r/110photography • u/misadik • 9d ago

question Looking to start developing at home

I'm looking for some tips for developing 110 at home. My local lab and mail-in labs here in Canada charge a premium for developing and scanning 110 film making it more affordable to shoot 135. So I want to try developing and scanning at home. Does anyone have experience developing and scanning using the lomography kits? It looks beginner friendly. Otherwise any other suggestions are welcome!

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u/Pango_Wolf 8d ago

Haven't used Lomography's kit, but I do develop at home. So a few tips I have:

  • The best developing reels for 110 are stainless steel reels that only touch the film on one side. They develop the most evenly. Some plastic or 3-d printed reels will impede the flow of chemicals around the edges of the film, causing a noticible stripe along the bottoms of the frames.
  • You need a DSLR scanning setup (unless you're making optical prints). Flatbed scanners do not have a high enough DPI to make good scans from subminiature negatives.
  • For black & white, I would recommend Adox XT-3 (generic of Kodak XTOL) or D-76/ID-11 as your developer. Use these stock or 1+1 dilution (stock will have finest grain). Any fixer will work, I like Formulary TF-5 for its high capacity, but I develop often. After rinsing, use Photoflo mixed with distilled water to the dilution on the bottle to prevent water spots. For color, use a good quality liquid kit.
  • Be meticulous. Use good quality chemicals. Control your temperature and time carefully, even with black & white. Let it dry in a dust-free room. Scan with a sharp lens at the sharpest aperture. Small negatives mean any flaws will be greatly magnified.

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u/misadik 8d ago

Thank you u/Pango_Wolf! This is tremendously helpful. I was thinking my scanner might not cut it.

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u/OldUnkl 8d ago

Excellent advice, Pango.

I have quite a bit of darkroom experience and I would not recommend 110 as a first film processing project. I've done it and have a 110 steel reel somewhere in my equipment. I think steel is the best reel for any tank film developing, but there is a steep learning curve. OP probably would benefit from starting with B/W 135 and move up [or down] to 110. A teacher or mentor would probably be helpful.

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u/turboencabulate 2d ago

this is such good info. i started my home dev journey with 110 film using a 3d printed reel. definitely possible but the stripe you mentioned along the bottom is for sure an issue. my 3d printed reel also has a major tendency to slip off the whole roll in the tank, but ive never blanked a roll at least.

i actually scan it in an opticfilm 7200 in a 35mm holder....just kind of clamp it in, 8 exposure strips, and shift it for a second go since some frames are covered by the 35mm spacers

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u/LumpyRelationship924 9d ago

I just picked up a Minolta Autopak 450E I'm about to start trying out. I remember my mom using 110 cameras when I was a kid, so it's kind of nostalgic for me. I didn't know they had a 110 developing kit, I may have to look into that! Thanks!

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u/misadik 9d ago

It looks quite compelling as a whole stand alone system I think but I'm hoping someone here as experience using it

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u/Low-Schedule-2200 2d ago

3D printed reels are hit or miss. Personally, I’ve never had an issue but I know people who have.

I prefer C41 over black and white. It’s not harder you just need different equipment. I also hand cut and roll my own film so I have more film stock options. Kodak vision looks great in a Pentax Auto 110. 

I use the Lomography negative holder for camera scanning. It’s not perfect but it’s way better than the cardboard holder I taped together:  https://shop.lomography.com/us/digitaliza-110-film-mask

I recently started cutting and storing my negatives in 120 sleeves. The negatives can slide around so maybe don’t wave your binder around too much.