I started developing my own film because I was impatient and didn't want to wait for a lab to do it. Also my lab in China started ruining my negatives. As soon as I started developing film myself I started looking for ways to make it easier. The inversion process was an obvious target, so I bought a poor man's Jobo on TaoBao in China. It's a horizontal motorized device that has only one control - speed. It only cost US$50 and has worked great for the last 3 years. It's all I really needed. I can handle the temperature myself using a sous vide warmer.
@@mynewcolour The speed does not really matter, you want some speed as half of the film is out of the developer when it rotates. So you dont want to exhaust that developer that's on the film. Iw tested really fast rotations, it does not matter at all. Any rotating platform is amazing, as you save so much chemicals. I can develop 10 sheets of 4x5" with 250ml. Or 5 rolls of 135 with 500ml.
I decided to back this after seeing this video. I've always hated wrestling with my sous vide/thermometers to try and keep my temperature perfect and this seems like a perfect solution and a huge time saver.
Was just about to pull the trigger on a Jobo after watching your video on it as I wanted a home development solution, but this looks like a way more appropriate option for me as someone who's just starting out in film photography. Definitely backing this! It would be really cool to see your results and thoughts developing color film with it, and also how the results compare to your Jobo. Appreciate you making this Kyle!
a fantastic idea, and one Ilford could add to the simplicity kits, the chemistry in a yoghurt container, and as it does most things and is simple enough for kids to use, this device would augment this already turn-key solution into a full system; one buy, except the consumable chemistry, and done!, especially for school art, or for photography beginner darkroom classes.
Having developed many hundreds of rolls (not just one roll) in Paterson-type tanks, I have one big concern: when using the tank normally (with inversion agitation) you're supposed to spin the reels and central core a few times at the start of development to dislodge air bubbles. This is done via a keyed rod that you insert down the center of the funnel. I think everybody who has used a Paterson tank very much will bear me out that it is VERY common during this initial spin for the reels and core to drag, catch and stall when they rub against the inside of the tank. It's not so bad for a spin or two, but if I understand this blurb correctly, the AGO relies on this center-core spin *all the time* for agitation. If the AGO's motor doesn't have a lot of torque, it will stall out if this happens... and if it has enough torque, it might pull itself out of the tank, or unlock the top of the tank, or rip the end of the film off the reel. I would need to see a LOT more field experience with this agitation method before I'd be confident in leaving it unattended. I'm also not sure that handling temperature changes by varying development time in response to a fixed curve is as great an idea as the host thinks it is... different films and developers respond to temperature change differently, so this approach would be only a "ballpark" solution. I'm sure it would work fine with b&w film, which is pretty tolerant, but again, I'd rather see more testing (at someone else's expense) before I tried running super-picky E6 films in it.
you shouldn't develop colour film at anything other than 38 celsius because the 3 color layers develop at different rates at different temperatures resulting in colour shifts, the naked photographer has made a great video demonstrating this
It's an interesting (& intriguing) device, Kyle, but it moves us towards yet another modus of laziness; certainly, I can fully appreciate its dynamic - especially if you are indeed, limited for space. I've been developing & processing film for decades - it's really no effort at all to do this all by hand. Great idea for mass-produced film stock, but for a one-person developer, wholly unnecessary. Thank you for the presentation, Andrew.
I saw this thing originally a year or so ago and thought it would never actually happen but I loved the idea. Glad to see they made it happen and it works really well. Personally I paid similar for my Jobo with the lift so won't be rushing out to buy one, but tell you what I'd much rather set that little thing up than the Jobo as mine doesn't have a permanent home haha.
I love this. I have about 20 rolls of 35 mm and 120 films that need to be developed. This would make life easier, cheaper in the long run, and makes developing easier. About $350.00 for the U.S. version but I think I need to invest in this.
I'm not sure it actually makes developing any *easier.* Agitating a Paterson tank via the traditional inversion method is boring, but not difficult or onerous... and agitation is the ONLY part of the process that the AGO actually automates. You still have to load the film reels and tank in the dark, mix the chemicals, pour them in and out, remove the film and hang it up to dry, and clean up everything afterward. The video makes it obvious that spillage is still a messy problem. And if you like the "time compensation" method of dealing with temperature changes, you can do it with a thermometer and a chart. The only potential advantage would be that you can be getting the next solution ready while the AGO is agitating the current one... and that's only if you can trust it not to stall, stick, tip the tank off the counter, etc., which we won't know until people accumulate a lot more field experience.
I love my Paterson Tanks. They are much easier to load than my JOBO tanks. Some chemical processes such as color slides, require precise time/temperature paprameters though.
I don’t mind the manual process at all when it comes to developing my film. That’s one of the reasons I went back to film because I found myself enjoying the process. Also, this is one of those times when I can truly get away from my phone. Interesting product though.
Very cool video... thanks for letting us know about this! Will you just be talking about gear in upcoming "In Focus" segments, or will you for example talk about other peoples creative work? Thanks again!
