I used to leave the leaders out of my canisters so I could reuse them, but this thing makes that unnecessary. It took me a while to figure out the multi-step procedure, but it works really well. It makes me wish I had more canisters to pull the leaders out of, it's fun!

Honestly, I didn't manage to get the result the first time from scratch, even after reading the instructions inside the pack. But the video (https://vimeo.com/303310280, or you can find it via the QR code inside the pack) gave me the full info, so I did it fast and quickly next a few times.

In fact, it's simple, but you need just to know a pair of moments to get how to. Then you're going to say thanks to this tool and the guys who designed and manufactured it.

If you're into film photography then you won't know you needed the Lab-Box till you own one. Easy and convenient to use for quick film development.

Just got back in to film photography for the first since the 90's, since you can't get 1hr service at Walmart these days I figured I would try developing on my own since it's so expensive to ship to get it developed but really didn't want to mess around with changing bags or blacking out my bathroom.


It made it super easy to do the whole process in my bathroom without having to worry about learning how to load reels in the dark.


So far I've only ran B&W with Cinestill's one step DF-96 and it takes less than 15 minutes from loading the film to hanging it up to dry.


tips: If you get the crank add-on, make sure you take it easy you don't need to turn it anywhere near fast, maybe 1-2 revolutions per second. And a few times during the process give the tank a few gentle side to side shakes to help avoid streaks. Pre-rinsing is supposed to help with that and marks from bubbles for both b&w and colour as well.

After much frustration using the other kind of leader retriever, I decided to give the ars-imago a try. Glad I did. Worked the first time I tried it and it's worked the first time on every roll I have tried. It is a bit flimsy, to try not to be heavy handed with it. I will be buying a few more of these. Recommended

I mainly purchased this product so that I could shoot double exposures on 35mm film. I wanted this just in case the film leader was rewound back into the spool.

After reviewing the other options and the reviews for this product, I can assure you that this product works very well for its purpose. The main complaint is that people say that the metal is too thin and easy to break -- it has to be thin in order to fit into the film canister and retrieve the film, there's no other way around that and you just need to work slowly and carefully. 

My only gripe is that the written instructions that came with the product are hard to read and follow so you have to pull up the video to learn how to properly use this tool. Once you watch the video, then it will be easy to use the tool and retrieve the film leader. It did take me a few times on my first try and after that it was simple to use.

This has made developing at home so streamlined, easy and enjoyable. Great quality and fun to use. Be careful though as the first time I ran a roll of film through it I had the reel backwards and it ate up my film.

Highly recommend buying this product!

ars-imago is small and easy to retrieve the film

Smaller than expected, but perfectly sized to the purpose. Works great and I have no fear that it will scratch my negatives.

I had one of these for over 25 years. Loved it, easy to use. Some worry about scratching the film, but there are no images on the area it makes contact with the film. Easy is the key. Carried it in a 35mm pop-can in my camera bag. Used one at a camera shop dozens of times for customers. SO worth the money! Still have it.