Looking for a cost efficient quality C-41 kit

[MattKing]

The reps used to love to say things like "if you are not using our chemicals, we can't guarantee the quality of the support we supply".
If you had a support contract with them, you probably were locked into their chemicals and paper.

 

[foc]

The reps used to love to say things like "if you are not using our chemicals, we can't guarantee the quality of the support we supply".
If you had a support contract with them, you probably were locked into their chemicals and paper.

Yes Matt, they tried that with me many years ago, so I asked them to show me in their contract where it said I must use Fuji products. The contract said (IIRC) Fuji consumables were recommended and Fuji could only diagnose a quality control problem provided their consumables were being used.
They even tried to say my maintenance contract was void because of it. I said no problem I can get parts from the EU and an independent engineer will do the servicing and more importantly, I would cancel my direct debit (I had 60 days credit with Fuji).
They tried this bullying with other customers as well, some gave in, some stood up to them.

 

[koraks]

There will be chemical differences across brands and also within the same brand across product types. However, they are minor and as long as you stick to the manufacturer's guidelines, it'll all work pretty much the same.

 

[MattKing]

The different development routine recommendations relate more to the perceived target market, and less to differences in the chemicals.
Everything from Kodak relating to Flexicolour is commercial lab oriented.

 

[Urs Gantner]

60 films capacity

This may be a little bit too optimistic. I use 1000ml for max. 5 rolls, one-shot. If i'd like to stay on the safe side (for example high iso rolls or heavily overexposed material), i'll reduce it to 4 rolls. I can see the differences on my Frontier scans. But hey, that's just me. If anybody compensates with time and is happy with the results, just go for it.

@Old Gregg Never had read about time compensation in FUJI Hunt tech sheets. But i don't think every product is chemically identical. For example.... inside the FUJI Hunt line of processes, you'll find different kinds of bleach, fix and stab.... from 6:30 down to xx (bleach and fix), depending on the process you choose.

https://www.fujifilm.eu/fileadmin/c...iles/Technical_bulletins/TB_C41_E13_09-10.pdf

 

[Donald Qualls]

I read also that Fuji CN-16 should be used only for fuji films for the best results and Kodak Flexicolor for Kodak films. Can you tell the difference if a Fuji Pro 400h film is developed in Kodak Flexicolor instead of fuji CN-16?

I shoot Fuji color film almost exclusively, and develop it in Flexicolor. I'm happy with my results.

https://www.photrio.com/forum/media/autumn-at-hanging-rock.63760/
https://www.photrio.com/forum/media/morning-stop.63690/
https://www.photrio.com/forum/media/fixer-upper-2.64988/
https://www.photrio.com/forum/media/end-of-day.63672/

Most of the film at these links was long expired, BTW...

 

[Urs Gantner]

@Old Gregg I've used many, many X-press kits.... they are excellent and consistent, but a little expensive. Never used them with time compensation, so i'm the wrong person to ask for (just saw no reason to do so).

And by the way, i'm just using FUJI Hunt chemicals because they are easy available in europe. I guess Flexicolor is also a very good product (beside the fact, that Kodaks X-tol, D-76 quality problems made me completely switch to Adox in BW....but this is off-topic).

 

[removedacct2]

After really long consideration and research I think the most economical thing for me to do is to either stack up rolls and buy kit were belach and fix are separated or give it to a lab. I was hoping to somehow get the HC-110 effect it can be stored forever and doesn't go bad. I do not shoot enough 35mm to replenish actively, for me the cost factor also plays a major roll.

if you buy a kit the cheapest will be anyway the Compard sold by MACO. They have very small kits, for you shipping will be real cheap:
Compard Digibase C-41 Mini Kit für 500ml
that said the bigger the kit, the cheaper by volume.

as for yield/shelf life, I always have 2 or 3 sets of dev, bleach, fix in the fridge, I keep the ones getting close to exhaustion for developing unimportant pictures, and sometimes the colour shift may be fun.
Typically as I said earlier I do 30 to 35 rolls/liter.
See the dates I mixed these ones, dev is from july last year, bleach and fix from march this year. Dev in this one is getting depleted recently, blueshish colour shift, so I keep for playing once in a while. Bleach and fix are still good.

I read also that Fuji CN-16 should be used only for fuji films for the best results and Kodak Flexicolor for Kodak films. Can you tell the difference if a Fuji Pro 400h film is developed in Kodak Flexicolor instead of fuji CN-16?

I use mainly Fuji Hunt, if sold out Compard or the other way around. Sometimes Tetenal , the dev only, not the blix. Never noticed differences. CN-16 is just the Fuji name for C-41. Agfa had also its own name.
For years it was said that Compard/Digibase is repackaged Fuji...

And I'm talking about the outcome of development kits were fix and bleach separated. Because the outcome of using Blix is worse?

outcome is similar, at least when not reaching depletion. What I dislike with blix is that you don't have control. Blix is by nature unstable and prone to degradation faster. Separate bleach and fix are perfect: if one becomes depleted or you have a wrong manipulation and contaminate one, just replace it with the separately sold Compard parts. Easy also to visually have an idea of age/usage.


the other day I developed two rolls of 10 years expired Portra-400 with a dev mixed two weeks ago that is now used 20x, and the bleach and fix from march this years (on the first picture). Couple samples:

 

[Ernst-Jan]

With C41, the cheapest is also the best: Fuji Hunt C41 chemicals