C-41 Home Dev Kit: got one for Christmas!

[epatsellis]

Pete, it's concentrate to make 25 gals. I don't know if they still offer it.
I used to use a 5 gal kit- http://www.adorama.com/KKFCDR5G.html
The box is maybe 10x5x7, really small. You can mix less than full package amounts as well, I'll email you a pdf that is a compilation of all the C41 documents from Kodak in one pdf file.

You can develop a lot of film with 5 gals of developer, unreplenished one shot.
The total cost is very low, low enough that even mixing up a liter or two here and there I still beat the cost of the least expensive minilab pricing around ($2/roll). Not to mention being able to process 120/220, 4x5 and 8x10 negatives at 11:00 at night, should inspiration strike me.

Even before I inherited a nearly lifetime supply of C41 chemistry (sans bleach, damnit...), it still cost me somewhere around $.50 a roll to develop, now the only cost I have is bleach, for the foreseeable future.

Bleach is the only gotcha, shipping surcharges can easily exceed the cost of the product, if you can find a minilab supplier locally, they will have all the chemistry for far cheaper than mail order, even if you figure in throwing half of it away. It may take a bit to find the person there that has the tech knowledge and can help you decide on which chemistry will work best, but in the end it's well worth it.

While I use Kodak chemistry, Fuji-Hunt, Trebla and Champion are all good as well. Just avoid blix, it's one shot, not very effective and expensive in comparison. I've been using the same 2 gals of bleach now for over 4 years, with no leuco cyan staining, which appears when the bleaching is not being completed, and the fixer at around

so Kodak p/n rundown, all prices from Unique Photo Supply (Diversified and Minilab.com's pricing is fairly consistent)

dev/replenisher  1919042 makes 5 gals around $30

bleach 8824690 ready to use around $27/gal  *need to order in multiples of 2

fixer  1597392  makes 25 gals cost around $39
 
final rinse/stabilizer  1925254  makes 5 liters, around $2.75  *need to order in multiples of 12
(there are other options, though the price is triple, so if you anticipate buying 4, might as well get the case of 12)

Also, a final note, the C41 fixer is also a very good b&w fixer, mix 1:3 for film, 1:9 for paper. I keep mine as a concentrate, as for C41 processing you mix 1:4 (the 25 gal cube is really 5 gal cubetainer). so $40 for 5 gallons of concentrate that will make 15 gallons of film fixer, 50 gallons of paper fixer, or 25 gallons of C41 fixer is about the least expensive way to do b&w, cheaper than mixer thiosulphate from bulk.

If you want to try some real fun, film acceleration is where one develops E6 film first in D76 or another b&w developer, then in C41 chemistry, think of it as cross processing on steroids. Limited info here (http://jpgmag.com/stories/1228). Other effects include bleach bypass, giving an image much more grain and muted colors, partial bleach bypass, and of course cross processing E6 films.
(edit, just found this link, go to 22.07... http://people.rit.edu/andpph/pf-faq/faq-22.html)
links:
http://store.uniquephoto.com/e/index.php/
http://diversifiedimaging.net/
http://www.minilab.com

[radiophoto]

Erie, you are a hell of a guy.  Thanks so much for sharing all this info, and for the documents you sent me in the e-mail.  I'll take a closer look and hope to keep going on this, as my favorite lab-owner is making retirement noises, dash-it-all.

[Kalkadan]

Pete - congratulations on the present - great results.  The flashbulbs give a surprisingly gentle illumination; I had imagined (not being able to remember what they were like) that there would be hot spots all over the place.  These are lovely photos, and I really liked the one of Keane with his Uncle Ken - what a fine looking boy.

I just googled that camera and I see it is as old as me!  At least it sees very clearly while I needed a lens implant  :eek:

The C41 information you have from Erie is fascinating.  Thanks Erie.  I would love to get into some C41 and have a few questions, but I'll post them in the film/darkroom section or whatever seems most appropriate when I send this and look at the categories.

happy New Year

Dan

PS  Ha, ha, what a dummy! I see we are in that section of the forum right now ........ it will happen to you young guys too someday  :rolleyes:

[radiophoto]

Here are some more samples.  I spent a couple of lunch-hours and rolls of film shooting more additions to my collection:


Kodak Brownie Hawkeye (no-flash) by f6point3studio, on Flickr


Six-16 Brownie by f6point3studio, on Flickr


Praktica Super TL by f6point3studio, on Flickr


Six-20 Kodak by f6point3studio, on Flickr


Beirette Junior II by f6point3studio, on Flickr

[Philip]

That's really good colour work.  You're making me feel bad about not doing my own C41.  But you're making me feel good about the approaching time when I'm going to have to do my own C41.

[epatsellis]

I had hoped to shoot some color this break, but between personal health issues, ill family member issues and school, not much time to do much of anything. Here's a few frames from the past of home processed C41 (apoligies to those that may have seen these before):


(Portra 160VC/RB67)


Nikon F3/24mm 2.8 AI, NPS 160


Nikon F3/MD4 180mm f2.8, shot at f2.8 1/60th of a second (handheld!) Fuji NPS 160


RB67/180mm, Ext. Tube #2/Portra 400VC


RB67/127mm/Ektachrome E100GX Xprocessed


F3/180 2.8 @ f2.8-4 or so.../NPS160

[epatsellis]

One more I ran across, shot with the Hassy, 150 Sonnar, 21mm extension tube, scanned and sat. turned up to 11, the original, while accurate colorwise, didn't have any emotional impact.

[br1078lum]

Those look geat, Erie.  And the collection never looked better, Pete.

PF

[radiophoto]

Thanks, Phil, yer a pal!

Erie, I like these a lot -- the Buick neon sign is schweet!  And is that Edgar Winter in that last photo?

[George in Georgia]

Good to have user reports on C-41 home processing.  Has anyone tried the kits from Freestyle?  I've been using prepaid mailers from Porter's in Iowa, they're about $7.00 each for 120 film including a set of prints.  Since I customarily scan in the negatives I don't really need prints. 

I do my own BW and in the dim past used to do Ektachrome.  Anyone else remember using a photoflood lamp for the reversal step?  But as I recall the temperature called for was perhaps 80, plus or minus 1/2 degree, not 102.  Given the difficulty in getting 120 slide film processed, let alone mounted, I guess I'll bite the bullet and try E-6.  I'd love to see slides from my Pentax 645n projected through the old Kindermann projector I scored.

[radiophoto]

Hey George, thanks for your input.  Since my Jobo home kit is nearly exhausted, I've been extending the developing and blixing times, and that seems to be working OK.  I've also been cross-processing some E-6 film, getting interesting results.  Here's what I got from one 220 roll of Fujichrome Velvia 50, split into 2 rolls of 620:

From a Six-20 Brownie Senior (Kodak UK):





I also shot in a Six-20 Brownie "E" (also Kodak UK), but they're at home in my computer, not posted yet to the interwebs.  I'll rectify that situation soon. 

[epatsellis]

Thanks, Phil, yer a pal!

Erie, I like these a lot -- the Buick neon sign is schweet!  And is that Edgar Winter in that last photo?

Forgot to reply...
Yes, it is. He was at the Decatur Celebration, a local street/music festival. They bring in some pretty big names every year, and it gives me a chance to relive when you could actually shoot concerts without getting thrown out.

erie