Is Ilfochrome and P30 kit worth $200?

amellice · Dec 3, 2014

I found a guy who has 2 boxes of Ilfochrome 11x14 each has 50 sheets expired 1995 and one box 16x20 and 1 liter of P30 kit, he's asking for $200. I've couple of color slides that I want to process but is it worth this amount of money?

Photo Engineer · Dec 3, 2014

Wayne · Dec 3, 2014

The paper is probably bad even if it was frozen. If it was refrigerated its probably only been bad for 10-15 years

alanrockwood · Dec 4, 2014

I don't know if it's worth it or not, but a few weeks ago I found an unopened packaged of Cibachrome chemicals among my photo supplies, and I sold it on ebay for a little over $100.

Wayne · Dec 4, 2014

I can see that if the person had batch of paper from the last decade that was frozen, which might still be good. In the last days of over the counter sales the P30 kits were well over $50. In the good old days they were in the 30's. But it doesnt do you any good if you don't have good paper...

But nice to know. I have several kits sitting around.

sandholm · Dec 5, 2014

i just picked up 7 8x10 kits, I wont even say how much I payed for them but its crazy right now ( they come from a retailer and the last batch....)

Photo Engineer · Dec 5, 2014

The real problem is that the paper does not keep well.

The all liquid FD does not keep any better than any other FD on the market. It is kind of like a liquid kit of Dektol or D76.

PE

amellice · Dec 5, 2014

obviously i'm not expert in color paper at all, but i've old b&w paper really old, expired almost 10 years ago and it still works and prints fine. My concern is more about the chems, because they usually don't last that long. please correct me if i'm wrong. also the price is considerably high. i mean it would be fun and a new experience if it works but if it didn't then i threw $200 away. I also don't think that 1 liter of chems can process this amount of paper

Photo Engineer · Dec 5, 2014

One liter of chemistry has limited capacity. Also, do not try to compare slow speed B&W emulsions with high speed color emulsions which are used in Ciba/Ilford paper. They are totally different. The color dye bleach materials use very high speed emulsions in order to print through the dyes that are present, and using enlarger light. This pushes the emulsions to their extreme.

PE

Sirius Glass · Dec 5, 2014

amellice said:
I found a guy who has 2 boxes of Ilfochrome 11x14 each has 50 sheets expired 1995 and one box 16x20 and 1 liter of P30 kit, he's asking for $200. I've couple of color slides that I want to process but is it worth this amount of money?

In a word?

No!!

Wayne · Dec 5, 2014

I would only buy it if I could take a time machine back to 1996, and then the paper would still be good. But if I could go back to 1996, I wouldn't need it because then I could buy it for half the price. My big question is, if I went back and bought a bunch of Ilfochrome in 1996 and then took the time machine back to 2014, would the paper I bought be good? Or would it have aged 18 years? Hmph...

Sirius Glass · Dec 5, 2014

Wayne said:
I would only buy it if I could take a time machine back to 1996, and then the paper would still be good. But if I could go back to 1996, I wouldn't need it because then I could buy it for half the price. My big question is, if I went back and bought a bunch of Ilfochrome in 1996 and then took the time machine back to 2014, would the paper I bought be good? Or would it have aged 18 years? Hmph...

If I went back to 1996, yes I would be younger but I would be still married to my ex and I would not be able to afford a Hasselblad. All things considered, I will keep my age, my retirement, my darkroom, Hasselblads, Graflex Model D and Pacemaker Speed Graphic the last four of which are the result of joining APUG in 2007.

Photo Engineer · Dec 5, 2014

IDK, I thought Dr. Who proved you don't change ages when you time travel.

But seriously, no matter the era, Ilfochrome paper did not keep well. It fogged with age as other posts here attest.

PE

Wayne · Dec 5, 2014

If I went back and lived it again more wisely but less funly I could be retired now, instead of never being able to retire. But I'd also be pretty old once I got back here if I wasn't 20 years younger when I went back there, so I'll just stay where I am and be grateful I can still print RA-4 I've seen far too many episodes of the Twilight Zone to mess with wishes and time travel...

Photo Engineer · Dec 5, 2014

Read the book "The Man who folded himself" by David Gerrold!

PE

lhalcong · Dec 9, 2014

Since we are talking Time Travel here now. This is in absolutely jokingly not offensive way ; PE , is that your picture in your profile. ? I only ask because you are probably the most important person in this forum.

ME Super · Dec 9, 2014

Since we're talking time travel, when you get your TARDIS working, be sure to let the guy with the space shuttle footage on Kodachrome know, and offer to take it back in time to before December 2010 and have it processed for him. I'm sure he'd appreciate it.

Oh and you could also take remaining Kodachrome stock back to then for processing too. Hey, you could charge big bucks for the service!

Photo Engineer · Dec 9, 2014

lhalcong said:
Since we are talking Time Travel here now. This is in absolutely jokingly not offensive way ; PE , is that your picture in your profile. ? I only ask because you are probably the most important person in this forum.

It was the official Kodak portrait of me done at Kodak Park when I retired. It was pretty much me until my recent illness which took a toll on hair color and amount, along with weight due to the medications and inactivity. So that pretty much covers my private life. Now, lets see you and hear about you!

PE

Photo Engineer · Dec 9, 2014

Awww, you declined my invitation to tell us about you!

BTW, I don't think of myself as important here on APUG, merely another cog in a wheel just as I was at EK. Many from EK could do better than I answering questions here, but they don't, so I take the time to try and help.

Thanks for your comment and your interest and no, I am not young by any means, I am old!

PE

lhalcong · Dec 9, 2014

Photo Engineer said:
Awww, you declined my invitation to tell us about you!

BTW, I don't think of myself as important here on APUG, merely another cog in a wheel just as I was at EK. Many from EK could do better than I answering questions here, but they don't, so I take the time to try and help.

Thanks for your comment and your interest and no, I am not young by any means, I am old!

PE

no, not declined. I basically still consider myself a newcomer to APUG. I started Darkroom work only about two years ago. Merely Hubby. Thanks to APUG I have learned tons and I know still have more tons to go. to keep it on subject , it seems like many others I will never have the chance to print slides on positive paper like described from OP. I can see why he would dish out $200 to try it , I guess I am not alone. But I understand everyone's advise not to purchase such old papers and old chemicals. However has anybody heard of Frank Green in the LAB CIBA. Apparently He still can. !!!

Photo Engineer · Dec 9, 2014

Well, prints from slides are not very good unless you use contrast and color masking which are laborious and expensive. Slides from slides acquire what we call a "dupey" look.

PE

Is Ilfochrome and P30 kit worth $200?

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency