Why did I wait so long to do C-41 at home?

codester80

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Just processed my first batch of colour film at home using a Unicolor kit. The chemicals were so easy to mix and developing was a breeze. Keeping the right temperature wasn't difficult. A hot water bath right from the kitchen tap did the trick. A whole new world of colour has opened up!






 
I always say, do BW developing for 50 years and there will still be people telling you how to do it right, do a single C-41 roll and you'll be telling everybody how to do it.

It's that easy.
 
A Jobo processor is a steal at €2990,-. First call in the UK is selling a cheaper option for just 1295 GBP. Still, for the incidental colour film shooter it is a lot of money.....

Good to know it is easy even without a processor!
Look for a second hand CPE-2 (the model I use): typically anything from free (which is how I got my spare) to £200.

Cheers,

R.
 
I agree, it's quite straightforward! I haven't done it in years but I'm tempted to return to it...even E6 is harder to screw up than you might think, I've done a few rolls of that, too.
 
I’ve had good luck processing E-6, years back when I shot more transparency film, but haven’t had much luck with C-41. The first roll always turns out OK, but subsequent rolls are often muddy with muted colors. I haven’t yet figured out how to get around this.

Jim B.
 
I had the Unicolor Kit for over 4 years before I finally jumped in and got started with C41 development. It is easy.
 
I am inching my way into the water on C-41... One of the things I like about b/w is that by using rodinal or HC-110 as a one-shot, or diafine, i don't have to worry about chemicals going bad. When people are saying they are getting 20+ rolls from this or that C-41 developer, is it understood that the development is being done in rapid succession? Which C-41 kit would generally have the best shelf life (once mixed up, not in powder form)? I would have a hard time doing more than 5-10 rolls in any month. Alsoi, does the same developer work equally well for 100, 400 or 800 ASA films?
 
Look for a second hand CPE-2 (the model I use): typically anything from free (which is how I got my spare) to £200.

Cheers,

R.

I bought one a few years ago for £60, works well does take up a lot of space, now I just you dev trays with hot water.
 
I have a C-41 kit I bought years ago...it's still in the original packaging...I really need to use it...I've done E-6 so I shouldn't be afraid of this...right...???
 
I have posted it many times before. I kept 1L kit from BH for two years and used it for two years. It was stored in small, not very cold refrigerator.
 
200 GBP - well, that is affordable - maybe I have to find one!

There are lots of them in your backyard...Germany ;).
Just look at ebay Germany, or the German second hand distributors, or Herrn Seynsche
http://www.stark-darkroom.com/

Best regards, Jan

P.S.: Yes, both C41 and E6 home development with such a Jobo processor is much more consistent and much easier than any BW development.
 
I’ve had good luck processing E-6, years back when I shot more transparency film, but haven’t had much luck with C-41. The first roll always turns out OK, but subsequent rolls are often muddy with muted colors. I haven’t yet figured out how to get around this.

Jim B.

What I've done for C-41 is to increase the development time for 15 seconds for every 5th roll I develop. First 4 rolls at 3:15min, the following 4 rolls at 3:30min and so on. That will keep colors bright and saturation constant. I use one liter batch of chemicals. For bleach and fix (or blix) I usually start from 5-6 minutes and add the same 15 seconds for every 5th roll.
 
I think the conventional wisdom was to stay away from developing color film and prints because it's too difficult - the chemicals are nasty, and temperature control is difficult.

Thanks to a Flickr group (DIY Color, Film Only), I learned that many people were developing color and it wasn't difficult so I've been doing C41 for the last 6 years. I've used the Unicolor powder kit (with blix) and Digibase liquid kit (separate bleach and fix). I didn't see a difference in results and since Digibase is now blix, I prefer the Unicolor kits. I develop 16-18 rolls per 1 liter kit so it's only $1.20-1.40 per roll. Temperature control with a simple water bath (small insulated cooler) is easy and as long as the chemicals are handled carefully (like all chemicals should be), you use some basic personal protective equipment (nitrile gloves and lab goggles, just in case), and have some ventilation, the chemicals are no problem.

Likewise, RA4 color prints, using a drum, Kodak Ektacolor chemicals, and Fuji Crystal Archive Type II paper, are not difficult either.

I'm very happy with the film and print results.
 
Pretty easy, but I had to work out how to maintain high consistent temp with my usual Kindermann tanks.

The reason I started was for the non-standard C-41-like process for Ilford XP1, which would come out underdeveloped from the in-town lab. Asking for push processing pushed it too much... Later, with XP2, one change was for standard C-41 process. By that time I was used to doing it at home, no big deal! :)
 
Just processed my first batch of colour film at home using a Unicolor kit. The chemicals were so easy to mix and developing was a breeze. Keeping the right temperature wasn't difficult. A hot water bath right from the kitchen tap did the trick. A whole new world of colour has opened up!







How are you printing the negatives?
 
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