Cheap color film for b&w conversion...anyone doing it?

David_Manning

David_Manning

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My new thought: shoot very inexpensive drugstore-brand c41 color film, let drugstore develop/scan, and then convert to b&w at home.

I'm a former BW400CN junkie, but it's getting so expensive. Does anyone else routinely use this workflow for b&w final output? Would you mind sharing some examples of b&w shots converted from cheap color film?

I'm loving film b&w, but sometimes it's a drag to develop so many rolls of Tri-X after a trip...and BW400CN is expensive.

I just bought Fuji 200 c41 color film from Walmart at 4 rolls of 24-exp at $6.88 and I love the price.
 
I have done this but I don't have any examples I can share right now (I'll look for some later). I think that converting color to b&w works just fine and looks just as good as BW400CN (which I like but, yeah, it is expensive).
 
Looking through some of my past images, I've done this before, not as a routine, but because the image called for it. I think it looks really good.

This image was on good (read:expensive) color film (Fuji Pro400H), however I'd think that less expensive Fuji 200 or 400 would be incredibly similar:

Contax T3, Fuji Pro400H converted to b&w

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Another isolated example, using Pro400H...

I think I may have run across a decent hybridization of workflow for me personally.

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I've done this a few times before. These shots below were taken with Fuji Color 200 ISO on an olympus stylus epic and converted to b/w.

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These two below were shot with expired fuji 800 color film.

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I'm pretty happy with the results. :]
 
Yeah, they look good...they're nice pictures too.

Well, I have some Fuji 200 coming back from the minilab this afternoon. I'll have to revisit and see if it's a valid option.
 
Sure, the only downside is the difficulty to get a satisfying darkroom print from the negative.
But for digital output, not a problem.

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All B&W in this thread so far are converted from cheap generic film - not only that, but about 3 years expired and stored at room temperature to boot.
 
Yep. Buy cheap a.. Walgreens film, or Fuji 200. Convert to B&W in Aperture. The grain can be nice if that's what you're after. But much cheaper than real B&W processing.
 
Good stuff.

I just got two rolls back this afternoon, and I think they look terrific...

Contax T3, Fujicolor 400, Buenos Aires, Argentina

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I do it all the time but not necessarily cheap color film. If I shoot color which I do often since it's convenient to get developed I always look at a B&W virtual image, if it looks good I'll pull it into silver efex pro 2. I do my own scans so I have a tiff file to work with.
This shot is M2 the new Portra 400, converted in sep2. I had to add grain since the Portra is almost grain free.

[URL="http:// M2KN400-(4)-(CV7518) (3 of 9)-Edit.jpg by rootbeer2004, on Flickr

Thanks for starting this thread, I wondered if others did it.
Jim
 
Nice shots and conversions, everyone. I'm glad I'm not crazy for thinking or doing it.

Of course, some of the minilab scans leave something to be desired, but at least I can judge for myself whether it's worth re-scanning.

To be honest, I'm pretty impressed with the cheap Fuji 200 in color, too.
 
Fuji 400 developed in Rodinal 1:100 for 20 min. Epson V500 using 2400dpi, Med Grain Reduction, Unsharp Mask@Medium, Color Correction switch. No other twitches. Marcus Whitman Mission, Walla Walla, WA. Bright Sun with Hexar AF.

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Until I started buying Legacy PRO film; cheap a.. Fuji @ Fred Meyer™ was a pretty good deal..and still would be if Freestyle ever runs out of Legacy PRO 100 or 400 (*knockwood*). The only downside "for me", is that if you do NOT presoak....the stuff is g.. d....d hard to scan, especially if the exposure is off a "bit" toward the "over" side of the equation. The frames don't align, and it's back to using VueScan or some other "utility".

Otherwise, in a pinch..the stuff has a reeeely nice look, and makes a good substitute for B&W....better than C-41 Chromogenic since it's half the price. In fact, "IF" I couldn't get B&W film as cheap or cheaper than this stuff....I'd be ordering 120 roll bulk purchases of it vs the Legacy PRO 100 I "DO" order in bulk.

Just gotta pre-soak for at least five minutes before developing, and 10-20 minutes after final rinse to get the clearest negs. Fixing the "he.." out of it doesn't hurt either.
 
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If you're spending that much time in aperture/Lightroom/Photoshop doing de-saturation, adding grain ect, why not just shoot digital?
 
Uh..."I'm" NOT. I have a standard scanner default that is automatic. NOTHING else in ANY program is done...all is done in SCANNER/scanner app without interference. No desaturation (since it's developed in B&W chemicals) no added grain, no ETC. I cloned a piece of hair out of this one..but that's not unusual, and nothing anyone else doesn't do. The "dark" negative comes out of the soup. I hang it. It dries. I scanz it. It comes out juuust like this. Voila!

The only way this could be more automated or easier is if I paid you to do it for me :D~
 
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I often shoot C41 and get CDs scanned, then convert to B&W as needed. I will also shoot nicer quality C41 film, like the new Portra, and scan it myself for either B&W or color output depending on the image.

Edgar has a stash of outdated c41 he is selling cheap: http://www.4photolab.com/
 
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