Beginning processing

[redcliffe]

I'm interested in starting to process my own film. I've got an old book that covers black and white negative processing step-by-step, but browsing amazon.com I haven't really been able to find anything that seems to cover colour processes such as E6. Could anyone recommend a book that covers the process step-by-step? Also is practical to do prints from slides at home? I've read somewhere online that the printing process from slides is more complicated. Thanks,

David

 

[Konical]

Good Afternoon, David,

E-6 processing is a straightforward cookbook business. The tolerances for time and, especially, temperature are more critical than for B & W. Usually the processing kits have adequate instructions. You'll probably want to get a very accurate thermometer. Printing from slides can be more complicated, but the Ilfochrome process (the old Cibachrome) isn't too hard. In one way positive printing is easier, since you have the original for comparison. With C-41 printing, you don't have that. Generally speaking, I'd recommend enough B & W film developing to be very competent before I'd start with E-6.

Konical

 

[Ian Grant]

Try your local library, they usually have plenty of books on B&W and Colour processing. You'll find that even British authors can't write english as they have to misspell words for the US market, ie color

E-6 is very easy but printing from slides is going to become a problem as R3 papers are being discontinued.

 

[Nick Zentena]

Not books but this stuff is free.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/Zmanuals/z131.shtml

That's C-41

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/Zmanuals/z130.shtml

RA-4

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/Zmanuals/z119.shtml

E-6

I've never printed slides. You might want to try the Ilford website for documentation.

If you've never done B&W it would make sense to get your feet wet with B&W first.

One nice thing is today you can often get colour equipment for very little.

 

[redcliffe]

E-6 is very easy but printing from slides is going to become a problem as R3 papers are being discontinued.

So in the future we won't be able to print from slides? Surely they'll keep this stuff available, i thought most professionals still use it.... Thanks,

David

 

[Ian Grant]

So in the future we won't be able to print from slides? Surely they'll keep this stuff available, i thought most professionals still use it.... Thanks,

David

No most professionals have gone digital. The last of my professional friends who was terrified by computers etc took to digital like a duck to water about 3 years ago.

When they do have to shoot E6 the transparancies are scanned and printed digitally.

The professional market, advertising and commercial, is client driven they want to see instant digital results. I visited a friend shooting images for a company manufacturing taps for a catalogue, as he shot he downsized & emailed the client to get the OK and then moved on, they were complex images - before digital he had to leave the set in place until the image was approved or have someone from the company or agency present to see the Polaroids.

On a personal level it's about 4 years since I last used E-6 professionally, I have used C41 a few times since but again in some instances these were just scanned to Cd and later printed on a wide format inkjet.

The colour market is now mostly C41 and amateur driven, apart from the wedding / portrait market but even thats changing.