Grainy C-41 Tetenal

Vonder · Feb 15, 2015

I use the simple Tetenal kit to do my C-41 at home. Lately I've noticed increased graininess, even with newly mixed chemicals. I have been adding an extra minute to help the blix finish but it doesn't seem to help. I've even tried running the film in B&W fixer to see if the grain is due to leftover silver but that didn't help. I mix it up using distilled water and the temps are fine.

Any ideas? A lot of this is expired film, but not grossly expired. When my lab does the dev the grain isn't there, for the same film, so I'm thinking it's something about the kit or my methods...

Here's a sample shot, and this is only a negative scan (I do know negative scans are less forgiving) but Superia 100 shouldn't be this grainy...

CatLABS · Feb 15, 2015

under exposed old film. Or superia 200, which is underexposed and expired.

Arctic amateur · Feb 16, 2015

Is your rinse water also properly tempered?

Ian Grant · Feb 16, 2015

It can be insufficient Bleach fix.

Ian

TooManyShots · Feb 16, 2015

Do you mean superia 200??? Superia 400 is less grainy than 200 because 200 relies on older emulsion technology. How the negative is being scanned and how it is being sharpened?

pentaxuser · Feb 16, 2015

Assuming the OP has stated the circumstances accurately then I fail to see how any of the current posts, helpful as they may be in general terms, explains why the same old film is not grainy when his lab does it.

I am doubtful if it is explained by the Tetenal kit and yet if the kit is the only difference between the OP's processing and the lab's then what else might explain it especially when he claims that this wasn't happening with the Tetenal C41 kit in days gone by?

pentaxuser

CatLABS · Feb 16, 2015

pentaxuser said:
Assuming the OP has stated the circumstances accurately then I fail to see how any of the current posts, helpful as they may be in general terms, explains why the same old film is not grainy when his lab does it.

I am doubtful if it is explained by the Tetenal kit and yet if the kit is the only difference between the OP's processing and the lab's then what else might explain it especially when he claims that this wasn't happening with the Tetenal C41 kit in days gone by?

pentaxuser

underexposed or old film or both. Maybe film sent to the lab is fresh and properly exposed.
Or - this is home scanned with the sharpening set on zero (IE very high).

Vonder · Feb 16, 2015

This is indeed expired film, Superia 100. I have several dozen rolls of this film and use it mainly to test, as these are 12exp rolls. I guess I will have to do a side by side comparison with some fresh film or at least a side by side of similar shots one home developed and one done at the lab.

pentaxuser · Feb 16, 2015

Wolfeye said:
This is indeed expired film, Superia 100. I have several dozen rolls of this film and use it mainly to test, as these are 12exp rolls. I guess I will have to do a side by side comparison with some fresh film or at least a side by side of similar shots one home developed and one done at the lab.

In case it is the "old devil" at work namely the scanner, it might be as well to have prints made from your home processed old film and prints from lab processed but identical old film

pentaxuser

Grainy C-41 Tetenal

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