C-41 Development Kit

Maximus966 · Dec 16, 2024

Hello!

I am about to puchase my first chemistry for C-41 process.

I will be developing Cinestill 50D 35mm, and Kodak Gold 120 (ASA 200).

Would like to know what options I have in terms of ordering a kit, or what separate chemistry you would recommend for purchase.

Thank you very much in advance!

Regards,

Jorge

koraks · Dec 16, 2024

Hi Jorge,

Maximus966 said:
Cinestill 50D 35mm

For this I'd recommend an ECN2 developer (which is what the film is made for). The film can be developed in C41 as well, but the results color-wise in my opinion are significantly better when the film is developed in ECN2.

For the C41 chemistry, it depends very strongly on what's available to you locally. We could recommend any number of things, but if I point you towards e.g. Fuji chemistry and all you can get is, let's say, Bellini, then what good does my suggestion do? So perhaps it would be more effective if you could post a list of the options we've got, and then the rest of us can share our thoughts on pros and cons of each option.

Maximus966 · Dec 17, 2024

koraks said:
Hi Jorge,

For this I'd recommend an ECN2 developer (which is what the film is made for). The film can be developed in C41 as well, but the results color-wise in my opinion are significantly better when the film is developed in ECN2.

For the C41 chemistry, it depends very strongly on what's available to you locally. We could recommend any number of things, but if I point you towards e.g. Fuji chemistry and all you can get is, let's say, Bellini, then what good does my suggestion do? So perhaps it would be more effective if you could post a list of the options we've got, and then the rest of us can share our thoughts on pros and cons of each option.

Thanks for your reply.

There is not one shop where I would be able to acquire chemistry; to date, all B&W chemistry has been ordered fromt he US, so it will be the same for color developing.

All i all, unfortunately, nothing available locally (Puerto Rico).

Thanks!

MattKing · Dec 17, 2024

Maximus966 said:
Thanks for your reply.

There is not one shop where I would be able to acquire chemistry; to date, all B&W chemistry has been ordered fromt he US, so it will be the same for color developing.

All i all, unfortunately, nothing available locally (Puerto Rico).

Thanks!

The “available to you locally” observation applies to shipped products as well. A lot of these sort of products have shipping restrictions. Here in Canada there are lots of things that cannot be shipped here from USA retailers - and some of those products aren’t available for shipping to Continental USA customers as well.

koraks · Dec 17, 2024

Maximus966 said:
Thanks for your reply.

There is not one shop where I would be able to acquire chemistry; to date, all B&W chemistry has been ordered fromt he US, so it will be the same for color developing.

All i all, unfortunately, nothing available locally (Puerto Rico).

Thanks!

Yes, I understand. So that means in practice you have the same selection available to you as any online shopper in the US would, correct? In this case, the many opinions and options expressed in earlier recent threads on this forum would apply. I'd recommend to do some reading, see which products available to you from online US-based shops appeal to you and then come back if you have more specific questions about the options you've found.

Maximus966 · Dec 18, 2024

koraks said:
Yes, I understand. So that means in practice you have the same selection available to you as any online shopper in the US would, correct? In this case, the many opinions and options expressed in earlier recent threads on this forum would apply. I'd recommend to do some reading, see which products available to you from online US-based shops appeal to you and then come back if you have more specific questions about the options you've found.

Yes, I can order all from B&H, Adorama, Amazon, etc... except for maybe some liquids, so best bet would be for powder, just like when ordering Cinestill or Kodak B&W developing chemicals.

koraks · Dec 18, 2024

If you're limited to powder, all you have available to you is what I'd consider second-rate kits. All quality C41 chemistry comes as liquid concentrates.

Maximus966 · Dec 18, 2024

koraks said:
If you're limited to powder, all you have available to you is what I'd consider second-rate kits. All quality C41 chemistry comes as liquid concentrates.

Which would you recommend? Maybe check in eBay to see concentrate availability/shipping to PR then.

Thanks!

koraks · Dec 18, 2024

Pretty much all the liquid kits are OK. Kodak, Fuji, Champion, Rollei or Bellini will all work just fine. I assume Arista is OK too. Whichever is the easiest for you to get. I'd just steer clear of the powder or partly-powder kits.

Sirius Glass · Dec 18, 2024

koraks said:
If you're limited to powder, all you have available to you is what I'd consider second-rate kits. All quality C41 chemistry comes as liquid concentrates.

So does that mean that the UniColor C41 1 liter kit, a powder based kit, is useless? I have been using the UniColor C41 1 liter kit for almost 20 years and I have never had a problem with it. It states that it can develop up to 12 rolls of film, however FreeStyle in Hollywood recommends up to 16 rolls per kit which is what I have been doing. I develop all the rolls as quickly as I can in two or three days to insure that there are no color shifts.

koraks · Dec 18, 2024

Not necessarily useless, but it's a blix-based kit. Ron Mowrey/PhotoEngineer was pretty adamant that blix will never be entirely effective in removing all silver from color film. It may still work well enough for your purposes.

