The smart way to develop film at home
Developing film at home with AGO is faster than sending film to lab and a lot more consistent than doing it manually.
AGO manages temperature, agitation, and timing for consistent results. It supports black & white, C41, E6, and ECN-2 in almost every format. Uses regular Paterson tanks letting you develop up to 8 rolls at once.
AGO is the best processor for film photographers looking to get consistent results and save money on the long run.
Awarded Analog Product of 2025 and the Red Dot Design Award.
or keep reading to learn more
Develop film at home the smart way
Developing film at home with AGO is faster than sending film to lab and a lot more consistent than doing it manually.
AGO manages temperature, agitation, and timing for consistent results. It supports black & white, C41, E6, and ECN-2 in almost every format. Uses regular Paterson tanks letting you develop up to 8 rolls at once.
AGO is the best processor for film photographers looking to get consistent results and save money on the long run.
Awarded Analog Product of 2025 and the Red Dot Design Award 2025.
or keep reading to learn more
Learn more about AGO,
watch video
Learn about AGO in a video
Benefits that make AGO the best home film processor
- Processes black & white, C41, E6, ECN-2, and RA-4
- Supports 35mm, 120, 4×5, 5×7, and 8×10 formats
- Active time-compensation
- Automated agitation with timely alarm
- Rotary method saving up to 60% chemicals
- Compact and home-friendly
- No darkroom or water baths needed
- Built to last
or keep reading to learn more
Clever temperature compensation system
Just heat up your chemicals to the recommended temperature range and start developing.
AGO will compensate for the temperature drop-off or increase that occurs while agitating removing all of the stress of ruining your negatives.
Automated Agitation
Pour in the chemicals and let automatic agitation take care of it giving you peace of mind and free time to do other things.
A timely alarm ensures you attend your machine at the right time.
or keep reading to learn more
Benefits that make AGO the best home film processor
- Processes black & white, C41, E6, and ECN-2 – most popular film processes supported, you can even make RA-4 prints
- Supports nearly all film formats – from 35mm, 120 to 4×5, 5×7 up to 8×10 (large formats from 4×5 require bigger tanks and reels)
- Active time-compensation for temperature changes – accurate development even if chemistry isn’t perfectly at target temperature
- Automated agitation with timely alarms – no need to watch the clock or guess when to turn the tank
- Rotary processing saves up to 60% chemicals – saving the world and your wallet
- Compact and home-friendly – no darkroom or water baths needed; just tap water, a chemical kit, a power outlet, and a small space like a kitchen or studio
- Built to last – durable components, designed for years of use
Idea Behind AGO
AGO started as a simple idea born out of desire to make high-quality home film development accessible without sacrificing control or consistency.
Traditional manual development is rewarding but time-consuming, full of tedious tasks, and prone to error. Lab processing, while convenient, removes the personal involvement that makes film special—and it’s costly. AGO was designed as the middle ground: automating the technical steps like agitation, temperature, and timing, while leaving creative control in the hands of the photographer. It works with a familiar system—Paterson tanks, standard chemistry kits (while still allowing room for experimentation)—and fits in small
or keep reading to learn more
Automatic agitation
Pour in the chemicals and let automatic agitation take care of it.
Timely alarms will let you know when the process step is about to end so you can attend your machine at the right time to change the chemicals.
Temperature compensation system
No more stressing about your chemical temperatures
Just heat up your chemicals to the recommended temperature range and start developing. AGO will compensate for the temperature drop-off or increase that occurs while agitating removing all of the stress of ruining your negatives.
AGO’s groundbreaking time compensation system uses compensation graphs specific for each chemistry type.
Open to see chemistry types currently in the system
B&W – General
B&W – Cinestill DF96
C-41 – Bellini
C-41 – Tetenal
C-41 – Flic Film
C-41 – Cinestill
C-41 – Arista, Unicolor
C-41 – Adox
C-41 – Jobo
E-6 – Arista
E-6 – Cinestill D6
ECN-2 – Cinestill
ECN-2 Jobo, Bellini
ECN-2 – Flic Film
RA-4 – Arista
Next additions:
Fuji C-41 kit
Kodak C-41 kit
Less Chemical Consumption
Save up to 60% on chemicals with rotary processing method
Develop your film using less chemistry, make a better choice for environment and your wallet.
Need to develop vertically? With AGO you still can develop in a vertical mode too.
Keep in mind that the temperature compensation feature is disabled in vertical agitation.
Less Chemical Consumption
With horizontal rotational agitation you can save up to 60% on chemicals depending on your use case and the size of Paterson tank you decide to use.
From 35mm to large format films, develop it all
Experiment with new processes
B&W
C-41
E-6
ECN-2
RA-4
Control every aspect of your film processing
Keeping track of each development step so you don’t have to. You can modify development time, and method or choose if you want to use time compensation.
Control every aspect of your film development
Keeping track of each development step so you don’t have to. You can modify development time, and method or choose if you want to use time compensation.
Compatible with Paterson Super System 4
Compatible with Paterson
Super System 4 tanks
Use any Paterson Super System 4 developing tank from the smallest 1-reel tank up to the biggest 8-reel tank. This means you can develop up to 8 rolls of film at once.
And you can develop photographic paper with a special reel developed by Vintage Visual.
WiFi connectivity
Connect to your AGO with WiFi and create your own programs for processes or modify the existing ones.
WiFi connectivity
I was very impressed with how easy the AGO makes film developing. What can sometimes seem like a daunting task becomes really straightforward. Without having to worry too much about the temperature of your chemistry, and knowing that the agitation is all taken care of for you really simplifies the whole enterprise. I found myself reading a book while it was working; the comparatively quiet motor gently trundling along back and forth is surprisingly soothing! – DaveTheWalker in 35mmc
Equipment Cost
AGO Film Processor: €439
Enter your film processing cost in lab
Average home processing cost per roll: €3.41
Time to Break Even
| Monthly lab cost: | €45.00 |
| Monthly home processing cost: | €17.05 |
| Monthly savings: | €27.95 |
Note:
This calculator assumes consistent monthly development and doesn't include
additional costs. The average cost of processing with AGO comes from averaging the
price per roll of development for all processes and using the chemical kit pricing
from Freestyle Photo.
