Availability of high quality color chemistry kits in the US

siguii · Aug 19, 2014

So I've been doing a lot of research in comparing different C41 and E6 processing kits, and I keep coming across people saying, over and over, that any kit using blix is inferior, and that the highest quality and most-often recommended kits are the Fuji-Hunt and Rollei Digibase kits, and that they also use the best quality chemicals, etc. But neither of these are available in the US at all, and none of the kits that are available use separate bleach/fix baths. Why aren't any of the supposedly superior kits sold in the US?

pbromaghin · Aug 19, 2014

CatLabs sells one. I've use it and it worked great. And he's an APUG advertiser. Check the bottom of the page.

MattKing · Aug 19, 2014

Most of the market in the US and Canada is serviced by suppliers of individual, higher volume chemicals, or modules that plug directly into common mini-lab equipment.

pbromaghin · Aug 19, 2014

Or better yet,

http://www.catlabs.info/

Michael Howard · Aug 20, 2014

Perhaps you can elaborate on Catlabs, as I am on their website and I don't see ANYTHING chemistry related.

pbromaghin · Aug 20, 2014

Hmmm. I dunno what's going on. The website has changed a lot recently and it might have gotten lost. I just exchanged email with Omer a couple weeks ago asking him about it and he gave no indication he wasn't selling it any more. It's a custom kit that he has made up just for him once or twice a year. Try emailing him info@catlabs.info, or go through his website.

bvy · Aug 20, 2014

Everything you need for C-41 -- ships from New Jersey:

C-41 Developer Replenisher ($13.95)
http://www.uniquephoto.com/product/c-41-dev-repl-lorr-tm-5l-ek-kodak-xhaz-hazsp1-832-0608-8231672/

C-41 Developer Starter ($12.51)
http://www.uniquephoto.com/product/kodak-c-41-dev-starter-lorr-1-2l-6601074/

Separate Bleach and Fix ($30.00)
http://www.uniquephoto.com/product/...sing-unit-f2-for-color-negative-film-1173319/

Final Rinse ($2.95)
http://www.uniquephoto.com/product/kodak-flexicolor-sm-c-41sm-tank-final-rinse-1925254/

More info in the sticky Color Chemicals thread:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

EdSawyer · Aug 20, 2014

What bvy said. The sticky thread on this covers things. the Kodak chems are the best, and the cheapest, from my experience.

tnabbott · Aug 20, 2014

I have obtained fuji's 6-bath e6 kit from the UK with no issues.

alienmeatsack · Aug 20, 2014

FWIW, I've purchased the chemicals bvy linked to above (and read the long thread about all of it ((there was a url link here which no longer exists)) and I've had good luck with those chemicals. The cost was reasonable and the amount you get will do a lot of film.

I did 10 or so rolls of color through my first batch of developer with no problems.

As far as the Bleach/Fix, I don't know how long those will last but I got the impression that the bleach itself will last for quite a while if you shake it up to get some air into it before each use. My fixer is still going strong as well and that's just the first 1000ml bottle out of the larger bottle of it.

IMHO, even if all you get is the bleach and fix kit (bladder bottles) and the final rinse, you will have far superior photos and control over them even using a kit developer.

nbagno · Aug 20, 2014

pbromaghin said:
Hmmm. I dunno what's going on. The website has changed a lot recently and it might have gotten lost. I just exchanged email with Omer a couple weeks ago asking him about it and he gave no indication he wasn't selling it any more. It's a custom kit that he has made up just for him once or twice a year. Try emailing him info@catlabs.info, or go through his website.

I asked and it's no longer available from catlabs. I'm sure they will comment if there is an update.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

DanielStone · Aug 20, 2014

regular b/w fixer works too, FYI

nbagno · Aug 20, 2014

I have been doing lots of c41 over the past year. Nothing wrong with the Tetenal kit. Purchased in the US from Freestyle photo.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

siguii · Aug 20, 2014

Thanks for the Flexicolor links. I've tried find the right chemicals on the Unique Photo website before but I found it difficult to navigate and the descriptions rather unclear.

Is the tank final rinse the same as the hexamine stabilizer included with most C-41 kits, or is it just photo-flo?

Also, while cost of all the necessary Flexicolor C-41 chems was less than I thought it would be, E-6 seems to be another story. I just tried to add up all of the necessary chems from the Unique Photo website and it came out to $280+ shipping! I assume one could remove the expensive E6 bleach/replenisher and replace it with a "Processing unit F2" which brings it down to about half that, but it would still be nice to have something like that Fuji-Hunt kit which those across the pond are so fortunate to have...

For now I guess I'll just continue with the Arista E6 kit and making my own modifications, since I can't afford $150+ in chemicals right now.

Hmm... The Kodak E6 fixer is surprisingly cheap. Is it worth buying just to use as a B&W fixer?

tnabbott · Aug 21, 2014

siguii said:
Thanks for the Flexicolor links. I've tried find the right chemicals on the Unique Photo website before but I found it difficult to navigate and the descriptions rather unclear.

Is the tank final rinse the same as the hexamine stabilizer included with most C-41 kits, or is it just photo-flo?

Also, while cost of all the necessary Flexicolor C-41 chems was less than I thought it would be, E-6 seems to be another story. I just tried to add up all of the necessary chems from the Unique Photo website and it came out to $280+ shipping! I assume one could remove the expensive E6 bleach/replenisher and replace it with a "Processing unit F2" which brings it down to about half that, but it would still be nice to have something like that Fuji-Hunt kit which those across the pond are so fortunate to have...

