For film users it’s been a lean few years on the film and print developing front. High street shops that develop and print film are becoming few and far between, and those that still exist only process 35mm print film.
A few specialist mail order companies still offer E6, and Black & White for 35mm, Medium Format and Large Format, but these are cutting there services. The local one I use has just stopped processing Black & White for Large Format 10 x 8.
I like many old film users have the equipment for manual processing of 35mm Black & White film, but I do not have the means for Colour or Medium and Large Format.
It’s been over twenty years since a new home processing unit was release and in 2010 the last unit available was discontinued.
I would like to shoot more Black & White film for Medium and Large Format but good quality processing is getting harder and harder to find, so in the last two weeks I have been researching my options.
Manual processing is still an option and you can still pick up Patterson, Jobo processing tanks as well as solutions like BTZS but I would prefer a temperature controlled semi automatic system that can handle colour too.
There have been rumours recently that Jobo may be about to go into production with a new model this year. The prices of old second hand units has been climbing in the last twelve months, and they now cost more then they did new. Checking out their website, I looked up their UK distributed and dropped them an email. Their reply was prompt and promising; I was please to find out that Jobo are currently gauging interest and are looking at putting a new model into production this summer for an autumn release. Its unlikely to be cheap but it should mean that secondhand prices should drop and new spares are also soon to be coming.
Its interesting that Fuji has been releasing new films and new film medium format cameras yet companies like Kodak have been cutting back. Let’s hope films revival continues and more film related products get released.