E6 - What are my options for developing at home

[lassethomas]

OK, so I've got the slide bug in general and the Velvia 50 bug in particular. I've been trying it on and of for a while, with 35mm and with 120 on my 6x12 back on my Chamonix.
So many things against it, I know. No latitude. Miss exposure with a third of a stop and you're smoked. Sunny day? More or less forget it. And then there is the magenta cast. And so on...
But when you get it right there is nothing like it. The greens are out the world, so are the blues. The wonderful separation of the yellows and blues. Color negative film and digital is no match.

Enough of praise. Thing is, if I want to shoot sheets (4x5) there is no lab in Sweden that can handle E6 larger than 120 (as far as I know, and I've looked, but if you know otherwise please tell me).
I could send abroad I guess but I rather keep it local.

So, my thought would be to do it myself.

I'm lazy so I'm thinking to get a Job CPE2 or CPE3 or something similar, to help me get the temperature and agitation right. Expensive, sure, but I think it could pay for itself in the long run.
And then the Tetenal 3 bath E6-kit for developing slides.

So my questions/thoughts to the forum is:

For those of you who have tried, what to think of?
Have I missed something obvious?
Is the Tetenal kit delivering the same thing as the original 6 bath solution

And so on... anything would be wonderful

/Lasse

[Duolab123]

OK, so I've got the slide bug in general and the Velvia 50 bug in particular. I've been trying it on and of for a while, with 35mm and with 120 on my 6x12 back on my Chamonix.
So many things against it, I know. No latitude. Miss exposure with a third of a stop and you're smoked. Sunny day? More or less forget it. And then there is the magenta cast. And so on...
But when you get it right there is nothing like it. The greens are out the world, so are the blues. The wonderful separation of the yellows and blues. Color negative film and digital is no match.

Enough of praise. Thing is, if I want to shoot sheets (4x5) there is no lab in Sweden that can handle E6 larger than 120 (as far as I know, and I've looked, but if you know otherwise please tell me).
I could send abroad I guess but I rather keep it local.

So, my thought would be to do it myself.

I'm lazy so I'm thinking to get a Job CPE2 or CPE3 or something similar, to help me get the temperature and agitation right. Expensive, sure, but I think it could pay for itself in the long run.
And then the Tetenal 3 bath E6-kit for developing slides.

So my questions/thoughts to the forum is:

For those of you who have tried, what to think of?
Have I missed something obvious?
Is the Tetenal kit delivering the same thing as the original 6 bath solution

And so on... anything would be wonderful

/Lasse

I'm having trouble finding Tetenal E6 kits here in the US. I processed some 6x17 Provia today with some Tetenal 3 bath, I split the kit FIVE YEARS AGO.
I ordered some Fuji chemistry today, I used the Kodak 5L kits in the past. Exactly as you say you can get weird results. These shots came out pretty good considering this was 2014 vintage chemistry. E6 is a joy in itself, I just like looking at the images on a light table or projected. Don't over use the Tetenal. Even Fotoimpex is out of this, may be a temporary back order
196912

[lassethomas]

I'm having trouble finding Tetenal E6 kits here in the US. I processed some 6x17 Provia today with some Tetenal 3 bath, I split the kit FIVE YEARS AGO.
I ordered some Fuji chemistry today, I used the Kodak 5L kits in the past. Exactly as you say you can get weird results. These shots came out pretty good considering this was 2014 vintage chemistry. E6 is a joy in itself, I just like looking at the images on a light table or projected. Don't over use the Tetenal. Even Fotoimpex is out of this, may be a temporary back order
196912

Can be found here:
https://shop.new-tetenal.de/product/colortec-e-6-3-bad/
and here:
https://www.macodirect.de/en/chemistry/color-chemistry/e-6/5337/tetenal-colortecc-e-6-kit-for-2.5l

Problem is I don't think they'll ship outside the EU.

