Portra processing?

[sukumizu]

So, I've finally got some decent glass for one of my film cameras and I've been toying with the idea of doing a photoshoot with nothing but film. I'm thinking of trying some Portra 400 and that's where I've got some questions. Seeing as how Portra is processed with C-41, how bad should I expect photos if I get them processed in places like Costco ($5 is pretty damn cheap) or if I do it on my own, what are the chances of screwing up? I've watched a friend do b/w and it seems easy enough but I was told that color is much more difficult to do.

Basically, are there large differences in quality between:
Processing at budget places like Costco vs Processing at pro labs vs processing by myself

I hope this question hasn't been asked too much already. Thanks. 😱

 

[rover]

Home processing of color film is not that common. Some here do it, but you need a bit more, different specialized equipment than that used for b&w. I have not done it, and haven't gotten too far into learning about it before just giving up to the thought that a lab is good enough.

I have used inexpensive processing, which is fine if all you want are prints. I have never been able to get satisfactory high resolution digital scans from a cheap lab.

Currently I am sending my c-41 to our RFF Sponsor Precision Camera who for a very good fee of $11 will process and scan your film. Turnaround time for my last order was one week. Look for the thread titled Scanning Special.

 

[Joosep]

If theyr development is "fresh" then let them do it.
Home C-41 is a brainkiller. The degrees have to be on the spot.
Develop, wash, bleach, wash, fix, wash, stabilizer, wash and dry.
(Some use blix (bleach + fix)).

Just do one fresh role, get it developed there and look.
The start of the film role (the part which got exposed on loading the film) has to be as dark as possible, the more you can see thru, the "lighter" was the development.

 

[sukumizu]

@Rover: I see. I don't think I've ever had good digital scans at any of the cheap labs either, resolution is usually too small and contrast always looks wonky. I'll have to look into Precision Camera, $11 sounds very reasonable.

@Joosep: Yeah, I heard that temperature has to be perfect when doing c-41. I guess I'll experiment with it someday since I still have a couple of expired Kodak Gold Plus 100 lying around...

 

[mugent]

Other than the temperature, c41 is no more difficult than b&w, I used a tetental kit, which uses a blix, easier that separate bleach and fix. But, if you are doing it for the first time, I wouldn't use a roll with important shots.

 

[Chris101]

I have used the Unicolor C-41 kit often. It's not much different than B&W. The temperature can be off by a degree or so - same as B&W, and you can alter the development time to match the temperature, just like B&W. You will need a bucket or tub to hold 104 degree water, and this is sufficient to hold the temperature in the proper range.

The kit costs $18 from Freestyle and you can expect to develop 8 to 16 rolls of 36 exposure 35mm film. When I am lazy (which is often) I take my film to Walgreens and get it developed only, and un-cut for $5 a roll.

 

[brbo]

I've processed my first roll of film just few days ago. It was C41. Then I also did a roll of BW and I think C41 is easier in a sense that you have a standardized procedure, it will basically be the same for any chemistry (except for combined blix vs. bleach + fix) and any kind of C41 film.

When I started researching how I should process my TRI-X400 my head started spinning with thousands of recipes that were all supposed to be better than the other ones. So, for a beginner, C41 is 'here's how it's done' and BW is 'here's the start of a life journey', I guess...

I used bath tub half-full of water for temperature control. But you really need to maintain 38°C (I used Digibase C41 kit) for 3 min, then tolerances are much more relaxed.

 

[gavinlg]

I've done home c41 before and it was super easy. I wasn't even that careful with temps. Came out well.