Kodak flexicolo alternative from taobao?

unwantedfocus · Oct 21, 2021

This was in my recommended, the creator Steven Tanno uses a "non genuine" Kodak c41 flexicolor kit from Taobao, he linked the product page in the comments any thoughts? LINK IS DEAD

MattKing · Oct 21, 2021

That link takes me to a page that looks like this:

Personally, I don't like the colour quality

unwantedfocus · Oct 21, 2021

Seems like the listing on taobao was deleted, most likely because of copyright or some patent infringement.

AgX · Oct 21, 2021

There are at least 2 manufacturers in Germany, 1 in Flanders, 1 in Italy. At least two of these make small kits. And there are at least 2 further firms making small kits. So for someone from western Europe I do not see much reason to order a C-41 kit in China.

btaylor · Oct 21, 2021

It just worked for me, but I don’t know how to translate from the Chinese.

mshchem · Oct 22, 2021

In USA Kodak C-41 RA chemistry is available from Unique Photo, very reasonable prices, 5 & 10 liter sizes.

Richard Man · Oct 22, 2021

mshchem said:
In USA Kodak C-41 RA chemistry is available from Unique Photo, very reasonable prices, 5 & 10 liter sizes.

Sadly, have been "backordered" for at least over a month with no end in sight :-/

mshchem · Oct 22, 2021

Richard Man said:
Sadly, have been "backordered" for at least over a month with no end in sight :-/

Oh yeah. I forgot about the current situation with shipping. It's strange as the (former Kodak) plant in China has been supplying these chemicals for many years. Sino Promise must be allocating supply to the big processing houses. Strange. I recently had to buy 4x10L Fuji RA-4 developer replenisher, same thing the Kodak stuff is not around.

MattKing · Oct 22, 2021

I think the supply issues are part of the huge shipping and ancillary production backlogs that are affecting just about everything.
This is the container port in Long Beach California as of October 16th - 5 days ago:

Donald Qualls · Oct 22, 2021

Richard Man said:
Sadly, have been "backordered" for at least over a month with no end in sight :-/

Yep. I'm twiddling my thumbs waiting for Flexicolor LORR Color Developer Replenisher, 5L, which was listed as "in stock" when I ordered (a month ago), but now is "we'll ship when we get more." No practical alternative source in USA (need this exact product to replenish my existing tank solution), so I just have to wait.

MattKing · Oct 22, 2021

Hope the Flexicolor supplies aren't in these:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/shipping-containers-juan-de-fuca-strait-1.6222341

foc · Oct 23, 2021

sillo · Oct 23, 2021

There's also Champion chemistry. No actual experience using it, but it was recommended by a few people to me last year when I was struggling to find certain parts of the Flexicolor setup.

FWIW too, I've spoken with people at unique a few times recently about when they expect to get more Flexicolor stuff in and they said they aren't getting any answers from Kodak. So it could be next week it could be next year. I do think they have Fuji stuff available.

AgX · Oct 23, 2021

Champion does not manufacture in the USA.

sillo · Oct 23, 2021

AgX said:
Champion does not manufacture in the USA.

Does that matter though? Seems like you can get it here https://miamidigitalinc.com/collections/champion-c41-chemistry

AgX · Oct 23, 2021

It matters as there a lot of complaints at the moment of the USA partially being cut off from asian export, including this thread.

sillo · Oct 23, 2021

Very true, but seems like it's currently available here in the US, so if someone is in a pinch for chemistry it's a decent option to explore while it still shows in stock.

mohmad khatab · Oct 28, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
Yep. I'm twiddling my thumbs waiting for Flexicolor LORR Color Developer Replenisher, 5L, which was listed as "in stock" when I ordered (a month ago), but now is "we'll ship when we get more." No practical alternative source in USA (need this exact product to replenish my existing tank solution), so I just have to wait.

