C-41 at home

[Ari]

Ari,

Great first run.
If I may offer some advice, get some cheap very wide mouth containers and just pour the soup straight from the Jobo drum into that.
Do the re-bottling at the end of the run.
Some extra "stuff" to store, but it really makes it easier.

Hey Allen,
That's exactly what I'm going to do.
I found the accordion-type bottle, in 1-litre size, for $9 each at the local Henry's, which still carries some darkroom equipment.
Thanks

And the second run came out just as good as the first.
I've heard these chems don't last too long when they're just sitting around, so I have to go and shoot some more film to feed them.

[false_Aesthetic]

I don't mean to hijack this thread. If you want me to take this question elsewhere, I will.

Any suggestions for processing 5x7 in c-41. I've been pretty dissatisfied with previous labs (uneven developing) and at $11/sheet (film + processing) I'd rather not waste time/money/film.

[Allen in Montreal]

I don't mean to hijack this thread. If you want me to take this question elsewhere, I will.

Any suggestions for processing 5x7 in c-41. I've been pretty dissatisfied with previous labs (uneven developing) and at $11/sheet (film + processing) I'd rather not waste time/money/film.

If you want to use hangers,
get 3 of these:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...allon_5_x.html

They are thin walled and will ease the temp control issues. For this purpose, they are far better than traditional hard rubber tanks.
Put them in a large Rubbermaid type tub and follow the same process steps (fish tank heater and circulation pump)

Or Get a Jobo 3006 drum.

[Ramiro Elena]

I did my first roll this morning. Like it has been said, it's pretty simple. The trouble comes with scanning and trying to color correct.
I haven't shot large format yet (a have a large stack of expired Portra 400VC 120 film).

I used the 5L Tetenal kit. The only thing that's gotten me a little confused is the STAB bath.
It is a bit strange with the 5L kit. You need 50mL to make 5 litre BUT 100mL to make 1 litre. The kit comes with only 50mL so you are forced to mix 5 litres which take up a lot of space.

and how do you handle it once you've finished the processing? Can you touch the wet film with your bare hands?

Here are some takes.

[Ari]

Very strange about the stabilizer quantities, Ramiro. maybe you have a link to online instructions?
After bleach (BLIX in my kit), you wash the film in water.
After the wash, you add the stabilizer, to which I add a few drops of wetting agent (to prevent spots).
The film is safe to handle after the stabilizer bath.

[Ari]

Just an update.
I've processed 36 sheets so far, using the same batch of chemicals, and to my inexperienced eye, the film still looks pretty good.
The last batch of film came out looking very orange; from what I can gather on the information sheet, this is probably due to insufficient Blix time.
So next batch, I will increase both development time (by 15s or 30s) and add a minute to Blix time.

I'd like to know what anybody else thinks, someone who has more experience in this area than I do.
Thanks

[Ari]

Another update.
Up to 48 sheets processed so far, and the last batch looked good.
I increased development time from 3:30 to 3:45.
I increased Blix time from 6:30 to 7:00.
The scans will show me what really happened, but it's encouraging.

I've kept the chems in accordion-type plastic bottles, sealed properly, at room temperature.
This was my first processing in more than a week, so I was worried about letting the chems sit around that long.
But it went fine.

Just the cost alone has been worth it.
So far, I've processed 48 sheets of film, and it's cost me one $20 package of chems, which are still working well.
At my lab, they charge $3.50 per sheet plus tax; would have been about $190 including tax.
A savings of about $170.

[Ari]

I did my first roll this morning. Like it has been said, it's pretty simple. The trouble comes with scanning and trying to color correct.
I haven't shot large format yet (a have a large stack of expired Portra 400VC 120 film).

I used the 5L Tetenal kit. The only thing that's gotten me a little confused is the STAB bath.
It is a bit strange with the 5L kit. You need 50mL to make 5 litre BUT 100mL to make 1 litre. The kit comes with only 50mL so you are forced to mix 5 litres which take up a lot of space.

and how do you handle it once you've finished the processing? Can you touch the wet film with your bare hands?

Here are some takes.

I saw your processed photos, Ramiro; very good.
I hope it's going well with the 5L kit.
Your son looks about the same age as my daughter, 15 months?

[Ramiro Elena]

Ari, I need to process one more roll of 120 today. I did experienced a light stain in one single frame, only visible in the scan. My main problem so far is the water stains I get with the Stab (very tiny white spots only visible in the scans too).
I think that part of the kit is different from the 1L. The 5L comes with wetting agent or at least it would seem that way from how foamy it is. I noticed it starts to change color too. I might try toss that mix and use a fresh one.

I really want to try some 4x5 but I only have an expired box of Ektachrome 64T. I'll use it next week on some portraits of a musician friend. No way to tell how results will be... Tungnsten in daylight, cross process... it'll be funky.
I need to get my hands on some expired 4x5 boxes on eBay or here.

Yeah! Pretty much, he'll turn 12 months in december. He's quite tall

[gth]

Off topic a bit but since there are a few Montrealers here:

1. What Lab do you use in Montreal for developing sheet film (E6, E41, B/W)?
(And 35 mm for that matter! Scanning?)

2. Where do you purchase development chemicals in Montreal?

Thanks!

/gth