What will happen?

[cliffpov]

I was recently given some expired b/w Kodak film. The rolls state specifically "do not develop in b/w chemistry". It says to develop the film in a C-41 process. Besides ruining 36 exposed masterpieces (I say in jest), what would the likely result be of developing this film in B/W chemistry.

Secondly, why is a B/W film produced only to be developed in a C-41 process?

Part of the reason I like RFF so much is to get answers to these types of questions. Thanks.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Just develop it in C-41. There are people here who have experimented with these films in normal BW chemistry, but what's the point? This film was DESIGNED for C-41. The purpose was to make a film for people who do not have a darkroom but want to shoot BW since processing for traditional BW film in labs is usually expensive and poor quality. The C-41 films do have some advantages, like finer grain and more overexposure lattitude compared to the same speed film in normal BW. They also scan better and you can use digital ICE with them if you scan them with a scanner that offers that feature, which does not work on normal BW films.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

You can develop C-41 B&W film in B&W chemistry.

XP-2 and BW400CN are made so you could have them developed at places like Wal-Mart, since only pro labs do B&W developing anymore, and they are getting hard to conveniently find. B&W C-41 films also have good lattitude and scan well.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Ah, Chris. Great minds, and all that stuff. 🙂

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Here's some shots from the Kodak C41 BW film.

Shot on 120 film, 645 format

Shot on 35mm film

Shot on 35mm film

Shot on 35mm film

 

[sepiareverb]

You'll get image, I'd suggest a longer development time than you might otherwise pick. I have a student or two try this every semester, most by pure dumb accident. Scanning will be you're best option as the orange mask makes for very, very long exposure times on the remaining B&W papers. Kodak used to make Ektalure (?? is my memory right here??) for printing color negatives before there was Chromogenic B&W- it could deal with the orange cast better than regular B&W papers.

Chris it looks like you're actually having this stuff run in C-41? Where's the challenge in that? 😉

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Ah, Chris. Great minds, and all that stuff. 🙂

Yep! 😀 😀 😀

 

[Tom A]

It all depends how much out-of-date the film is. C41 films age rather badly if unexposed (storage and easily fogged). Shoot one of the rolls, bracket exposures (100/200/400) and have you local Wal-Mart or if there is one, a color-lab run it in C41. Check the results (if you have access to a scanner - just do development and scan the film).
In the "good old days" you could get the aforemetioned Ektalure - but it was designed for printing black/white from color negatives. I used it - but it was a hassle (total darkness and limited tonal scale).
You can print chromogenic bl/w (Kodak CN 400/XP2 etc) as black and white - but you need to boost the contrast heavily # 4 or#5 filter - long exposures and tonal range is difficult to nail down properly. Nice "middle" contrast and usually good highlights - but grayish blacks and some very strange "worm' like artifacts that you have to spot out!
It is film that works well in scanning, less so in wet-printing. It sounds like the film is free or almost so - you got nothing to loose - except a couple of $ for "develop only" anyway.
Live dangerously and go for it. If it works you are ahead - if it doesn't - cjalk it up to experience.
The good thing is that C41 bl/w has an extraordinary latitude and can handle over/under exposure with aplomb!

 

[cliffpov]

Thanks so much Chris, Pickett, Sepiareverb, and Tom. I have learned tons from reading postings from the folks here on RFF. Its become one of my favorite sites since getting into film photography through digital.

By the way sepiareverb, I thought maybe I would get a result something like the avatar you have posted here on RFF.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

sepiareverb's avatar is just a scan of a negative that is left looking like a negative instead of being inverted to a positive.