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1248 Review
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Review on Ars-Imago LAB-Box Black 2-Module Kit for Developing Tank by Durioki Cordaro

Revainrating 2 out of 5

Doesn't always work

I love this product. I'm new to developing my own film. I shoot 135, 120 and 4x5. The usual method of using a diaper bag in a dark room scared me even though I did it for a 4x5. I thought it would be perfect. He seemed reliable to me. The first two rolls of 120 were good, although I had to go through the tutorials a few times to make sure I wasn't breaking a process that wasn't easy. But then, as you can see from the photos, the third roll got damaged. Somehow the film stuck to itself and prevented the chemicals from touching the center of the roll. He was developing the final exposure. I made sure the fourth movie loaded correctly in a completely dark room, but it was ruined again. I tried the fifth throw but to no avail. I was so disappointed that I felt physically empty at the time. The thing is you can't check to the end. I checked all known issues with Lab-Box. One person on Reddit spoke about it but seems to have solved the problem while no one else said they had a problem. I found a review on YouTube by someone who seems to have been developing films for years. He was talking about the same problem as me and showed me a 120 roll that broke. And it seems that the problem appeared only with 120 film because the roll is not strong enough. He said he actually started using the Lab box more, but only for 35mm. I don't shoot in 35mm very often anymore. So I got my Lab box back and opted for a Paterson tank with AP drums. I couldn't believe how much easier the process was with Paterson! I could spend half or even a third of the time loading 120-roll film into a Paterson tank in a diaper bag in a darkroom. I have already developed 6 rolls of 120 film and 1 roll of 135 film, no problem. When the lab box ran everything was fine, although it took longer. I've never used it on 35mm film, only on five 120mm reels. But I don't want to risk ruining my 120mm film anymore.

Pros
  • Quick and easy: rolls of film can be loaded and processed in daylight with an intuitive and simple process
Cons
  • I'll write back