Category: labnotes

NB: Phantom Markets

Posted on Posted in labnotes, Vanishing Points, visual mindTagged , , ,

The depth of products for photographers, particularly darkoom equipment, declined rapidly in the 90s, the time that most of the current beginners opened their eyes. Providing information about how things were done is more useful if provided with enough background to provide grounding. Rather than tieing their laces together, shut up.

Everyone asks for “it” — upon its production, most have a reason for no longer needing it…

So, the boxes of knowledge weren’t needed.

Amateurs make more requests than most makers can satisfy. As a market declines requests are as likely to be fantasy, role playing more likely. These assumed buyers flee, actually, they never existed. They were suspects, not prospects. No way to close that deal. Most online communities are intended as gossip centers. Sales talk. Buy and sell is the way of exchange. Few members have depth of experience. Most members, most people, even those declaring themself curious, have a narrow decade of knowledge… frequently, craft-skill is more limited than academic transferable awareness; even this is lost after a decade of disuse.

What we have is a gathering of curious, unskilled people passing on hearsay as teaching.

Peak commercial darkroom equipment sales was in 1979. The commercial, custom printers knew this; honest sales reps were quite clear about upcoming deals to be made, going so far as advising other avenues of purchase.

—How Groups Grow: dilution or distribution of effort. Online communities cluster in skill pools much as occurred in regional settings . These skill pools are never culture-free clusters.

The AGO Film Processor and B’s Processor are both designed for home film development, but they differ in functionality and design. The AGO offers automated agitation and is compatible with Paterson tanks, while the B’s Processor rotates the entire tank and is known for its compact size and ease of use. Here’s a comprehensive comparison of the Ago Film Processor, B’s, Jobo Silverbase, and Pira Darkroom Helper based on their functionalities and notable features.

Feature Ago Film Processor B’s Film Processor Jobo Silverbase Pira Darkroom Helper
Type Automatic rotary processor Standard processing unit Compact rotary processor Darkroom assistant tool
Compatibility Works with Paterson tanks Various standard tanks Compatible with JOBO 1500 series tanks Designed for darkroom setup
Film Formats 35mm, 120, custom reels 35mm 35mm, 120, 4×5 Various formats
Temperature Control Adjusts development time automatically based on temperature Manual control No water jacket; suitable for room temp Not applicable
Programming Pre-loaded programs; customizable Manual timing Automatic rotation with set speeds Generic darkroom support
Power Source Battery operated AC powered AC powered Not applicable
Cost Approximately $500 USD Varies (generally lower) Approximately $515.90 USD Not applicable
Suitability for B&W Excellent for B&W and color Primarily B&W Designed for B&W film processing Focused on assisting darkroom tasks
User Experience Easy temperature and time adjustment Requires manual intervention User-friendly rotary agitation Supports various darkroom processes

Detailed Insights

Ago Film Processor

  • Technology: It automatically adjusts development times based on temperature fluctuations. It can optimize processing for various color and black-and-white films.
  • User Experience: Battery-operated, allowing flexible usage in small spaces.
  • Pros:
    • Automatically compensates for temperature variations.
    • Includes pre-loaded programs for diverse chemical kits.
    • Efficient for both black-and-white and color processing.

B’s Film Processor

  • Technology: A more traditional processing unit, requiring manual timing adjustments.
  • User Experience: Generally more affordable but less feature-rich.
  • Pros:
    • Cost-effective option for users who do not require advanced features.Around $145
    • Simpler operation for those familiar with manual processing.

Jobo Silverbase

  • Technology: Rotary processor that employs magnetic rotating for even chemical distribution without a water jacket.
  • User Experience: Known for its compact design and efficiency, particularly for black-and-white films.
  • Pros:
    • Compact and user-friendly.
    • Excellent reproducibility of results.
    • Allows use of less developer with one-shot solutions.

Pira.mx Darkroom Helper

  • Estimated cost $250

Basing a product on Jobo or Patterson seems safe. Jobo having vocal suppoters, Patterson being owned by a larger manufacturer with multiple product lines.

Index Prints

Posted on Posted in coursenotes, Getting Stuff, labnotes, visual mindTagged , , , , ,

The idea print. Collecting visuals. Stages of the darkroom process. Beyond the wild guess. Looking more than once, while looking at more than one. Building the comparative response.

This index is from the librarians, not the linguists. /’ that it contains so much contradictory information that a verbal message is needed to fix its meaning ‘/ 

WHY make contact sheets — to see the roll, thereby providing selection by comparison.. provides an editorial overview as it reveals your progression of action in the event-scene.