In fact, I am very surprised by your position.
I wasn't expecting you to buy canned chemistry.
What's wrong with you, brother, have you become lazy and no longer want to prepare chemistry on your own, as you used to do before?
I am really very surprised.
- Yes, I know that there is a large group of photographers who do not prefer to waste their time preparing chemistry.
- Yes, may God have mercy on him. Mr. PE used to say that he no longer likes to spend a long time in the laboratory in order to prepare chemistry when it is available at a cheap price.
Yes, I agree with him to a large extent, when he said that man was eighty years old and old age had managed him and his movements became few and he would have preferred to be only for important matters.
- But colleagues who are still young (sort of) I think they do not have that argument.
- You can prepare half a liter (Dev) + half a liter (Blix), and it will be over and you will be able to develop six rolls
Preparing this kit will not take more than one hour at all.
The results are very close to the standard results.
And the cost will mostly be cheaper and you will save some money.

- The cost may even be equal (although this is a very remote possibility), but you will be free to make the development decision whenever you want and will not have to wait for a shipment or a parcel, etc.
You prepare half a liter of chemistry that can suffice to develop six rolls, and then you dispose of it.
- And when you want to develop other films after a month or two, you can then prepare another fresh pint.

I'm actually really surprised,

There is a premium half-liter developer formula (Zone V - C-41 developer.)
There is also another great and very simple recipe that I got for Blix solution from a patent for Ilford Company when it was producing color films. It is also only half a liter. It is characterized by the fact that it can live long without problems, and that is from experience.

Donald Qualls · Oct 28, 2021

mohmad khatab said:
I wasn't expecting you to buy canned chemistry.

For C-41 it's simply a matter of good consistency with low effort at low cost. Replenished Flexicolor gives the best combination of those qualities, IMO. If I can use up the entire 5L package of LORR Color Developer Replenisher, even if I order it by itself and pay slightly more for shipping than for the chemicals, my developer cost per roll of 120 or 135-36 is only about eighty cents US; if I buy other things (like film) at the same time, to spread the shipping cost, or if I could pick up the chemicals in person in New Jersey, my cost would be about forty cents per roll for developer only. Bleach lasts a very long time, and Flexicolor fixer is good for 20 or so rolls per liter; bleach is expensive, but fixer is cheap, so at best, I can process C-41 with "canned chemicals" for just under a dollar a roll -- comparable to cost of black and white with replenished Xtol and commercial fixer.

Given I'm paying more than $8 a roll (potentially a good bit more) for C-41 films, and sending them out for processing starts at about $14 for negatives only, processing my own with lab-grade results for a dollar a roll without having to deal with mixing my own C-41 (which, in my limited experience, produces an unreliable result as well as taking a lot of extra time) is an unbeatable deal.

mohmad khatab · Oct 28, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
For C-41 it's simply a matter of good consistency with low effort at low cost. Replenished Flexicolor gives the best combination of those qualities, IMO. If I can use up the entire 5L package of LORR Color Developer Replenisher, even if I order it by itself and pay slightly more for shipping than for the chemicals, my developer cost per roll of 120 or 135-36 is only about eighty cents US; if I buy other things (like film) at the same time, to spread the shipping cost, or if I could pick up the chemicals in person in New Jersey, my cost would be about forty cents per roll for developer only. Bleach lasts a very long time, and Flexicolor fixer is good for 20 or so rolls per liter; bleach is expensive, but fixer is cheap, so at best, I can process C-41 with "canned chemicals" for just under a dollar a roll -- comparable to cost of black and white with replenished Xtol and commercial fixer.

Given I'm paying more than $8 a roll (potentially a good bit more) for C-41 films, and sending them out for processing starts at about $14 for negatives only, processing my own with lab-grade results for a dollar a roll without having to deal with mixing my own C-41 (which, in my limited experience, produces an unreliable result as well as taking a lot of extra time) is an unbeatable deal.

I'm really not sure.
I did not do a feasibility study for the actual cost.
But in fact, I feel it and what I am sure of is that the cost of developing the roll with the locally prepared chemistry may not cost more than 10 cents in any case.
- You can say that preparing chemistry takes some time and effort, I may agree with you in part, but I hope you trust me, there are wonderful recipes that do not require much time or effort to prepare. .
- Therefore, I advise you to prepare chemistry that does not require much effort, and I will guide you to it if you have a desire to do so. I will be happy to advise you in the matter.
- But now, I sincerely invite you to try preparing a half-liter set of this recipe, and I am sure that you will feel very happy,

Kodak flexicolo alternative from taobao?

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