Filmomat: The Automatic Film Processing Machine

[@JohnInNH535]

This is simply superb - not only is the machine a work of art, but for those of us who still shoot film, a fully functional device. Just outstanding..!!!

[@lorenzogattaldo3764]

Der Kerl hat seinen Doktor-Titel mit diesem Gerät schon mehr als verdient. Großes, großes Kompliment!

[@digitalArtform]

I’m waiting for the version that incorporates the coffeemaker.

[@norwedish01]

#coffenolprocessing

[@binghelisp]

I think I can learn to manually develop films, just like I use moka pot to make coffee.

[@normanrea8146]

Wonderful presentation. I am happy to see people have either gone back to film or adding film to their photographic function.

[@TedVieira]

Man, great video, as always, guys. When I first saw the title I originally thought this was going to be a parody or comic view on developing film (which I love that kind of stuff as well). I was really impressed to see the work that was being done. As much as I'm fine with my old school, well not really old school, but hybrid developing system with a Paterson tank; I'm really encouraged and impressed to see young, creative minds working on ways to improve upon shooting film this day and age. As I said, great video as always. Thanks very much for this. Hope the rest of your weekend is great.

[@Swade99]

A wonderful creation. Don't change a thing, Lukas, unless it improves the quality or reliability. And do NOT lower the price. Place a value on your creation that rewards your work. Then, make it compelling. It's the Leica business model. Outstanding stuff.

[@jameslane3846]

Haha, it needs to be a teeny bit more affordable! Maybe €3000 instead?

[@marcp.1752]

This looks like Analog Heaven...Film Processing @Home the automatic Way....really cool, this Filmomat Machine, albeit at a hefty Price-tag, which is being understandable. I must admit, i've never seen something cool and also artsy into that way, it does process Films. Outstanding!

[@adzbasslines268]

Just purchased one! Brilliant machine! In my country, developing Ektachrome #7294 Super 8 is just not possible because of no Super 8 E-6 lab services for motion picture. Only C-41!! The Filmomat is the only option to keep this film type alive for me to continue using my projector!!

[@RickMentore]

“The chemicals.” What a fantastic invention. I now expect a run on old film cameras.

[@artby2wenty]

The run on old film cameras has been going on for the last 3 years.

[@photoholic6369]

Georgeous video !!!! Very interesting to watch and of course, beside the topic of the video ... the location is amazing, how it fits to the machine itself, pure design machine meets pure design living room :-) !!!

[@0scar_Hernandez]

Very interesting device! but what about the spare parts? In case of failure, can it be easily repaired?

[@btrdangerdan2010]

Hats off to Lukas who created the machine he is a really smart man. I would buy the machine if I wasn’t a poor college student and had my own house for room to put it in.

[@Guairenito]

Amazing job Lucas, I hope you will keep going forward with the great work you are doing for the film community. Thank you guys for making this video, very good information.

[@waldemirqueiroz3483]

Outstanding equipment and a piece of art by itself. I could envision local analog photographer in a city buying it in a consortium sharing the equipment.

[@jamesdunlop8704]

I worked with a guy about 15 years ago who was tasked with producing a film processor that could be carried in a small case about 18" long .It worked perfectly and even loaded the film straight from the film canister .unfortunatly the company did not think the market was big enough.

[@2handzup]

James Dunlop they sell those plan off now since film is picking back up maybe someone can bring it back to life

[@mikesuhor439]

This should be brought back to the surface.... Film processors are in high demand.

[@shawnhollbach395]

What a beautiful machine! Would love to own one.

[@cameranjoun6420]

Wonderful invention !much more smaller,quieter than old Kodak machine if it was 20 years ago he probably made billions dollars after assembly line production in a big factory! good job !!!

[@sophrapsune]

Main concern: after-sale support, maintenance & break downs. Still, it looks like a beautiful product & solution.

[@Echolot789]

Thanks! Servicing is done by me here in germany and of course there is a warranty on the product. The Filmomat is on the market for around 3 years now and during that time the unit proved to be really stable, without the need for a lot of servicing. Wearing parts like filters or seals can easily be exchanged by the user :)

[@sophrapsune]

Lukas Thanks very much for your response!

[@greydev97]

@@Echolot789 Hi! do you have an option for the Filmomat to process super 8 (process e-6) film?