Sirius Glass said:
I develop all the rolls as quickly as I can in two or three days to insure that there are no color shifts.

You will have color shifts if you process several rolls in batches in the same liter of developer. Again, the results may still be good enough for your purposes. If you were to do a controlled test I'm sure you would be able to see a difference in color balance between rolls #1 and #16.

Sirius Glass · Dec 18, 2024

koraks said:
Not necessarily useless, but it's a blix-based kit. Ron Mowrey/PhotoEngineer was pretty adamant that blix will never be entirely effective in removing all silver from color film. It may still work well enough for your purposes.

You will have color shifts if you process several rolls in batches in the same liter of developer. Again, the results may still be good enough for your purposes. If you were to do a controlled test I'm sure you would be able to see a difference in color balance between rolls #1 and #16.

I will take that into consideration.

Samu · Dec 21, 2024

For ECN-2 films,, I would recommend using only this process. I have once tried to print manually negatives of Vision3 developed in C.41, and it proved practically impossible because of strong color crossovers. The pavement was magenta and sky green on the same shot. Since then, I have not touched these films.

Maximus966 · Dec 24, 2024

Thank you all! Will see what is available in liquid in Ebay to see if I can order it this way then.

Regards, and Merry Christmas to All!!!

Jorge

Tel · Dec 24, 2024

I’ve been using the Unicolor C-41 powder kits for about 15 years and been happy with the results. But I’m not a purist, and anyway color shifts are going to happen when you scan your negs too. If you’re running a wet printing lab you might find the powder kits inadequate—it’s a matter of taste. But I would say, do not buy chemistry on Ebay. Use a reliable resource like B&H or Freestyle, where you’ll get a guaranteed product. And I would avoid Tetenal; their stuff seems to be consistently more expensive in N. America, I presume because it’s shipped here from Europe before being offered for sale. B&H has a huge selection of C-41 and ECN-2 options, and you won’t have to wait for it to clear customs, etc. if you’re in PR.

aconbere · Dec 24, 2024

koraks said:
Not necessarily useless, but it's a blix-based kit. Ron Mowrey/PhotoEngineer was pretty adamant that blix will never be entirely effective in removing all silver from color film. It may still work well enough for your purposes.

You will have color shifts if you process several rolls in batches in the same liter of developer. Again, the results may still be good enough for your purposes. If you were to do a controlled test I'm sure you would be able to see a difference in color balance between rolls #1 and #16.

I’d love to know more about where folks are finding separate bleach and fix (or even as a kit). I have some color film I’d love to try developing at home and have been totally stumped by the availability of chemicals. At Adorama, B&H, and Freestyle I’ve only been able to find two bath kits (Rollei, Cinestill, and Arista are all liquid two bath kits with blix).

What’s the trick for separate bleach and fix!

koraks · Dec 24, 2024

aconbere said:
At Adorama, B&H, and Freestyle I’ve only been able to find two bath kits (Rollei, Cinestill, and Arista are all liquid two bath kits with blix).

I don't shop in the US, obviously but...
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/For-Color-Film/ci/595/N/4288586380
gives access to...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1527297-REG/rollei_660163_fuji_hunt_c_41_x_press.html

And also this:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/792402-REG/Fujifilm_600005489_NEGACOLOR_QS_N2_R_Bleach.html

You could find the required fixer somewhere as well, I bet, or otherwise just use B&W rapid fixer which in practice will work OK.

aconbere · Dec 24, 2024

koraks said:
I don't shop in the US, obviously but...
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/For-Color-Film/ci/595/N/4288586380
gives access to...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1527297-REG/rollei_660163_fuji_hunt_c_41_x_press.html
And also this:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/792402-REG/Fujifilm_600005489_NEGACOLOR_QS_N2_R_Bleach.html
You could find the required fixer somewhere as well, I bet, or otherwise just use B&W rapid fixer which in practice will work OK.

Ah, I had found the fuji kit and a handful of replenishers at various sites (kodaks are listed) but many including the one listed above are sold out

That being said! Looks like my local camera shop stocks the Belinni kit! So maybe I’ll go pick that up and give it a shot.

koraks · Dec 24, 2024

The Bellini kit should be great for your purpose.

blee1996 · Dec 24, 2024

Bellini kits are excellent, I have been using them for several years with consistently good result.

aconbere · Dec 24, 2024

koraks said:
The Bellini kit should be great for your purpose.

blee1996 said:
Bellini kits are excellent, I have been using them for several years with consistently good result.

I’ll start there then, thanks all!

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