A fresh egg in commercial film development circles
Toronto. For decades trays and tanks were used in homes and small local processing shops. When colour became the film standard, “prints in an hour” shops sprung up using compact machines to process and print 35mm films.
Today, colour negatives are usually scanned and we use a computer to adjust and print each frame. I use this technique on my old negatives to create digital files with EXIF etc data embedded for keywords and other notations. Many computer programs can catalogue, adjust and print the frames today (Lightroom, Apple Photo, etc.).
The trouble is how do you develop your current colour negative films? Years ago we amateurs abandoned home processing and its finicky demands to local shops now long departed. So now what?
Well, how about “rolling your own” once again? Our journal co-editor, David Bridge sent me a note the other day about a small Canadian company called Reveni Labs who developed a clever computer controlled gizmo called a “Dunkbot” that replicates the way we do film processing and eliminates all the finicky stuff.
The folks at Reveni use the modern way to raise capital – a Kickstarter funding campaign. Oh yes, you should know how the “Dunkbot” works: unlike present day film developing using bottles, tanks, pumps and valves, etc. the “Dunkbot” uses a series of tanks containing the chemicals and a robotic lift that moves the film reel/holder from tank to tank. Agitation, development time and temperature are all controlled via the built-in processor (shades of smartphones and digital cameras – computers are into everything these days).
I used someone’s ‘kickstarter’ campaign in the past. For these campaigns, the folks who ante-up the funds are first in line to receive the product when manufactured. In my case, it was a device to charge Apple or Android smartphones while keeping the AC outlets free for regular use. Very clever.
Want more info the “Dunkbot” and how to subscribe to the kickstarter campaign? Check out this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattbechberger/dunkbot-affordable-automated-film-processor
Note: The title of this post (thanks David) is a riff on a famous American donut shop, “Dunkin’ Donuts”. I remember when they first opened up here. The donuts to me were much too sweet. The fad died out here and Dunkin’ went home where they thrive to this day leaving the field to Tim Horton’s, Country Style, etc..
