Safelights

Since regular lighting will damage and destroy exposed film photographers need a light that provides visibility in a darkroom while keeping the film safe from harm. This is what a safelight does.

Safelights come in different sizes, shapes and designs. The best advice is to research the safelight you plan to purchase. Most safelights have specific requirements on which paper and exposure times work well with the safelight. To use safelights correctly the user should position it at least four feet away from the exposed film, or follow the manufacturer's guidelines. Use only the specified bulb sizes and wattage.

Certain tests determine whether or not a safelight is actually safe to use on specified films and papers. With the lights off place a piece of unexposed film in the area intended to process it. Lay a few coins on the film and turn on the safelight. Wait at least twice the length of time you would to develop the film. Then normally process the film. Look for the density. Less density means the film will fog using the safelight as is.

The Kodak website (Kodak.com) lists instructions on what to look for when purchasing a safelight. The page explains that no safelight will stay safe past a certain amount of exposure times and that safelight filters fade with each use. Photographers will find a number of Kodak safelights available for purchase, such as the ceiling mountable Kodak Safelight Lamp. Screw it into a wall socket or a drop cord socket. It uses a fifteen watt bulb and accepts a five and a half inch circular Kodak safelight filter that the user must buy separately. Average price for this safelight is around forty five dollars. Kodak also makes a safelight glass filter.

Need something with a bit more illumination while continuing to protect print exposures? Then check out Thomas Duplex Safelights. These unusual lights utilize a sodium vapor light source to significantly brighten a room without harmful light. A Thomas Duplex safelight hangs by a pull chain and includes two adjustable flaps useful to control light intensity. A sodium vapor lamp takes time to light up, making a timer useless for this safelight. The cost of a Thomas Duplex safelight ranges near two hundred fifty dollars. Expect to spend around ninety dollars for one filter.

Lots of amateur and professional photographers end up making a homemade safelight at one time or another whether for cost purposes or curiosity. A search for "homemade safelights" online through Google, or other search engines, brings up a list of sites with tutorials and discussions on the subject.