[@Nidave-ck4jz]

Ich hoffe, dass dieses Projekt noch ganz lange fortsetzen wird. Ich bin noch Schüler, aber irgendwann würde ich es mir doch ganz gerne kaufen!

[@BTCAsia]

That’s awesome. I could almost justify it, especially living in a remote location. Thanks for the video.

[@aarons6532]

Wow - what an impressive machine, would be a dream to have one!

[@stephancerruti]

Great peace of engineering, well done. Look forward to get one. Thank you for the video, could you please tell me the name of the coffee machine in the intro.

[@Echolot789]

Thanks! Coffee machine: Bezzera Magica, Grinder: Lyn Weber HG-1 ;)

[@robertparker7243]

Wow- what sort of standard must the Technical university at Munich be operating at!! in England the PHD students are coming out with things made of bits of wood and pins, checking their spelling and maybe a good idea for the future - it's so impressive that Lukas has not only solved the technical problems to produce the machine but also the aesthetics and the practical elements of production, even down to the product packaging...

[@adrinathegreat3095]

Instead of wasting vast resources and time on something that's obsolete

[@hlron]

What type of agitation and frequency it uses for b&w film? Can it be customize? Thank you for the video. 🙏

[@tompoynton]

I think one of my local labs here in Bristol, UK uses one

[@yorkieinnz4648]

Bloody awesome....für die Liebe zum Film.

[@ericpmoss]

Hey, that's the same grinder I use! Excellent choice!

[@GaetanCormier]

What an amazing machine !!! Great video guys! Thanks for this!

[@AlfredoRoccia]

Do you still need to load the roll in complete darkness by yourself or does the machine have any friendly-auto-loading mechanism for the film canister? Thanks

[@AnalogInsights]

Alfredo Roccia You still need to load the tank in the dark. :)

[@craigfouche]

Well done Lucas, I think an 8x10 model would be great for large format shooters and more scope for your production sales.

[@MichaelDiblicek]

Hi Craig, i wrote to Lukas last year asking if he would consider a 10x8 version and he said that this was not in going to be possible. It's great shame as there are a lot of us out there using 10x8 now. That would be so cool if it happened.

[@craigfouche]

I shoot 4x5, and generally most people don't go much higher than 8x10, cost is too high for special film orders in colour or black and white, so I would understand if he didn't go higher than 8x10. Great product all the same.

[@bitboy]

Love it! Also, tell me about that hand crank espresso grinder!

[@ericpmoss]

It's the Lyn Weber HG-1. It uses the same burrs as the 230V European model Mazzer Robur grinders. The adjustments are easy to do, and very fine, so it's simple to dial in the grind. The older version I have only has a few neodymium magnets holding the lower chute in place, and the tolerances are tight, so the plastic wiper blade that dislodges grounds held up by static can push the chute off if you are adjusting for coarse grind. That's a PITA, but it's still worth having because (1) the grind quality is excellent (2) it's quiet (3) it handles dense beans without getting jammed (4) it doesn't heat the beans up too much, and (5) the build quality is great and it looks good. Honestly, for 1/3 - 1/2 the price, you can get a Baratza Sette that includes weighing that adjusts itself, and grind in 1/3 or less the time it takes the HG-1. The quality is still very good, but it is loud. OTOH, the Baratza is not a conversation starter, and the HG-1 looks like a piece of high-end Krell stereo equipment.

[@Super.Quasar]

Excellent video. Fabulous product and well done to Lukas. Great to see the new 4 roll tank coming. With that, how many rolls would you expect to process in an 8 hour day say ? . Is there a video of sheet film processing anywhere ?

[@firstwitness5735]

I see only 3 tanks for chemistry. What if i want to use real 6-bath E-6 process ?

[@AndrewRoyal137]

Hi, I spoke with Lucas, the inventor of this machine, a couple of months ago with a similar question regarding true ECN-2 processing, which as you probably know, is a 9 phase process. Lucas assured me that this was possible with the machine, it simply requires a slightly more active involvement. The idea is that you would program a preset for the entire process and then hot-swap chemicals in the tubes after they have been used. By the way, according the website the filmomat now has a version 2.0 that processes twice the film w the same amount of chemicals.

