Developing color film at home?
John Lawson
What kind of money would it take to get set up, and what kind of
expertise does it take? Thanks for any input.
John
BC Pix
, some sort of method for maintaining a temperature of about 100 degrees
farenheit. and some chemistry.
Many companies make a good C-41 chemistry kit including kodak, beseler and
unicolor. Most are 3-step (developer, bleach-fix and stabilizer) and take
about 15 to 20 minutes to run a batch of film .
To maintain temp. I sumply use a window-box type planter filled with water and
an aquarium heater cranked up to 100 degrees. Then just put the chemical
bottles in the water bath.
Good Luck
Brian Cleary
http://members.aol.com/bcpix
Grey Wolf
JOHNan...@webtv.net inexplicably felt compelled to blather
:: Is getting set up to develop color film at home a monumental task?
NO.
::What kind of money would it take to get set up
$50-$75
:: and what kind of
::expertise does it take?
The ability to follow written instructions is the only expertise
that you need.
You need developing tank and reel.
You need a source of darkness :-) I use a changing bag in
ordinary room light. This darkness allows you to move film from
the film canister onto a reel and into a light-proof tank. That
few seconds is the only time that you need darkness.
You need a way to pop the end of a film canister. I use a bottle-
cap remover.
You need chemicals (kit is fine) and bottles to store mixed
chemicals.
You need a way to regulate temperature of the mixed chemicals. I
use a full sink of warm water. I use metal scientific
thermometers to monitor the temperatures. Running hot and cold
water helps.
You need measuring devices for accurately mixing chemicals.
You need a timer of some sort. Seconds count here.
The chemical kit will give you precise instructions.
Hint: get some free film from Seattle Film Works (that's all it's
good for). http://www.filmworks.com/specials/freefilm.htm
Use it to practice transferring film from canister to reel.
practice a lot. One mistake can ruin several frames of film.
Several mistakes will ruin a whole roll.
--
Grey "color developer in my blood" Wolf
Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.
(Mark Knopfler)
James K
friend got one for about $10 but it only went up to 85 degrees. also, film
usually is developed at 102 degrees and im wondering how your film is
affected by this. do you agitate more?
also, where is the cheapest place to buy the temperature manitenance unit,
the one that looks like a huge slab of black marble.
tx
james
BC Pix wrote in message <19990626063841...@ng-fu1.aol.com>...
Glenn Stewart (Arizona)
> Is getting set up to develop color film at home a monumental task?
> What kind of money would it take to get set up, and what kind of
> expertise does it take? Thanks for any input.
> John
John,
So far, all the responses I've seen have told you about the relative
simplicity of developing color negative film, but none have been
complete answers.
Yes, color neg film is pretty simple to process. However, I recommend
against it. It is not economical, considering the time it takes. Your
local one-hour lab has much better process controls and will process
your film without prints for about $3. I get the prints anyway and use
them as proofs. I then select the 'keepers' and make my own
enlargements.
If you currently print black and white, you can set up to print color
quite inexpensively. You will need some color correction filters for
your enlarger. These are available in a kit and can be used either in
the filter drawer of your enlarger (good choice) or below the lens (less
attractive choice). A color head for your enlarger is the best way to
work. Very convenient and capable of much finer correction settings than
individual filters. You can process color prints in trays, but you must
work in total darkness or under a safelight that very closely resembles
total darkness. The fumes bother some people. I'd recommend buying a
USED motor base (there's lots of Beselers around) and a NEW drum. The
new drum will be free of contaminants. Drum processing occupies less
space than tray processing, you can do it with the lights on and the
fumes are contained inside the drum. Color paper is cheaper than B&W,
but the chemistry is more expensive. There are some techniques you can
use to reduce chemistry cost. There are color print chemistries that
work at room temperature, so temp control is not an issue. I've used
Beseler's 95 degree chemistry at room temperature with good results by
increasing the processing time. The color print process takes less time
than the B&W process. You will have to learn how to color correct your
prints. The Kodak Color Print Viewing Kit is a big help. Ask your
dealer. The hard part for most people is remembering that if your print
is too yellow, for instance, you must ADD yellow to the color correction
filter pack to get rid if the excess yellow in the print. Remember, it's
a negative process in all respects. Be VERY thorough in your wash steps.
I'm convinced that shoddy wash processes cause prints to fade quickly.
Color slide processing is yet another story. You can't do Kodachrome at
home, so it won't be discussed further. All the E-6 process films
(Kodak, Fuji and Agfa) can be processed at home. They are all VERY
sensitive to time/temperature control in the first developer. Very small
deviations can cause major changes in your film. I haven't pursued E-6
processing diligently, but the few times I have tried it, I've been
disappointed in the results. I let my Pro lab process my E-6. I used to
do tons of E-4 process film in the late 60's and got wonderful results.
I'm not sure where the difference lies.
I hope this has been informative.
Best regards,
Stew
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