AGO Film Processor Review

Film pictures has change into well-liked once more lately, however growing it at house can nonetheless be daunting. Storing chemical substances on the proper temperature, remembering agitation cycles, and watching timers intently might be painfully time-consuming. It’s simple to make errors when the whole lot must be performed manually. The AGO Film Processor was created to make this course of less complicated, extra dependable, and much more correct and cost-effective. Being compact, battery-powered, and programmable, it automates repetitive duties whereas permitting you to regulate your workflow. Whether you might be utilizing black and white movie or dealing with advanced shade processes like E-6, it guarantees constant outcomes with out the standard darkroom routine stress.

The Big Picture: AGO Film Processor Conclusions

For years, growing movie at house has mixed artwork and science with a little bit of juggling. You’d need to intently monitor temperatures, agitate tanks, and time every step rigorously to the T. It typically felt like an additional pair of fingers could be wanted simply to course of a roll of movie correctly. The AGO Film Processor, created by Vintage Visual, addresses this problem. It’s a compact, battery-powered, programmable system that takes on the mechanical duties of movie improvement so you may think about pictures.

What makes this unit distinctive is its mix of automation and precision. It makes use of Active Time Compensation to regulate the event course of in actual time as your chemical substances cool or heat. Yup, that’s right – it adjusts the time wanted for every step in actual time, primarily based on the precise temperature. Instead of hovering with a thermometer and calculator, the AGO handles the calculations for you. The different star of the present – rotary agitation. This not solely ensures constant improvement but in addition reduces chemical utilization by as much as 60%. That’s a big financial savings should you develop movie often, particularly shade movie that normally requires extra pricey kits. Film pictures costs have been on the rise for some years now, so any form of financial savings on this style may be very welcome

In the previous few weeks, I’ve developed each black-and-white movie and shade reversal (E-6) utilizing the AGO. The outcomes weren’t solely constant but in addition surprisingly liberating. I didn’t really feel tied to the tank like I used to previously. This small system makes movie improvement extra predictable, environment friendly, and transportable. It’s not good, however I feel the subsequent iteration will probably be

• Automated temperature compensation ensures the event time stays correct at all times
• The rotary agitation system ensures even improvement whereas utilizing as much as 60% much less chemical substances
• Pre-set recipes for B&W, C-41, E-6, and others, together with Wi-Fi assist to your personal customized workflows. This is absolutely vital what with all the assorted hacked and restored movie inventory there may be on the market at present, which don’t actually observe customary processing occasions
• Rechargeable energy, so that you don’t should be tied to an influence outlet
• 35 and 120 movie assist, so long as you utilize the fitting Paterson SS4 tanks

I solely want the lock mechanism on the unit had a extra satisfying and audible click on. There have been occasions after I didn’t realise that the Paterson tank wasn’t firmly locked, which led to some leakage. Aside from this one little niggle, the whole lot else is absolutely on the cash with the AGO Film Processor. It’s definitely worth the value because it’s saving you a large number in the long term, and it deserves 5 stars and our Editor’s Choice Award for this.

Experience

The very first thing that struck me in regards to the AGO Film Processor was how a lot it modified the tempo of growing movie at house. Typically, movie improvement seems like a juggling act. You maintain your thermometer in a single hand, your timer within the different, and your tank someplace in between. All this whereas attempting to not lose monitor of the cautious order of steps. If you miss an agitation cycle by a couple of seconds, you find yourself with uneven negatives, as I’ve managed to do numerous occasions within the not-so-recent previous. With the AGO, I lastly felt like I might let go of a number of that anxiousness, however after all, solely after totally testing it out a couple of occasions.

Loading my Paterson tank was the identical as earlier than, which may be very a lot appreciated. Vintage Visual might actually have had us hooked on this product and compelled to purchase proprietary tanks (*cough cough* Apple), however they haven’t gone down that route. Once the tank rotated into place, and after I triple checked it, I chosen my course of from the menu and hit begin. That was it. No frantic faucets on a stopwatch, no fixed inversions. The rotary agitation began instantly, easily shifting the chemistry inside. The movement was regular and nearly soothing, however most significantly, it was constant. Since the tank doesn’t should be fully stuffed, it makes use of considerably fewer chemical substances. That is a small win that most individuals would possibly overlook at first, however after utilizing a couple of packing containers of C-41 or E-6 kits, the financial savings begin to add up. Especially in international locations the place chemical substances aren’t simply sourced domestically,y and we have to import them from overseas at excessive transport prices.