[DBNYFL]

I've used the 3-bath home kits, including the Tetenal kit, which I got from freestylephoto.biz as a clearance item. No surprise it was on clearance as Tetenal had gone out of business. So I'm surprised to see a link to "new-tetenal" above! Indeed it looks difficult to have it shipped to the US, and if you were dead-set on getting this kit, you'd have to set up a forwarding agency as I did to order items from adidas.co.uk, which won't ship to the U.S.! . . . I'd feel just as comfortable getting another E-6 kit, though, like this one (though I haven't used it):

https://www.freestylephoto.biz/11864-Arista-Rapid-E-6-Slide-Developing-Kit-1-Gallon

The big key, I believe, is to keep your developer tank at exactly the required temperature during development. I do this in a makeshift fashion in the tub -- by incessantly checking the faucet temperature with a digital thermometer. The water drains into a 4- or 5-gallon tub within the tub so that the chemicals before and during the process can stay at the needed temperature. The Tetenal kit, for example, requires 100 degrees for its first developer and colour developer, and 97 for its blix. Well, I heat everything up to 100 and some time during the development process, I pull the blix out so that it'll cool by 3 degrees before it's used. . . . I've got horribly hard water, so after the stabilizer I agitate for 15 seconds in distilled water from the grocery store. (Had I actually prepared the stabilizer using distilled water, I might bypass that step!)

Be sure to add extra time with the first developer if you need to brighten the slides; I think 1 stop = 25% more time, though your particular kit's instructions ought to say. Failure to keep everything at the right temperature throughout I think will result in bad colour shifts.

I'd like to hear opinions on whether these kits -- which you can get at freestyle, filmphotographyproject, and maybe B&H and adorama -- are really satisfactory or if they turn out less-than-great resolution. I have to ask because my results have only been tested with an Epson v600 and I'm not often thrilled -- so I can't for sure say whether I hate the scanner or the developer kit!

PS -- Don't say "forget it" when it comes to sun and slide film. Sun is what makes it look gorgeous. Yes, you can have some deep shadows, but still. And as for saving money, it's absurd how much it costs to shoot a few rolls and send them out for development and scanning. You'll save huge amounts.

[Duolab123]

For US Freestyle sells Arista kits, Fuji kits, and, supposed to have Tetenal in early 2020. I will be using the Fuji EU (Belgium made) Pro6 5L kit for the foreseeable future. I divide the concentrate. Keeps well in Nalgene bottles.

[Bob Salomon]

For US Freestyle sells Arista kits, Fuji kits, and, supposed to have Tetenal in early 2020. I will be using the Fuji EU (Belgium made) Pro6 5L kit for the foreseeable future. I divide the concentrate. Keeps well in Nalgene bottles.

Unique Photo sells several E6 kits. But they are mostly categorized as a hazmat so, unless you can find it locally, shipping will be a problem.

[j enea]

being in europe, up can get the fuji 6 bath kit that does 5 liters of chemistry for not much more than the tenenal 3 bath kit that only does 2.5 liters. . I have used both and now use the fuji 6 bath exclusively with replenishment. I fund the fuji chems as stock last twice as long as the tetenal, mainly the blix in the tetenal goes bad quickly. my fuji stock is going on 18 months, as are my replenished working stocks, and they have lost no potency. I top them off with butane to keep them fresh.

check out maco

https://www.macodirect.de/en/chemistry/color-chemistry/e-6/

[j enea]

Unique Photo sells several E6 kits. But they are mostly categorized as a hazmat so, unless you can find it locally, shipping will be a problem.

I bought the large size bottles from unique in fall 2017. so thats all 7 baths in the 20 liter size concentrates. shipping for everything was in less than a week to California and cost less than $80, so it was not that much and in my mind well worth the cost. at that time, unique did not collect sales tax, so that saved a lot and almost offset the whole shipping costs.

[Bob Salomon]

I bought the large size bottles from unique in fall 2017. so thats all 7 baths in the 20 liter size concentrates. shipping for everything was in less than a week to California and cost less than $80, so it was not that much and in my mind well worth the cost. at that time, unique did not collect sales tax, so that saved a lot and almost offset the whole shipping costs.
Did,you check Looking Glass for local supply?

[lassethomas]

Thanks everyone,

Seems like I have a few options. Interesting with the Fuji chemistry option at https://www.macodirect.de/en/chemistry/color-chemistry/e-6/
Now I have something to do in the cold, dark and long winter nights.

Will be back with my findings and experiences eventually

[Duolab123]

Unique Photo sells several E6 kits. But they are mostly categorized as a hazmat so, unless you can find it locally, shipping will be a problem.

UPS ground brings it to my door. No bigger problem than shipping lithium batteries. I paid about 20 bucks to ship the full Fuji kit from Freestyle in sunny California to the sometimes sunny Midwest. Folks need to be aware of the seasons. Fuji says the kit needs to be kept between 5° - 30° C. This can be a issue with delivery (and transit) .
I make sure I'm going to be home. Sitting on my front porch is not good this time of year.
I order film and paper in the winter.