For now I guess I'll just continue with the Arista E6 kit and making my own modifications, since I can't afford $150+ in chemicals right now.

Hmm... The Kodak E6 fixer is surprisingly cheap. Is it worth buying just to use as a B&W fixer?

Try AG Photographic for Fuji's E6 5L kit. I have gotten it from them with no issues and the price ends up being less than posted because they remove VAT for orders to the US.

siguii · Aug 22, 2014

tnabbott said:
Try AG Photographic for Fuji's E6 5L kit. I have gotten it from them with no issues and the price ends up being less than posted because they remove VAT for orders to the US.

From the looks of it that would still cost quite a bit even after removing VAT, and it probably would be cheaper just to buy the Kodak chemicals (assuming what I suggested with replacing the E6 bleach and fixer with the Flexicolor F2 unit would actually work)

mklw1954 · Aug 26, 2014

Thanks for providing the Flexicolor information from Unique Photo.

How many rolls can this set of chemicals develop?

Someone indicated that the bleach, fix, and rinse will ast a long time but how long will the developer concentrate last?

I use Unicolor for C-41 and get good results but I would like to try the Flexicolor. I use Kodak Ektacolor chemicals for RA4 prints and the chemicals are very good and a reasonable price, which I get from Unique Photo as I don't live too far from them.

Thomas Bertilsson · Aug 26, 2014

http://www.kodak.com/global/plugins/acrobat/en/service/chemicals/cis211.pdf

pbromaghin · Aug 26, 2014

Thomas Bertilsson said:
http://www.kodak.com/global/plugins/acrobat/en/service/chemicals/cis211.pdf

Nice find, Thomas. Thanks for posting.

bvy · Aug 26, 2014

mklw1954 said:
Thanks for providing the Flexicolor information from Unique Photo.

How many rolls can this set of chemicals develop?

That depends. The kit described makes about 6.5 liters of working solution developer. I use the developer one shot; as such, 600ml develops one roll of 120 or two rolls of 35mm in a Paterson tank. Do the math, and that's about 10 rolls of 120, or 20 rolls of 35mm. That would be a minimum. Actually, I do reuse the developer once (and only once) for non-critical and expired film and cross-processing. Some people stretch their C-41 developer much farther with reuse. Developer's cheap though, and I don't economize too much.

mklw1954 said:
Someone indicated that the bleach, fix, and rinse will ast a long time but how long will the developer concentrate last?

Check the expiration date of the developer concentrates. Make sure it's in date and that none of the components are discolored. I don't keep the concentrates long. I make all of the working solution all at once, and store it in airtight bottles filled to capacity. The longest I've kept any of this around is about nine months, and I got good results. I wouldn't push it past a year though. Always "proof" your film developer before using it.

siguii · Aug 26, 2014

How come the Kodak developer can only be used one-shot, while most home processing kits are meant to be reused several times at least?
Used one shot, it seems the cost of developer alone would be about $1/roll (using 8oz per roll). I guess that's not too bad, but it would be a lot better if you could stretch the chemistry as far as the other home kits.

bvy · Aug 26, 2014

Kodak doesn't make kits, and they don't market their chemicals to hobbyists. You can stretch Kodak developer as much as with the kits. There's nothing special about it.

mklw1954 · Aug 27, 2014

Yes, using the developer once would equate to $1 per roll for 135 film and $1.75 per roll for 120 film.

According to the product information, the bleach and fix Processing Unit F2 can develop 260 rolls of 135-24, so that should mean 175 rolls of 135-36 or 120 film for $30, or $0.17 per roll. According to Kodak CIS-211 (2010) - Using Kodak Flexicolor Chemicals in a Small Tank, final rinse can be reused for 10 rolls per liter so the $2.95 final rinse to make 1.5 liters will do 15 rolls, or $0.20 per roll.

So the total cost would be $1.37 per roll for 135-36 film and $2.12 per roll of 120. Not bad.

I've used several Unicolor 1-liter powder kits with excellent results, and just developed 19 rolls with one of these kits last week, so it was $1 per roll of 135-36 or 120 film. I'm making great RA4 prints from these negatives using my usual enlarger exposure times and color filtration settings. The only problem is that I have to save up all these rolls and develop them within 2-3 days as the chemicals don't last long once mixed.

I'll try the Flexicolor chemicals because I can mix small volumes from the concentrates and won't have to wait to develop a large batch of films all at once.

siguii · Aug 27, 2014

bvy said:
Kodak doesn't make kits, and they don't market their chemicals to hobbyists. You can stretch Kodak developer as much as with the kits. There's nothing special about it.

Huh, so in that case you could conceivably get up to 20 rolls per liter of developer? That actually sounds very economical.

RPC · Aug 27, 2014

mklw1954 said:
The only problem is that I have to save up all these rolls and develop them within 2-3 days as the chemicals don't last long once mixed.

How are you storing them? Stored properly, that is, in glass jars, filled and sealed tightly, I have had mixed, unused, C-41 and RA-4 developer last more than three years, and still give excellent results, with bleach and fix lasting months. Many others here on APUG have reported similar results. If not stored properly they will deteriorate fast. The often-said comment that color chemistry doesn't last long is a myth as many have proved. But it must be stored properly. Sadly, many people shy away from color processing because of this myth. A caveat here is that I use Kodak chemistry, I can't speak for other brands.

Availability of high quality color chemistry kits in the US

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