Can you buy a colour c41 film with no orange mask?

[Eric Rose]

I don't print RA4 paper anymore but want to shoot colour c41 film for scanning and possibly b&w wet printing.

It would be nice if your could buy colour c41 film without the orange mask.

Please NOTE I said colour neg film, not b&w c41 film.

 

[Truzi]

Have you considered Rollei Digibase CN200 (the CN is for Color Negative).

 

[Ian Grant]

Rollei branded Digibase is(was?) a mask-less C41 film.

Ian

 

[AgX]

Made by Agfa, but production has been cancelled. So the Rollei-branded conversions would be the last stock.

 

[Eric Rose]

Any others maybe? I will see if I can find any of the Rollei/Agfa stuff. Any thoughts on source?

 

[dE fENDER]

Kodak Aerocolor, and some other technical films.

The last consumer color negative film without mask was Svema DS-4, but it was not C-41 and it was discontinued about 1995.

 

[fdonadio]

If you can't find any maskless color negative film, you can try this:

https://www.photrio.com/forum/index.php?threads/e-6-without-reversal.60835/

Use E-6 film and process like this using E-5 chemicals:

1. First Developer (B&W negative or paper Developer can be used);
2. Fixer;
3. Bleach;
4. Re-exposure;
5. Follow E-6 process from Color Developer on to the end.

It will be more expensive and a lot more difficult to do, but will yield color negatives without a mask.

(Then you can sandwich them with a piece of bleached color negative film and make enlargements on RA-4 paper!)

Cheers,
Flavio

 

[fdonadio]

Can't find the "edit" button... I meant "E-6 chemicals", not "E-5". Good this is there was ever an E-5 process.

 

[MattKing]

It would be nice if your could buy colour c41 film without the orange mask.

Eric:
I am curious why you think such a film would be advantageous, unless you were trying to do black and white prints from it.
The colours would be reversed, so such a film would be no easier to evaluate visually than one with the mask.
Nor would it be any easier to establish a profile within your scanning software than for one with the mask.

 

[fdonadio]

unless you were trying to do black and white prints from it.

That's exactly what he stated in the original post:

I {snip} want to shoot colour c41 film for scanning and possibly b&w wet printing.

 

[mrosenlof]

maybe the film that is used to print motion picture negs into positives?? I have no actual knowledge of such a product, but it probably exists, or did at some time. probably not ideal for in camera, general photography...

 

[MattKing]

That's exactly what he stated in the original post:

And you know, you are completely correct.
How did I miss that?
In my defense, I would point out:
a) I've seen numerous posts from people in the past who seemed to consider the orange mask as an impediment to scanning; and
b) I think that the inverted colours would be as much a challenge to deal with when printing black and white as the orange mask is.

 

[fdonadio]

And you know, you are completely correct.

It doesn't happen that often!

How did I miss that?

No problem. That happens to me all the time!

 

[Richard Man]

1. First Developer (B&W negative or paper Developer can be used);
2. Fixer;
3. Bleach;
4. Re-exposure;
5. Follow E-6 process from Color Developer on to the end.
..
Cheers,
Flavio

Not interested in doing this, but Fix before Bleach?

 

[Ian Grant]

Not interested in doing this, but Fix before Bleach?

Yes, but there's a good wash step missing between the two.

The first developer is B&W, the film is fixed and washed well then a rehalogenating bleach is used NOt the usual colour film bleach or bleach-fix, then re-exposure and when you develop in a colour developer you get the dye-coupled colour negative image, then you need to bleach-fix to remove the silver negative image and just leave the dye image.

Ian

 

[Berri]

where are you based? In Europe CN200 is still available at many internet sdhops. Sometimes it goes out of stock but comes back regularly

 

[Berri]

https://www.fotoimpex.de/shopen/films/rollei-digibase-cn-200-120-medium-format-film.html

expiry date 2020. It is fresh stuff. Perhaps agfa produces just a batch when needed

 

[FilmCurlCom]

https://www.fotoimpex.de/shopen/films/rollei-digibase-cn-200-120-medium-format-film.html

expiry date 2020. It is fresh stuff. Perhaps agfa produces just a batch when needed

This is however only 120 format, same with many other websites. You can find that still, however 135/35mm of that film cannot easily be found anymore.
Maybe 120 was simply bought less and therefore these are leftovers. I have a few rolls of 35mm and they also have expiration dates way in the future.

 

[fdonadio]

Not interested in doing this, but Fix before Bleach?

Yes, but there's a good wash step missing between the two. (...)

I thought it was crazy when I first read it, but then, thinking about it, it made sense. Ian's explanation makes it even clearer.

I wrote that post late in the night, as I was insomniac, and forgot some really important details. Thanks for correcting me, Ian.

Cheers,
Flavio