[@artby2wenty]

E6 is a 6 bath setup. So do have to drain the chemicals during developing to add the other chemicals?

[@RetiOrchid58]

Great machine. Bookmarked. :) Clever lad!

[@douggottlieb]

Brilliant machine. And video. Thanks Max!

[@vernonsza]

Great video! I think this plus "scanning" with a camera and using Negative Lab Pro would have you completely independent from any outside sources.

[@austinpaskerian8777]

You realize you can actually scan them yourself? I have an epson v600 scanner that Ive been using for film.

[@GoZipper]

You would still have to buy film so there is that outside source.

[@vernonsza]

@@GoZipper Well that already goes without saying. You can stock up on film for several years. Especially if you store it well but you can't stock up on the developing and scanning services. Knowing that you can avoid the cost and time of the developing and scanning is huge plus.

[@vernonsza]

@@austinpaskerian8777 Scanning them yourself is what I was saying. Using Negative Lab Pro for Lightroom. I too have the V600 but compared to a DSLR or mirrorless camera, the V600 loses in image quality and speed. Especially for 35mm seeing as he shoots that mostly with his Leica.

[@markmadderra4834]

Excellent video. Keep up the great work. Mark

[@hetschipVeronica]

Hello, another interesting video, thanks!. One question: In BW manual development you have to tilt your filmtank every minute for ca 10 sec., to flush 'used' chemicals away fom your film serface, depending on the result you want This has allways been an issue with automated BW development like the JOBO processors, great for color, not that good for BW. In real big labs they used to have standing tanks, different process alltogether. How has he solved this? I could not see any option to move the film tank.

[@AnalogInsights]

The chemicals inside the tank are agitated via an impulse of air which works really great. I only mention it briefly when talking about the sounds of the machine. :)

[@zakofrx]

@@AnalogInsights Does the Air risk the chance of air bubbles sticking to the film?

[@AnalogInsights]

Mark Wilko No, to the contrary. It removes them. Similar to putting the tank down manually with a proper thud (for lack of better words).

[@hetschipVeronica]

Analog Insights It will be interesting to see longer term results, i.e. Plus-X was very perceptive to air bubbles created during development, not developing on that bubble spot on the film no matter how hard you ticked the container. Ruined many of my films in the old days, had to switch film/dev combo. Not relevant anymore with this machine and or modern developers I think.

[@derfilmfuzzide]

Danke!!! Ein ganz tolles Projekt!!!

[@theresonlyone66]

Hi there. Are you using just one pump for all?

[@premedicsystems]

Can I have a question? You're using Jake's pump manufacturer. thank you for the info

[@JohnKrill]

Throughout the video you keep referring to Analog which means nothing to me. But after watching the video I kinda guessed you were talking about film. I don't understand the use of Analog when it has been called film photography for well over 100 years. I might also add that the digital (Really electronic) cameras also use an Analog device to capture photons. It is only after each cell's photos go through an Analog-to-Digital converter that they become usable digital data.

[@AnalogInsights]

John Krill Thank you for pointing this out, John. I’ll try to be more mindful about referring to film photography as such when I mean it and analog when the differentiation to digital is actually needed. :)

[@walterglover3423]

How very reassuring that there are still kindred spirits who see increasingly smarter motivation in reinventing the wheel. Experience and hope prompt me to ask some questions: 1/ Are the Jobo tubes 1500 or 2500 gauge? 2/ If 2500 gauge could 5x4 (9x12) sheets be processed in 2509N reels? Both in terms of physical fit and volume of developing agent for 6 sheets. 3/ Is the agitation AIR burst or NITROGEN burst? I first did E-4 deep tank processing in the 1960s with huge bottles of nitrogen on hand. 4/ Is it constant or intermittent agitation? Is the rate user definable? Thanks for a great report on this great channel.

[@filmomat_official]

Hi! The current version of the Filmomat uses Jobo 2500 reels. You can also use the respective 4x5"/9x12 spirals. The air-burst system was replaced by a rotational processing system in the current Filmomat version, which means it's continuous agitation. You can find out more information about the system on www.filmomat.eu :)

[@fthprodphoto-video5357]

Amazing, where can I purchase one ? Thank you

[@AnalogInsights]

fthprod photo-video Here: www.filmomat.eu/?lang=en

[@fthprodphoto-video5357]

Analog Insights amazing thank you I need to find a place or a website in Switzerland or Germany to purchase the E6 and C41 chemicals, do you know one ?

