ft> That being said, I also recently realized that saving a buck or two on a roll of ft> film may not be as cost effective as I had originally thought, when I factor the ft> cost of processing B&W into the equation of how much a roll of film costs me. ft> Such small savings really don't seem so significant when I look at it that way.
ft> regards, ft> frank Hi Frank, "cost of B&W processing" are next to none for me, especially compared to costs of professional C41 processing (I don't take my beloved negs to some icky walmart-type place, not every one is run by Wheatfield ;-) The biggest "cost" is the involved time, which can be cut down using even simple automation and procedure. B&W processing is simply the CHEAPEST way to get pictures. Especially if you use developers diluted 1+3 (like Microphen 1+3 which I use for most normal films, for pushing I use it one-shot undiluted). Add a very small amount for sleeving the film, and you are at about 25% of cost of C41 processing, or less. E.g. I process 5 films at once in the tank. Dev times are about 10-15 minutes, on average. The whole time can be cut down to 30 min, total (and even less, of course), excluding dryig which I don't have to attend. Cost for me is 0.15 Euro per single film for developer, and increases to about maximum of 0.4 Euro with the costs of other chemistry and water used plus sleeving (that's a maximum). Compared to single roll processing of about 1.4 Euros per single C41 film, that's 1/3 of the price (and sometimes even less, if I get the chemistry cheap - e.g. I use chemical lab obtained Glacial Acetic Acid for my stopbatch which cost me next to nothing - 3 Euros for a litre of 98% acid... which gets diluted to 3% for use<g>). Now, I can get better prices for processing at places I friends, because I am semi-pro - here pros and semi-pros pay quite lower prices than normal amateurs for processing, often by "secret" arrangement with the lab. Makes sense when you know how high the costs and low profits are if you do freelance here. Good light, Frantisek Vlcek - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
