Analogue Photography and Film FAQ

A collection of the most-commonly asked questions and issues presented on APUG. The aim is that this will act as a one-stop repository for basic answers, tips and tricks (folk knowledge and the things "they don't normally tell you") and a reference full of links to useful information on the analogue photography forums.

This is very much a work in progress!

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Basic Film Processing Howtos

• Basic B&W Film Processing (monochrome negatives)
• C41 Processing (colour negative)
• E6 Processing (colour slides)

Common Processing Issues

• My negatives are pink or purple
• My negatives are blue
• My negatives are completely blank/clear
• My negatives have edge printing but no images
• My negatives are completely black
• My negatives have crescent-shaped dense marks
• My negatives have uneven pale brown staining
• My negatives have a milky appearance, mostly in the middle
• My 35mm negatives have patterns that line up with sprocket holes
• My negatives have little blobs near one edge
• My negatives have dense spots all over
• My negatives have dribbles of different density
• My C41 negatives are unusually dark brown, grainy and of low saturation

Other Issues

• My long exposure is unexpectedly underexposed (reciprocity failure)

Printing Howtos

• Basic B&W Printing
• Basic B&W Paper Processing
• Split Grade Printing
• F/Stop Printing
• Notes on safelights
• RA4 Processing (colour prints from negatives)

Exposure Techniques

• Sunny-16 Rule
• Metering for Infrared

Advanced Processing Techniques

• Zone System
• Stand Development
• B&W Reversal Processing (monochrome slides)
• C41 Bleach Bypass, Rehal, ENR

Notes on Specific Developers

• D76
• XTOL
• Rodinal and Parodinal
• HC110

Notes on Specific Films

• Efke 25 (same as Adox CHS25ART)
• Efke IR820
• Ilford SFX200
• Ilford Pan-F
• Ilford Delta-3200
• Fuji Acros
• Kodak Tmax 400

• Kodak Ektar 100
• Kodak Portra 160 and 400
• Fuji Pro160S
• Fuji Velvia 50, 100 and 100F
• Fuji Provia 100F
• Fuji Astia 100F

Misc

• What is a "roll" ?

Forums and Sources of Information

• APUG
• Large Format (much excellent info) and forum
• Way Beyond Monochrome
• Butkus Camera Manuals
• Michael Hohner's Minolta Reference
• Dyxum Minolta/Sony AF forum
• Dyxum Lens Database
• Van Walree on Optics

Informative Forum Threads

• Bob Carnie's Printing Tips
• C41 vs E6 bleaches
• C41 Bleach capacity (APUG)
• Ctein's grain-focusing gotcha (APUG; Ctein replies page 7)

Where to Buy

• Ag Photographic: UK, has hard-to-find colour chemicals
• B and H: US-eastern, largest and often cheapest range
• Freestyle: US-western

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