[@AnalogInsights]

@@fthprodphoto-video5357 Ars Imago in Switzerland (Zürich) or Fotoimpex in Germany (Berlin).

[@fthprodphoto-video5357]

Analog Insights thank you so much, I will probably purchase your superb processing machine by december

[@reemtbolle]

Es wäre interessant zu erfahren, ob die Maschine mal mit Kodak Teststreifen und einem Densitometer auf typgerechte Entwicklung und Gleichmäßigkeit getestet wurde. Die Einblasung von Luft für die Agitation erscheint mir bei mehrfacher Verwendung der Entwickler bis zur Kapazitätsgrenze sehr fraglich. Eine Möglichkeit hier auch Stickstoff zu verwenden würde ich vorziehen. Auch weil Filmspiralen verwendet werden die relativ eng im Vergleich zu den Edelstahl Spiralen vom Typ Kindermann oder Kodak sind, frage ich mich nach der Gleichmäßigkeit der Entwicklung, wie sie zum Beispiel bei einem Grauverlauf als Hintergrund in der Aufnahme zwingend erforderlich ist. Kodak selber sieht bei der Entwicklung von Filmen in Spiralen in Tanks von der Gaseinblasung zur Agitation ab und empfiehlt nur die manuelle Bewegung.

[@Socrates...]

Love this video, thanks

[@MANUEL11]

You should do a review on the summicron 50mm f2 using both color and b&w film

[@BuzzLiteBeer]

I think it's a really cool idea and feat of small-scale engineering, but it's prohibitively expensive. The base unit plus the cost of necessary accessories comes to about 4000EURO, which would only make sense for a commercial lab, which I would imagine already have their own high throughput process. If you stand to save 5 Euro per roll be developing at home, this would take over 800 rolls of film to come out even. I'm not suggesting that the price point is unfair considering how much went into it's development, but it still doesn't change the fact that it's not a practical purchase for the vast majority of film photographers.

[@AndrewRoyal137]

Neither is Leica by that logic, but there is certainly a market for them

[@randallstewart175]

@@AndrewRoyal137 A processor which can only use the compromised three-bath kits aimed at home users is no Leica of processors. This system could have easily been designed for a 6 bath E-6 system with very little extra expense. As it is now, it's about to bypassed by several newer competing machines now in development which will cost no more, probably less, and which will have none of the limitations imposed by this unit.

[@Keckegenkai]

Its a very limited market so economy of scale isnt a thing here.

[@1989Goodspeed]

Fantastic inovator! Steep pricetag but really it's a filmlab the size of an microwave oven... really cool.

[@jeffbrown633]

Elegant and impressive!

[@comatosecrysis]

As nice as it is, it does seem quite limited in regards to capacity. That pricepoint isn't really justifiable for just 2x 135/ 1x 120. Interested in seeing if there will be a second iteration aimed at higher capacity consumers such as small labs (~50-100x E6/B&W per day). Obviously starting with a more rugged construction would be a must.

[@Fjalll]

Now make an affordable scanner!

[@stuartbaines2843]

More an Art installation then a machine 👍👾

[@slothsarecool]

Impressive stuff! Nice job

[@psionicdreams]

At first glance I thought this was a 3d printer :) Smart machine. I wonder if it could be used in a small business?

[@deej807]

psionicdreams one of the small labs in the UK uses this and an old Jobo although he is a one man band so to speak

[@jameslane3846]

As soon as I saw this, this gave me this exact idea! Gonna make a mini lab

[@psionicdreams]

@@jameslane3846 Good luck :)

[@jameslane3846]

I'm wondering of what does this offer that the JOBO doesn't? Because this is much much more expensive... Does it do better results and more efficient? Or is it just more modern looking?

[@richhaytonNZ]

Beautiful 👏👌

[@teddy33131]

i feel like that is german spirit pushed at its maximum. quite expensive for an amateur i think, but really nice idea and process !!

[@JL-vk1rs]

thanks for the video!

