Are color chemicals, color chemicals, color chemicals?

[ChristopherCoy]

I have exactly >this much< color developing experience. In fact, in the 20 some odd years of photographic experience, I have developed exactly ZERO rolls of color film myself. However, I shot about 12 rolls of Ektar and Porta 160 last summer that I've never developed, and I have two bricks of expired Kodak Gold along with about a dozen sorted other color rolls that I'd like to shoot.

I've been looking at the Cinestill C-41 powder kit for my non-expired rolls from last summer, but I'm curious how they would perform with the expired stuff. I know there is some development compensation that has to be accounted for, but I was wondering if color chemicals are color chemicals across the board? In other words, are the C-41 kits all the same these days, or do certain brands lend themselves better to certain tasks and user friendliness?

 

[glbeas]

C41 is a standard process and will work with any C41 film. Other than the developer expiring too soon sometimes its just about easier than B&W development. Give it a go.

 

[Wayne]

Many kits use blix instead of separate bleach and fix steps, and the former is considered less permanent. Since many photographers feel their work is on a historical par with the Sphinx and Great Pyramid that fact may be of some import. I'm under no such delusions so I've always used the blix kits when I develop my own.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

Many kits use blix instead of separate bleach and fix steps, and the former is considered less permanent. Since many photographers feel their work is on a historical par with the Sphinx and Great Pyramid that fact may be of some import. I'm under no such delusions so I've always used the blix kits when I develop my own.

Yeah, it's not like I was recently hired by MOMA or anything. I just need the easiest kit that will develop my expired film with the best results.

 

[koraks]

Quality won't vary much between the different chemistry brands. There will surely be differences, but not likely to be meaningful for the likes of us.
One difference to be aware of is the final wash/conditioner/stabilizer. We've seen a few reports of problems with streaks or stains on processed film that seem to trace back to certain brands of final was/etc. I can't tell for sure if these problems are consistently traceable back to the chemistry itself, but it starts to look like it. If you want to be sure, you could try getting hold of a bottle of Kodak Flexicolor final rinse. The small bottles aren't expensive and seem to be trouble-free.

I personally use Fuji chemistry, but it only comes in somewhat larger quantities than perhaps convenient for most home users (although I don't shoot high volumes either...) We all have our preferences and easily accessible sources of course.

 

[Tel]

I've been doing my own C-41 for six years or so. I've always used the Unicolor powder kits because of the price and my belief that dry powder will have a longer shelf life. (I say Unicolor, but based on the identical nature of the instruction sheets I think they're the same kits sold by Freestyle and FPP.) These are easy to use and the chemicals stay potent much longer than the manufacturer's specs imply. The oldest color film I've developed was some Agfa XPS 160 from 2001; I developed it normally with no compensation and the results were good but with some green shifts (correctible in post). I am nearing the end of a bulk roll of Portra 160NC that expired in 2009 and just beginning to see some color shifts. The only case where I use compensation in dev times is when I get near the end of the useful life of the developer--compensating for exhaustion rather than age of the film.

EDIT: Here's a recent shot from that roll of Portra 160. The reds and yellows are slightly muted but manageable.
red berries yellow leaves by terry, on Flickr

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have use the Unicolor 1 liter kit from KEH for years. It states that is it good for 12 rolls, but if I develop over the course of two or three days, I have gotten consistently good results with 16 rolls of film. It is easy to use if the directions are followed and the correct temperature is used. The most important time is for the first developer at 3 minutes and 15 seconds.

 

[foc]

Your thread title is correct.
What more can I say except I would have said " colour chemicals, colour chemicals, colour chemicals?"

 

[focus_on_infinity]

I can't add much to this conversation, other than that as someone new to developing film altogether, I didn't find C41 (or E6) to be particularly formidable. It takes a little more planning to deal with a water bath, but in the end isn't a whole lot more complex than any B&W processess. In some ways it's simpler, because other than for 1st dev exhaustion there isn't any judgement to make about time.

 

[wyofilm]

When I use the abundant kits out there, my first round of development leads to nice orange masks. After that I start to get browner looking masks. I attribute (perhaps wrongly) to the blix step not working correctly after the first round. This pushed me to use Kodak chems, but of course this is a PITA because it doesn't come with the convenience of a kit. I don't get the same browning this way.

Am I wrong about the browning? Should I care?

When Fuji chems hit the shelves again, I will go in that direction because it has the convenience of a kit and separate bleach and fix steps.

 

[fdonadio]

When Fuji chems hit the shelves again, I will go in that direction because it has the convenience of a kit and separate bleach and fix steps.

Good to know about these Fuji kits. One problem with Kodak stuff is the size of the bottles (too much stuff for my throughput).