u/mnrqz

These three arrived fully restored this week — two from northern France, one from northern Virginia. Got into typewriters a couple months ago with a janky old (but reliable) Brother De Luxe. After typing my correspondence and a few news dispatches on Brother, I'm now ready to equipped for my two desks at work (Olivettis) and a traveller (Hermes Baby). Suffice to say, I'm obsessed!!

Kodak 400 Tri-X

So I found my FM2n on Poshmark of all places. I bundled it with a Tamarron lens and a mechanical alarm clock for $607. It was easily the most expensive FM2n for sale on the platform, but made it special to me was that it was still in the gold box it was sold in to the original owner, but I don’t know what year. I’m guessing the early 90s or late 80s by the pamphlets that came with it along with the manuals on how it works – all of which I ignored to jump on YouTube and watch videos to the same end.

Then I invited some old photogs by my art studio and they taught me the basics of not only how to use and think about the camera, but how to develop black-and-white rolls of film in a stainless steel developing tank. The generosity the OG’s have shown me with their time and expertise. I promised to pay forward. One way I’ll do that is follow this sub Reddit, which I discovered just now for the first time.

I am now on my ninth roll film, my first six I shot with a Pentax … but my next hundred I intend to shoot with this wonderful machine. Do we call the machine? Or do we call it tool? Do I name my camera like a knight might a sword? I’m very new to film photography and overall to photography as a hobby we’re taking our time really gonna love. Anyway that’s my story. Great to be here.

I started shooting 35 mm black and white film photos with my Pentax a month ago. Have now fully developed six rolls of film (Ilford 400), the first four with a mentor, the last two on my own. Totally solo.

As I stand here at the precipice of my journey into film photography, which would you recommend between the stainless steel and the Patterson development tanks? And why?

I was going to put "Choose You Fighter" in the headline of this post but it's my first post here and I didn't want to come off as disrespectful. In fact, I want to come off as grateful because everybody in the analog community who I've met IRL so far has been incredibly generous with their skill sharing. I promise to pay it forward

So lmk: Patterson or Stainless Steel?