[@EDHBlvd]

Amazing

[@juanahmed6528]

can i use color film

[@AnalogInsights]

Of course. You can develop C41 and E6 processes as well. :)

[@Irnbruist]

Super awesome product Lukas! Ans thanks for showing AI :-)

[@staha]

Super cool product. Get a developer to write an app to make it easier for users to program it, upload new firmware, share "recipes" with other users, etc. Probably all you need a $35 raspberry pi inside it.

[@martinmahler7994]

Impressive.

[@haymobachmaier]

Oida wie geil👏👏👏

[@matt904sl]

WOW..... what fantastic machine well done ... just wish I had €3500 👍👍👍👍

[@bernardkealey6449]

I love the passion and aesthetic, and I see others have made some criticisms of it - which I understand but think are just an issue of not accepting the scope of what this was made to fill. My comment here is kind of tongue in cheek, but seriously it would be awesome if a like minded soul was able to solve this for C17 processing and we could get Kodachrome back ☺️

[@FotosyMas.]

Developing film is not hard at all. Scanning on the other hand is where the real pain lies. I wish someone would put the same effort into creating a modern, high resolution version of the Pakon F135 Plus scanner.

[@AndrewRoyal137]

Agreed. There is certainly a hole in the market there. Most archival depts in art museums have moved to DSLR/Mirrorless scanning at this point because of their ability to crank out raw files. The problem with DSLR scanning is that it’s fiddly - the opposite of a Pakon (although even the Pakon requires using a 20 y/o operating system either on another computer or as a clone on the master computer). Highly recommend checking out a company called Negative Supply. They have created some products that make the DSLR/M scanning process as quick as a Pakon once you have it set up.

[@randallstewart175]

The former top of the line 35mm and medium format scanners from Nikon and Minolta were far superior to the Pakon in terms of scan results, yet they ended production because there was not a big enough market of buyers out there to warrant the cost of production. Were their an adequate market for such scanners, you would not have to re-invent the wheel - just dust off a Minolta 5400 II and copy it, updated for current computer operating systems. Instead, the edge of modern scanner technology is represented by cheap, Cinese made, crap.

[@SS4Gojetanks]

This is lit. I hope to one day own one lol

[@LennyG2006]

Genius idea. Just wait for Leica to buy it up.

[@ericpmoss]

I'd worry that Leica would add a red dot and double the price. (sort of joking)

[@LennyG2006]

@@ericpmoss absolutely agree. Whoever picks it up will increase the price.

[@billblount5955]

I wish more places delevelop film today like it was in the past. 35 mm isn't dead yet

[@Boydo1609]

What a crakin invention! I love the simplistic design. Cool as.

[@SABlackhawk]

Hey really great to get a better look at this machine and see how it's put together on the inside. This is one of the machines that inspired me to start my own product development. I'm taking a slightly different approach, targeting the machine design more towards the high-volume hobbyist/small commercial market. Hoping to have some prototypes going later in the year. If you're interested check out midtonemachines.com I'm running a blog to let everyone know what I'm doing and where I at so you can follow along with my progress.

[@Bojonatanjarpehag]

❤️

[@kayhanshaghaghi9597]

I wish I could process 8x10 sheet films!

[@steveg8322]

Thank you Lukas,for making one feel they're a total waste of good DNA.

[@jacopotassinari]

that's something really nice, and quite interesting. But a tank and some passion will work the same!

[@ErwinSerle]

Add a database for all films and a DX code reader to make it even more automated ;-)

[@lacrosix]

So good now make it even smaller hahaha - i want one!!!!!!

[@dimgwolukze140]

Appreciate and respect. I recently developed a reflected exposure meter for film photography and open source it in website vegetableswim.com. But I want to say, quality won't drop in China unless you didn't pay enough.

[@nobodynowhere5213]

Quite a drawback that it does not do 8x10".. quite common size. Otherwise it seem like a nice machine.

[@2010mistersoftee]

A Lica lll @ this machine-I’m 😍

[@user-ti9zc1xv2b]

I run a lab here in the Netherlands, I personally invest up to 500k if he can make these machines scale up to commercial quantities.

[@ridealongwithrandy]

i want one!

