E6 and C41 is really easy in a Jobo. I use a jobo atl 2300 and Kodak Flexicolor chemistry.
C41 is a bit more forgiving then E6. You can correct for minor errors in printing or scanning.
I like the Kodak chemistry because you can buy it in large quantities, they are always consistent, last a pretty long time and its not a Blix, separate Dev, Bleach and Fixer.
In the cubes your cost per ml drops significantly, just a thought if you do a lot.
Processing c-41 at home is indeed easy. Processing c-41 at home and having that process be verifiably in control is next to impossible, even with a jobo. So long as you don't run control stips, go ahead... do it at home - you're doing a bang-up job and getting negs with full latitude.
Tetenal in a Jobo rotary tank, as easy as it sounds.
C-41 and even E-6 is EASY!!!!!!
I have done E-6 for years!!! Easy as falling off a log!!!!
RA-4 is also easy, once you learn how!
Oh, and I aint got no snobbish Jobo!
Just a good ol' manual SS tank!
"I would like to see Paris before I die... Philadelphia will do..."
Maybe one day i will give color processing a try, i know it will not be difficult at all as long i can have a temp controller, but the hard/difficult part for me is to get the chemicals to be shipped to my part of the world, and thanks Morgan, just before yesterday say yesterday i got that Mod54 from one friend who live in my country but he is from UK and he was there last 2 weeks and came back few days ago carrying that Mod54 for me as i told him.
Hope i can shoot LF more now, Mod54 will make it much easier and more fun for me to process 4x5, i hate trays processing and BTZS/Combiplan are just alternatives that i can't depend on all the time.
I have run control strips for C-41 and E-6 and they fall within the process tolerances, are repeatable and within the densitometer (Xrite 811) error rate.Originally Posted by frotog
They have been consistent from batch to batch and i have even had Kodak verify them a few times.
Its relatively easy to keep the processes in control, its all about consistency.
I do all color as single shot (i do replenish E6 bleach), that can be very consistent from run to run.
Everything from the choice of chemistry, timing, jacket and wash water temperatures to mixing the same way each time.
I use good quality graduates, serological pipettes and a variable pipette 0-5ml for the starters.
The last 2 are really great for measuring small liquid volumes and keeping everything consistent.
Make sure not to cross contaminate between the chems. You can run into weird problems that are hard to track down.
For reference, the 1st wash in E6 is the most temp critical of the washes. To hot it will go warm, conversely to cold and it will go cooler.
It can be a source of annoying color shifts that are hard to track down. I always leave the water running just a little to keep the water controller active and the pipes warm.
It does take some trial and error to dial it all in but once you get the hang of it, there should be no reason for it to not plot in control.
The developer time, rotation speed (in my jobo 50 RPM for LF and 75 RPM for 35mm and MF) and temps might be different from the published specs.
I use Kodak chemistry for both E-6 and C-41, it gives superb results and you have a support line in case of problems or questions.
An interesting observation, when i switched from the Kodak single use E6 kits to the AR cubes i noticed a few things.
1. The chromes came out brighter (better Dmin) 2. Control strips plotted correctly 3. Dmax was also improved. 4. They also looked better in the midtones.
The main difference between the individual components and the kits is that the starters are incorporated but are separate for the individual components.
I never used the tentenal kits but that might be why a control strip wont work. Kits that use Blix might not work well with a control strip meant for a full line.
Also using rotary tube or hand processing can oxidize (developers mostly) the chemicals quickly. I found that single shot is the best way to go to keep everything the same.
I remember the Kodak kit said you can reuse it a few times and gave a scale to adjust the dev times. I tried it once and it didn’t produce a good chrome.
It might be that reusing the kits saves money but at the expense of some quality.
The problem with home processing c-41 lies in the comparatively small quantities of chemistry used, the 3:15 developing time, the large amounts of aerial oxidation inherent in the jobo processing technique, maintaining the high temp of 100 degrees and maintaining the requisite quarter-degree fahrenheit tolerances Kodak calls for. Even if you conquer four out of five of these variables, you're still nowhere near the consistency of a properly maintained Refrema with its gaseous agitation and baths that hold 100x the amount of chemistry of a home process. The resultant variances will show in your results. Maybe it's not enough of a processing error to bother you but it will be there. E-6, on the other hand is a little bit more forgiving.
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