Another factor that stunned me was how trendy it felt. The AGO has preloaded recipes for black and white, C-41, and E-6, however you may modify or create your individual workflows utilizing Wi-Fi. It jogged my memory of loading customized presets into Lightroom, however this was for movie improvement. I attempted it by altering improvement occasions for a roll of black and white movie, and the changes synced immediately from my laptop computer. For as soon as, “programmable” didn’t really feel like advertising hype – it felt mandatory right here, and it typically labored higher than I anticipated.

The system itself feels compact and transportable, making it appropriate for real-world use. My favourite darkroom is in my dear friend Don Surendra’s house, a spot the place I’ve just about performed most of my growing these previous few years. We set the AGO up on it for the primary run, and what struck us immediately was how intuitive it was to make use of the unit. The menu wasn’t sophisticated in any respect, and the method itself is only a faster, less expensive approach of processing for seasoned movie developed. No worrying about being electrocuted regardless of having a motor in there, because the rechargeable battery (which lasts for about 5 hours) means you could possibly run a number of rolls again to again with out worrying about plugging it in. That form of freedom is uncommon with something film-related.

Now, there have been events once we noticed chemical leaking onto the desk, which works again to the tank lock problem. It would seem that this has been a generally reported drawback, as there’s even a bit on their web site addressing this. I realized about this hyperlink after I contacted Joonas, the brainchild behind this product. He responded shortly and informed me tips on how to tackle the matter.

Over the weeks, I observed how the AGO modified the texture of my workflow. For essentially the most half, Don and I didn’t fret a lot throughout the improvement. We spent our time chatting over freshly brewed tea and catching up on our latest pictures initiatives, sometimes glancing on the timer to see if the timing on the LCD was considerably matching the meticulously drafted timing charts that Don has in his pictures room. The unit would beep at any time when it wanted us to intervene, and we might step in for the subsequent stage earlier than letting it do its factor once more. I positively don’t miss the stress that normally comes with growing – the frequent second-guessing and strictly adhering to timelines.

Of course, it isn’t magic. You nonetheless need to measure and pour your chemical substances, preserve your workspace clear, and rinse the movie correctly. Still, having the AGO deal with the repetitive components of the method made the entire expertise smoother. Thanks to this, growing movie is beginning to really feel much less like a activity and tremendously helps save money and time

Results

The true check of any movie processor lies within the negatives and slides it produces. During the primary run with the AGO, we tried to develop a roll of black and white 120 movie. From the second the reel got here out of the tank, I observed a distinction. The improvement was clean, even, and free from the small inconsistencies that may happen with handbook processing. Shadows had element, highlights weren’t blown out, and the grain appeared clear and pure. It felt just like the form of outcome you normally get solely when the whole lot goes completely. Here, it occurred on the primary strive with out me worrying about timers and thermometers.

We then determined to maneuver on to one thing a lot much less forgiving: E-6 shade reversal movie. If you’ve tried to course of slide movie at house, you very properly know the pressures of conserving the developer on the proper temperature. Even small fluctuations can have an effect on the colours or make the pictures look uninteresting. As the developer cooled barely throughout the course of, the AGO’s Active Time Compensation characteristic quietly prolonged the length, making minimal increments in actual time. Honestly, it was like watching a self-aware pc carry out micro calculations in actual time, and to be truthful, it was one. The outcome was a set of vibrant, correct slides that appeared as if that they had come from knowledgeable lab. This was an experiment on many fronts because the inventory itself was a non-traditional roll from the oldsters at Elevan Chan. The shade steadiness was good, and the density throughout the frames was constant. When we held up these transparencies to the window, what we noticed confirmed that the AGO was delivering precisely what it promised.

I additionally developed a roll of C-41 shade destructive movie to examine for consistency throughout completely different codecs. I fairly preferred the outcomes right here too. Skin tones regarded pure, and there weren’t too many noticeable indicators of overdevelopment or streaking. The consistency between outcomes was what was most spectacular. With the AGO, every roll appeared to undergo the identical course of, and that’s just about what you need when it comes to outcomes once you’re already spending a lot on the supplies. You don’t really feel such as you’re playing with every roll.

As lengthy because the tank is locked on accurately, you may relaxation simple realizing that the outcomes will probably be in tune along with your expectations, offered the fitting steadiness of chemical substances is chosen. AGO provides you the peace of thoughts you want when growing analog movie in a digital world.