The key point of this post is using “jigs” as aid to determining exposure of a print. They provide an efficient way to make several attempts, or tests of settings in making darkroom prints. Typically, they are used to determine exposure setting, however, they could also be used to test changes in contrast filters, or color balance filtration, since while the “flaps” are closed, enlarger settings may be changed.

These devices are the commercial form of what was frequently a kludge made by the printer from cardboard, tape, or, perhaps, scavenged sheet film holders. My initial, 1960s version was made using scrapped film holders. These were sold by the cardboard box full at the surplus stores.

The start point. finding a way in the dark. What is the exposure setting for darkroom materials. Color or black-white paper exposure must be tested; determined by making trial exposures. These are called “test strips” — strips, small samples of the material you will use to make your print.

Durst Test Print Tool
Ways of making test strips.

Drawing patterns, making conclusions.
Index prints are also known as “contact sheets,” or “proof sheets.” Most uses of these are as first edit device for selecting among negatives/slides. The exposure, contrast and processing controls are sometimes lax. I try for a first best use setting for the most interesting of the negatives. This sheet serves as my point of search into my file of pictures. Rather than shuffling through the negatives, I shuffle through my index prints. These prints, in some cases, provide my an easy notepad of what was printed and when. The details of the printing will be in a print/darkroom notebook.


What is the start point of making a darkroom exposure

By using test jigs, I was able to characterize film for making separations for dye transfer in as few as 6 sheets of film. A morning’s work. It was sixty years later that a boastful amateur told a student of mine that wasn’t possible.

Good to know. #OIC

CVI. Notes

Posted on Posted in dye transfer, labnotes, the Lab

It was called Dye Transfer, because the dye transfers (from Mat to Blank). Often, the name is the answer. Rollup is the step with results you see. The assembly is a mechanical stage, the hand stage of the process. While making a masks, separtions cannot be sloppy, they can be made a by-the-numbers procedure. Each stage multiple changes can be made. This was intimidating and exciting. Most found it too much to venture into. Lacking confidence is worse than lacking knowledge.

The show, as I review it, consists of three sections. These are: immersion and mounting the original, exposure steps, briefly covered, the camera moves over a couple important pieces of exposing equipment from the past; without prior knowledge, they are probably not noticed.

Note: they have a KM tri-level and a filtermatic. FM introduced 1961ish. K&M was across the bay from CCA, Tampa.


Irene Malli born 1964, and Guy Stricherz (b. 1948 – d. March 29, 2025 ) 

The mask is used during exposure of the separation, or the mask is used while exposing the separation to the mat. A mask+sep sandwich. This was occasioned when an original was small, restricting the binding of the mask and original before separating. Masks are, essentially, automatic dodging — most labs, and all published instruction I have found on the internet, rely upon “silver” masks, that is, colorless, neutral masks. They are most often made to filtered light, so they select the image color range you choose to control.

[Only those people of Blue Pizza, have been instructed about making non-silver masks.]

The portion of the video I would emphasize watching is the rollup segments. This comes at the 13min point. This is a key to master skill of dye printer. The prior stages are following instructions, rollup is experience based. Irene shows process mastery.

— laydown, position, clearing the blank … watch roller clearing, use. Notice gloves on, off sections. Watch it again… Wiping is an essential skill… how she lifts (corners).. we aren’t shown the pickup (probably with a scrap of mat, what I use.) She cleans the SLAB without gloves, preventing stained surface.

If there is a secret, it is their transfer times: (these aren’t secrets, times are within range of anyone else’s.)

  • Magenta transfer time is 8 mins
  • Cyan transfer time is 6 mins
  • Yellow transfer time is 3 mins


Pre-maskers baked the scale into the sep, so the mat stage was more automatic.This prebake allowed easier making of multiple mats. Most labs never needed many sets of mats, since a well managed rollup method allowed making many (50) prints. There were few labs that had to make more than 50 prints in an order cycle. (only three that I knew)

worlds ago… there was Phoho … Soho.. and the Dye Road. most of the dye labs were near Germain. I was.

[this is a current screen off goog maps. the end point addresses are FTL and CVI

Frank Tartaro taught at Germain, the basecamp, jump off point for many of the better dye transfer printers.

The New York days: (CVI, 23 Prince St. NYC NY 10012 // 212-226-3399). Some of the other labs: Frank Tartaro, Frenchy’s. Someone who made extremely complex dye-rollups was Nino Mondhe  (Buttenhoff 2 Wakendorfii Germany 011-49-4535-6867); Chicago dye was Edward Van Baerle.

Reminder: These ref values are for Kodak Products. Not Efke. Not OIC.