I picked up a package of 8×10 paper and, after just two prints, made the same mistake again. The fogging wasn’t as severe, but it still ruined my chance of making full-size 8×10 prints. I found a creative solution for salvaging the paper. By placing a mat with a 5×7 opening over the print, I could center the image on the sheet. It created a nice border around the image, and I can confidently say I like the look. I might experiment with a thinner mat to print slightly larger while keeping the border.
I later purchased a brighter red safelight that didn’t affect the paper. I can now actually see what I’m doing in the darkroom and visually confirm that the paper is put away before turning on the lights. It’s also much easier to set up the enlarger without constantly switching lights on and off.
I’m still in the early stages of my journey, but it’s been a lot of fun—and I can’t wait to see what I create next (as soon as my new packages of paper arrive 😄).