I’ve thought about trying some film development for a long time, just can’t do it now… I’ve got a perfect camera to get me into it as well, ‘55 Zeiss Ikon Contaflex which was my fathers. His mother had purchased it so he could record photos of my parents first born, yeah that would be myself. I had the camera repaired as both the shutter and aperture were not working. Probably spent way more in repairs than the cameras worth, but it has a lot of sentimental value to me… Enjoyed your review, decided to subscribe as well.
Very interesting processor. I would prefer a more simple interface. One knob ON Off and the timer. I think too much electronics programs. In the darkroom the hands are usually wet... so touch screens and buttons are not easy to use.
Just got the AGO film developer kit that came with 2-reel patterson tank already. Haven't developed with it yet. You mentioned adjusting developer time due to constant agitation vs the standard inversion cycling you go through. Where do you see what is required for c41 film developer times? I use cs-41 cinestill liquid kit.
It looks great, but I really don't understand the drilling out the funnel part. Why does this happen? Maybe they need to ship the product with a drilled out Patterson tank for a little extra. Just seems strange.
Just so I understand for sure, does the temperature compensation occur continuously during the development? For example, if the temperature drifts down (or up) during development, does the unit readjust the time as the development cycle proceeds?
@@KyleMcDougall I don't believe what you said is correct.. According to the product page, it states that "AGO takes care of the rest by continuously monitoring the temperature and automatically adjusting the processing time during the process, guaranteeing consistently perfect negatives with every use."
One big minus is that AGO supports only nonstandard home kits in C-41. Bellini is a variant of C41 RA, but all the others are nonstandard simplified kits with blix. There is no program for standard C-41 with Fuji or Kodak standard chemistry.
Interesting. Very interesting. Kyle (or anyone from Vintage Visual): can you use it vertically or does it have to be on its side? Also, what kind of batteries and can they be swapped out? Thanks for the video. Like this idea a lot.
Yes, it can be used vertically (which requires more chemical volume). Details on their website about that. I believe the batteries can be swapped out, and also it's charged via USB C.
I developed my own film for years and never had a problem with temperature of the chemicals. You always started with the chemicals at the right temp but then just went into the agitation etc. Can't say I even thought it was a problem but would like to hear more about that. Is it when people live in a cold climate?
Temp correct at the start but do you measure the temp at the end? Putting agitation into the chemicals may increase the temp, especially if it’s constant agitation. If temp increases slowly during the process, I’d say it’s good to compensate or you over develop the negs.
As much as I love the process of shooting film, scanning my negatives, and the editing process in Lightroom, I just really can’t get myself interested in the idea of developing my own film. I remember when I was in school to become an x-ray technician and I had to learn how to develop my own x-ray films, It just seemed so complicated and tedious. Even now, I’d much rather find a good lab that I trust to develop my film and then I’ll scan them myself at home. Am I alone in this? Haha
Nope. I’m with you - enjoy the process of shooting/scanning but can’t get into development. But as someone who primarily likes to shoot slide film… the number of labs that still process E-6 grows smaller each year.
@@MinerDolansee I'm slightly opposite. I like shooting and developing and seeing the results. It's fun to me. But I really don't enjoy the scanning process, even doing it with a DSLR setup. I kind of run out of patience during the scanning process.
How can you use less chemical the way it shows? Isn’t the amount of chemical you use fixed to the amount of film you develop rather than the size of the tank?
I don't think it can do 8x10. They do list it as being compatible with 4x5, with a specific type of film holder for the Paterson tank. Personally, I'm using the Jobo 4509n reel with my CPE which I've found to be amazing for 4x5. 6 sheets with very little chemical useage.
If you're not processing too many sheets at a time, a Paterson Orbital (with or without the motor base) is a good option. I use mine for 5x4" and 9x12cm. It only requires 150ml of solution, so very economical.
Isn't it a bit useless in general? An automated agitator and a thermometer? For 400e???? What am I missing here? If it automated chemicals in and out, it would've been an interesting product that justifies the price... now you still have to manually do everything except agitation and you have to keep this thing on top of your tank.... and take care that you don't spill any chemicals on it... and change it's batteries....
When I opened the video I knew this was gonna be a cool product but with a "niece" price, meaning overpriced... but holy shit... 320 bucks for an ealry bird and now 440?!?!?! That's just beyond insane, it's just crazy... let's be honest, it's a 20 dollars PCB with a motor and a thermometer attached to it, the display is probably the most expensive part... it shouldn't cost more than 150, and even that would be borderline overpriced. The lab I go to charges €12 for developing and digitalization, if I shoot a roll of 35mm a month, I can develop more than 2 years of film at my lab and still save money! With the new price I can go for 3 years and still have money left!!! It's just insane... the idea is very cool, but people need to calm down and realize that some of the prices they're asking for these simple little products are just off the roof...
I was thinking the same. It is obvious the person who created this producto thought about it, it is just a matter of people start using it to hear their results and how well the final product works.
It's a few dollars worth of plastic and electronics - the Chinese could crank it out for $5, and sell it for $50. Unless the AGO people have their own factory, that's where it's coming from anyway.
@@mikesmith-po8nd a mold alone is like $10,000 for the company to make and then they usually have to have an order of 10,000 units to get the price reasonable.
So they reached out to you but its not a sponsored video? So you will be sending it back to them? I thought the kickback was you kept the product after review? So it is a sponsored review!
