PDA

View Full Version : Can you process fuji velvia quickloads by hand?



gameface
18-May-2009, 14:25
I live in las vegas and NOBODY does processing around here anymore. I know a guy that does a good job with b&w, but there is nobody to do color. do i need a jobo or something to process my own or can it be done without the big machines?

gameface
18-May-2009, 14:26
by the way, i'm fairly new to this so all i know about a jobo is the small amount i've read and may be wayyy off base.

Glenn Thoreson
18-May-2009, 14:40
All you need is your standard developing tank, etc, and some E-6 chemicals. The only tricky part is keeping the temperature constant. A water bath will handle that, i.e. sink, developing tray, dishpan, whatever, and some hot water. Temps are high, in the 100° F range. Your tank will want to cool down on you. I find it hard to believe there's no place in Vegas that does E-6.
BTW - If you don't want to do it yoursel, you could send it to A&I in Hollywood. Top notch. www.aandi.com

gameface
18-May-2009, 15:15
thanks glenn. I'm going to gather some supplies then and give it a shot. I know it's hard to believe, but yes, there is nobody here that will develop my 4x5 color film. the guy that i take my b&w to had a business partner that did all color, but since the economy took out there place...there is nothing. there were two main photo shops in town, only one of which did processing, and that one just went out of business. there is a little place here that will do a few things but i had them scan a couple of my positive 4x5s and they looked HORRIBLE. then the guy tried to triple the price that he quoted me, no joke. vegas sucks. i'm going to give it a go on my own, thanks for the reply.

Jan Pedersen
18-May-2009, 15:26
If you don't already have the chemistry for E-6 processing you might want to check this company out, they have by far the best price on Kodaks 5L kit.
http://www.minilab.com/productdetail.asp_Q_catID_E_83_A_subCatID_E_80_A_productID_E_156_A_skuID_E_629

Gene McCluney
18-May-2009, 15:49
You will be very satisfied, once you learn to do it yourself. You really can get the best quality that way.

eric black
19-May-2009, 07:15
Quickloads are fairly easy to disassemble into a piece of sheet film in a dark room prior to processing. You simply remove the metal clip when you get in the dark, pull the film assembly out of the sleeve, remove two pieces of plastic (one from the top of the film sheet and one from the bottom) and then you have the equivalent to a normal piece of 4x5 film. _locate the notch to determin emulsion side and then develop using your method/apparatus of choice with Kodak E-6 kit or equivalent.

tgtaylor
19-May-2009, 08:57
If you don't already have the chemistry for E-6 processing you might want to check this company out, they have by far the best price on Kodaks 5L kit.
http://www.minilab.com/productdetail.asp_Q_catID_E_83_A_subCatID_E_80_A_productID_E_156_A_skuID_E_629

Thanks for pointing out that resource but considering their shipping charge Adorama is far cheaper.

I would advise the OP to secure a Jobo CPA2 or CPP2 processor that if he plans to continue working in color. Not only will the unit pay for itself over time, but you won't have to worry about finding a lab to do your processing.

Bill_1856
19-May-2009, 09:01
Developing color trannies in E-6 is a Royal PITA! Sure, you can do it, but it is tricky to keep the temperature just right, and timing is critical. Also, unless you do a lot of them, the cost is quite high, and you've got to keep fresh chemicals on hand.
My advice is to find a good commercial processor (in an area with direct air flights from your city) and go with them.
PS, if you start doing your own processing, there is little point in shooting Quickloads instead of individual films - $$$.

tgtaylor
19-May-2009, 09:20
Just did a quick web search for color labs in Las Vegas and came up with this:
http://www.cashmanprophotolab.com From their website they do 135 and 120/220 but no mention of larger sizes. Pretty good prices too - $3.50 to develope 120. They may be a good resource on what is available in Vegas.

Also, on Kodak's website there is a listing of "pro labs" by state and city. None are listed in NV and the list itseld is far from complete.

Ivan J. Eberle
19-May-2009, 09:43
Kodak E6 5L Kits are considered Haz-mat (it's the bleach) in CA and have shipping restrictions. Are you sure Adorama ships it? Used to be in-store pickup only.

As far as difficulty, I already had a JOBO CPP-2 and Lift, all the reels, tanks and was already doing E6 before I took up LF, so for me it was pretty straightforward. It gets to be so routine as to become dull after you've done it a few times. The challenge then is to stay alert for the nearly half hour it takes per run. If you want repeatable and consistent color, note that time and temperature tolerances are pretty tight with E6. Don't imagine that it'd be much fun to try to get consistent results with reels and inversion with aquarium heaters and such. Not that you can't get results this way, just that you introduce more variables that can introduce a color or density shift. The 3 step E6 kits will be tempting, but there too is little that can be done in the way of process control with them if you need to color correct, so I stick with the Kodak kits (7 chemical steps+ 2 washes means a lot of bottles to temper, first 4 steps are very temperature critical).

For me, the point of Quickloads isn't convenience or cost so much as it is a question of pre-exposure dust control. The first box or two that you process can also be a bit of a challenge in removing the clip in the D/R (you can use the Q/L or a Readyload holder to assist, incidentally), and then peeling the tape off the film without scratching the emusion. Don't leave the tape on the film! It will fall of in processing and scratch the film.

Joanna Carter
19-May-2009, 10:08
Quickloads are fairly easy to disassemble into a piece of sheet film in a dark room prior to processing. You simply remove the metal clip when you get in the dark, pull the film assembly out of the sleeve, remove two pieces of plastic (one from the top of the film sheet and one from the bottom) and then you have the equivalent to a normal piece of 4x5 film.
I tend to simply pull on the clip to remove the film from the envelope, then peel the bottom tab, with the clip still attached, from the film, followed by peeling the top tab. Much easier than prying the clip apart then fumbling to remove the tiny tab that would be left. ;)

Robert Ley
19-May-2009, 10:48
Jan,
Thanks for that link to the minilab.com. I use Fuji Hunt RA4 and C-41 Chemistry and have been looking for a source. They look pretty good, but a little high in the shipping.

tgtaylor
19-May-2009, 13:42
Ivan,

Adorama still ships to CA. I just went on their website and noticed a price increase on the Kodak E6. It was $45 and they raised it to $58.50. Shipping to CA is still the same at $15.80.

If you live near a Calumet store, you can order it sent to the store with their regular supplies. It takes about a week longer than ordering it outright but you won't have to pay the shippping - just the regular item price and sales tax.

Jan Pedersen
19-May-2009, 13:47
Robet, Yes shipping is pretty steep, i did not realize that when i posted.
Adorama does ship, i received a 5L kit from them last week and their shipping is far more reasonable.