E3 Process

Hello,

I got some expired Ektachrome and it says that it must be processed according to the E3 process. Since that is practically out of the market, does anybody know it's steps to try to do it at home? Also, I have some experience with black and white reversal process. Is it possible to process my ektachrome as a black and white slide? Any suggestions? Do you know what ISO is Type B Ektachrome, from the late 60's?

E3 is not E4 or E1 or E2 or anything but E3, and I do not have the formulas. I have the process steps here somewhere. It runs at 75F and has about 12 - 15 steps including washes. The last I saw any E3 was in the 60s or 70s.

PE

The E3 process lasted many years after that Ron, there was Infra Red Ektachrome that used the E3 process even after E6 films became available, but it was quite specialist. The film couldn't use the E4 process.

All E4 films were fully compatible with the E3 process, but not vice versa, so for a long time Kodak still sold E3 kits for the IR film even though most labs were running E4 lines.

The ASA speed of the E3 film should be on the packaging, my books (here in the UK) aren't on hand to look up the speed but it was 32 or 40 ASA (ISO) from memory. High Speed Ektachrome was only 160 ASA.

I do have a few variations of the E3 formulae.

Ian

Yes, Ian, E3 IR film was a specialty product and the kits were not available widely. My attempt was more to put the age of the film we are dealing with into perspective.

In the interim, I have found one complete 1/2 gallon E3 kit and one complete sealed E3 1 gallon kit in my "archives". The 1/2 gallon kit was open, but totally unused as far as I can tell. The color developer was shot and probably so was the 1st developer, but either or both are free for shipping charges (Provided I can ship it. I was denied shipment by UPS and USPS on a C-41 kit due to its containing Alkali and so stated on the label). The 1 gallon kit is unopened but is probably also bad.

PE

Thank you for your answers. Do you know if it is possible to obtain a black and white slide from this film if I process as B&W Reversal?

It is possible, but with E3 film of that probable age, the results will probably not be very spectacular.

PE

E3 kits were available from 3rd party suppliers for quite a while after the launch of E6 because there was still a lot of film floating around, and then most 3rd party manufacturers never made E4 kits, rather E3/4 compatible, based mainly on E3.

All my Kodak colour developing agents from that era are now useless, but I have some May Baker (Champion) CD's that are OK but I need to cross reference what's interchangeable.

M&B were a major European supplier of chemistry Raw & Compounded and sometimes one salt (of the Colour dev) had far better keeping properties than another.

Ian

I think I will go for the B&W Reversal Process. Do you have any suggestions? I haven't done much, but I have obtained satisfactory results with ilford PanF+. I use Dektol as a developer, but any suggestion would be very well recived. Thank you all for your help.

Check the Dignan Photographic archives online. He published the official formulas for E3 and E4. However, for film so old you will probably not obtain satisfactory results for either color or BW slides.

I have recently been able to get colour results from an E2 Ektachrome film expired in 1962. Developed in a C-41 kit at 20deg C for 11 minutes then regular bleach/fix.
Obviously this gave a cross-processed negative. Despite a very heavy magenta cast, the full range of colour was present when scanned and corrected.

Examples here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bestbefore1978/sets/72157624837753753/

Can you successfully cross process E-3 film or E-4 for that matter in E-6,if you use a chrome alum hardener and also eliminate the Blix and use a ferricyanide bleach.

Yes, if you accept the loss in quality due to the process and the age of the film.

You may also need to use a strong pre-hardener and not chrome alum. Use an E4 type prehardener and neutralizer and use them for a longer time.

PE

High Mediumformat,

I would use prolonged timings and lowered temperatures as proposed by photomemorabilia. Temperatures at about 75°F, as used for E3 / E2 processing do lower the need for a problematic prehardening bath as used for the E4 process regime.

Hardener could be a simple chrome alaun bath, or a kind of anti swelling bath based on magnesimsulphate.

The important trick is adding about 5 ml of Benzyl alcohol to the E6 color developer. These older emulsions need this for better color coupling.


*
Process E2/E3 'Improved Type' Procedure
Films must be loaded into spirals in total darkness.
Total darkness for first three steps.
Solution or Wash Temperature °F Time (Minutes)
1. First Developer 75 +/– ½° 10
2. Rinse 73 – 77 1
3. Hardener 73 – 77 3
After the film has been in the Hardener for 3 minutes, room lights can be turned on
4. Wash 3 – 77 3
5. Reversal Exposure Expose each side of the film for 5 seconds at 1 foot from a No. 2 Photoflood lamp. If the spiral reel was transparent or metal, (Nikkor reels), each end of the reel could be exposed to the light. If the spiral reel was opaque, it was best to remove the film from the spiral, expose it, and then rewind it back onto the spiral. If the films were not exposed for long enough, the finished transparencies exhibited a green colour cast.
6. Colour Developer 73 – 77 15
7. Wash 73 – 77 5
8. Clearing Bath 73 – 77 5
9. Rinse 73 – 77 1
10. Ferrycyanide Bleach 73 – 77 8
11. Rinse 73 – 77 1
12. Fixer 73 – 77 6
13. Wash 73 – 77 8
14. Stabilize 73 – 77 1
15. Dry Not over 110 °F



Source: http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Colour_Darkroom/Early_Kodak_Ektachrome.html#anchor2c

Regards stefan