[@inevitablecraftslab]

great idea, just the price for an arduino and a solenoid plus membrane pump at 4k is a joke :) also as i see it it doesnt load the film , so you still need a darkroom or sack .. but its a nice idea

[@randallstewart175]

Looks like a high quality machine which would be nice to own. Given the cost and the limited market of buyers, I suspect that its demand has been largely fulfilled. There seems to be a contradiction between its target for high quality processing and the limitation to three solution processing. High quality C-41 and even more so, E-6 processing requires processing steps well in excess of this three bath limit, which compels the use of the compromised chemical kits targeted to DIY home users. For example, the Sidekick processors made in the US until last year are adaptable to the full E-6 or C-41 processes, although they were new about 50% more costly than this machine. IMO an over-designed and over-built machine for its limitation to use of the three-bath chemical kits.

[@bendelandesful]

Beautiful machine, but with more than 80 reversal e6 films developped by myself, having determined what are the real needed development time for each of the 3+1 bath, and how many films can really be developped with the same batch of chemistry, I can say the 3500 euros investment is not worth spending. This is a rich boy's hobby tool, but I'm happy his research and development efforts paid off, he really deserves it, and he also participates to the revival of film.

[@erez369]

I must say something unpleasant, but before that, it is important to emphasize that the system is impressive, well built and carefully designed. The obstacle is the cost. What is the point of this device that many want to purchase but few can afford? I have been developing C41 for many years on a semi-automatic machine that I built myself. For sure, I am not an engineer so my machine is cumbersome and requires endless maintenance. An automatic and reliable machine is needed desperately. It seems to me that the illogical price is a result of the high-cost production method. A lot of hard work is spent in a tough manual assembly that requires high skill that is suitable for building a prototype. For making this wonderful product accessible, the assembly must be transferred to a facility capable of operating an efficient production line capable of producing quantities at a low cost. Until that happens this product is a mess. The goal should be widespread international distribution. We all need new tools for keeping film photography alive. For this to happen, new means must be proportionate to the purpose. Until that happens, this project is a product of great talent that will not be realized since it is an uncommercial. I hope this skilled guy gets this advice and takes the next step toward success.

[@AndrewRoyal137]

The same could likely be said for Leica’s business model, but they seem to be doing ok

[@gyrdin]

@@AndrewRoyal137 problem is: this isn't Leica. Acrylic glass, messy one-button control, etc etc. This thing is more of a style, but at the same time it has limited functionality. 6-bath processes are mess to use this machine with for example and even semi-automatic Jobo is better for that purpose. But guy that posted initial post is also wrong: this type of processor, fully-automatic ones, they won't get cheap. Ever. Period. There will be tweaks and stuff such as Cinestill boiler, but nothing really serious. Serious stuff is meant to be used either by labs or wealthy people, not just random hipster in his garage.

[@stevegeorge7773]

Interesting.

[@marknachmias423]

It’s now $5,000 USD. Wow!

[@guillermoperezsantos]

Just 2 rolls at a time?, thast is a looooot of money per roll

[@AndrewRoyal137]

There is now a V2 that doubles the amount of film that can be processed at a time

[@whateverrandomnumber]

(...) yeah.

[@2010mistersoftee]

Love it! Send me one ☝️

[@punkrachmaninoff]

the next prototype needs a gui... if you ask me it is close but not quite. next build, use a raspberry pi and an good single function distro of linux for an easier user experience.

[@tnts999998]

so it could freeze, or loose the file system randomly? Anyway 3k+ on this machine is stellar price. I was thinking about somethig doing the same job :) It's time to think faster :))

[@custodialmark]

i wud like. did work in large and small labs. and in bathroom 1973,- tourist town should have a place, need mail to big city, walgreens store or pro labs...

[@iino2ii]

I would get a phototherm ssk for that kind of money

[@CaioCapela]

Unfortunately €3500 is impossible for me, an enthusiast photographer brazilian guy who lives in a country where the currency is almost five times less than the euro. €3.500 = R$16.000 :(

[@iseethings4218]

Fuck!!!! Christmas is coming!

[@teresashinkansen9402]

I don't understand why people is reinventing the wheel. Shooting analog formats for fun is understandable but then I see people trying to make things easier and attempting to lessen the hurdles of analog formats, like WTF? then just shoot digital! it fixes so many of the issues of analog, you can print your photos as well. Isn't going to the darkroom part of the fun? so many film photographers claim is the best reward to develop your own film.