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Learn how to monitor the total film surface area your fixer has been used on to prevent exhaustion and discover tips for keeping it clean and free from particles during film processing.
This article is about how I process black-and-white films. I choose to hand process my 4×5, 120, and the occasional 135 films. Here, I will share the processing equipment I have used and what I have been using for the past decade.
Even though the Zone System is over 80 years-old, it is still relevant today whether shooting modern films or digital capture. This article is for photographers wanting to learn more about the Zone System for their particular workflow. We will look at how the Zone System works with a classic film-to-darkroom workflow, and a hybrid film-to-digital workflow. If you are strictly a digital photographer, you will find a better understanding of what the Zone System can offer you as well.
A film clip test can reveal if your developer and fixer are in good working order. If you enjoy shooting B&W films and want to learn how to develop your film (see my article on how to develop B&W film here), you should include learning how to do a film clip test. I have listened to photographers over the years say how they lost film to a bad developer (it can happen), or their reusable fixer reached its limit, and they made the mistake of using it one more time, only to find out it was too weak to do the work. If these photographers had only done a simple film clip test before they started the development process, it could have saved them their film and disappointment. This article outlines how I do my film clip tests.