New Developer with Same Dev Time for All Black and White Films?

No, this isn't clickbait - a new developer has made this a reality...

Flic Film is releasing a new black and white film developer that processes all films at the SAME TIME.

Ok, you can pick your jaw up off the floor now…

Show of hands - who has or still does or is looking to process multiple types of black and white film on a regular basis??

If you shoot a variety, you know that each film has a different developing time. There are many different kinds of black and white films and even more options for developers.

Different developers accomplish different results.

But if you aren’t picky or tied to a ride-or-die developer and you’re tired of looking at the MASSIVE DEV CHART and you would LOVE one developer with one processing time for all of your film, then you may want to check this out.

Cue Flic Film’s Elementary Kit.

This full developing kit comes with all the chemicals you need to develop you black and white films, all of them…at the same development time…

I made a video about it:

Here’s a quicker summary if you don’t have time for a video though:

Flic Film’s Elementary Kit

• Processes 20 rolls

• Two-part developer (3 min dev time for each)

  • powder kit to mix

• Kit comes with Flic Film’s Quick Fix (liquid to mix) & Wetting Agent

Now, there is a slight exception for T-grain films, but it’s the fix time that is extended not the dev time. If you are processing T-grain films, the fix time is 6 minutes compared to 4 for all others.

The kit comes with packets of powdered chemicals to mix for the developer. The fix comes in a liquid bottle, which is also mixed with water to get the full amount.

Each packet and fixer bottle makes 1 liter of chemistry.

Ok, so this is interesting though…there are two packets for Part B developer. This is because the Part B chemical only has a capacity of 10 rolls. So you can either mix both now or save one for later when the first runs out.

Just make sure you label which one is which and how many rolls you have processed with each!

You will need 4 bottles total to mix all the chemicals in this kit.

My Experience

I’ve never been a huge fan of mixing powder kits. The exposure to inhaling the chemicals as they puff into the air while mixing makes me nervous, but if you wear a mask and glasses or goggles, your lungs and eyes should be safe. And gloves, of course.

(Disclaimer: but please follow all safety instructions that are relevant while mixing these types of chemicals)

And don’t mix food prep surfaces and chemical prep surfaces!

That being said, it’s pretty simple to mix this kit. The small pouches are easy to open. The box that houses the whole kit is small and great for people without a lot of storage space.

So, while the powder format is not my favorite to mix, there are a lot of advantages for ease of transport and storage.

The fixer comes in a liquid bottle to mix, which I loved. And the wetting agent doesn’t need to be mixed, this is something you add at the very end to the film before hanging up to dry.

Flic Film’s instructions are written on one page! I love it.

SIMPLE. EASY TO FOLLOW.

This is how I like film processing kits to be, especially for people who are beginners and just starting to get into it.

If something is unnecessarily complicated, that’s a barrier to entry. Which isn’t cool.

The Results

Ok, but how did the photos come out?

They came out great!!

I’m not holding the negatives under a microscope, but to me they look great.

I processed five different types of film, even one t-grain film. You can see more images in the video but I will include a few here.

For me, it worked well. I’m a fan of simplifying and this certainly takes the process of determining the development time for each black and white film out of the picture.

So, let me know if you process your own black and white film and what you use? and what you think of this news from Flic Film?

Cheers!

~MK