Dip and Dunk Film Processing

It's time for another episode of our video series just for film photographers: Richard's Film Snap! Each episode covers a bit of must-know film wisdom in just two minutes or less…

We'll be done in a snap!

In today's episode, let's take a look at what dip and dunk film processing is--and why it's the very best way to develop your film!

Transcript:

FILM SNAP: WHAT IS DIP AND DUNK?

Hey there, and welcome to another edition of Richard Photo Lab’s Film Snap! A bit of must-know film photography wisdom in two minutes or less. We’ll be done in a snap!

You only get one shot to develop film… so it better be done right! At Richard Photo Lab, we use the dip and dunk process, the very BEST way to develop film for vibrant, high quality color negatives and breathtaking black and white negatives.

So, what exactly is dip and dunk?

We’ll, it’s just like the name says… 35mm film, 120 film, and 220 film is hung from racks and dipped into a dunk tank filled with processing chemicals in order to be developed. Unlike a pull-through machine, nothing is touching your rolls of film while it’s being developed through dip and dunk. It’s just chemicals on negatives. That means that tears, scratches, and other processing issues aren’t going to happen during development.

The film gets agitated in the dunk tank by tiny bubbles that move the chemicals around the film to ensure that it is being developed evenly. The temperature of the chemicals is also precisely controlled to make sure that chemical reactions taking place last just the right amount of time. This ensures a perfectly (and consistently) processed negative from both C-41 processed (process color) and B&W processed dip and dunk tanks.

Richard’s dip and dunk processors also allow us to measure EXACTLY how much film is being developed every single day for both color film and black and white film. Then, the chemicals in the machines are precisely replenished automatically based on their changing potency.

And that’s what you need to know about dip and dunk processing and why it’s the safest way to develop your film, whether it’s from a top of the line film camera or a drug store disposable camera.

Wasn’t that a snap?