Re: [Leica] space and money-considerations for home processing

[Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@bayarea.net>]

Hmm. I live in a small apartment too. All of my B&W film processing
equipment is stored in a space about 17" wide, 12" deep, and 14" tall,
that is, most of one shelf in the bottom kitchen cabinet next to the
stove. I keep a plastic bag full of fresh film at the bottom of the
refrigerator, and another 12x12x12" box in the bedroom closet with
reloadable cassettes and bulk loader, as well as a few rolls of film at
room temperature so I don't have to wait for the stuff from the fridge to
warm up when I'm in a hurry. (Film drying can be accomodated by hanging
the film over your bathtub or in your shower stall. Most homes have one or
the other...)

So the space commitment is pretty small. The cost of the equipment will
set you back a bit of money but it isn't huge. Barring the cost of the
equipment, I figured out that costs of film bought in bulk and processing
chemistry runs me about $2-$2.50 per roll of 36-exposure. The one-time
cost for the equipment (tank, changing bag, storage bottles, measuring
beaker and thermometer, mixing pitcher) is probably about $75.

You can get a lot of mileage out of doing your own B&W processing. You
don't need to spend $12/roll for processing plus film cost. I never bother
with proof sheets ... waste of money. Put the negs in plastic pages and
read them with a loupe. Scan a neg when it looks like it might be worth
working with. Much better that way.

You have more control, save money, and can learn more in the process. It's
well worth your while.

Godfrey