Powdered C41 kits vs Liquid C41 kits

[EASmithV]

Well, it's time for me to knock down my backlog of c-41 films, so I need to get some c-41 chems so I don't go broke.

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/c1001-Color-Chemicals-Color-Print

Freestyle has both powdered press-type kits and liquid mixing kits available. What are the primary differences between these kits? Is one better than the other? More importantly, which is more stable and has the better ability to push it past it's recommended maximum amount of rolls processed? The quality of stabilizer isn't an issue, i have Kodak stabilizer that i mix up for stuff like this, but i was wondering what the advantages / disadvantages are of powdered / liquid c41 kits.

Thanks!

 

[BMbikerider]

I have never used powder kits but have stayed with liquid concentrates. The one I use at present is made in Germany and comes I think in concentrates to make 10 litres of working solution (I always mix enough for the film(s) to be done then throw the used solutions away. It is marketed under the Rollie brand and comes from Germany. I bought mine from AG Photographic in UK. There are 3 bottles of individual concentrate plus one of 'starter' . Of the 3 only one will 'oxydize' so I decant this out into 50CC brown glass containers so it remains stable.

Powder developers I have always found, with B&W developer you have to mix the whole lot in one go and this is not best practice with C41 chemicals so I would stick with liquid concentrates.

 

[Leigh B]

Powder developers I have always found, with B&W developer you have to mix the whole lot in one go ...

That's true of all powdered chemicals (except those with only a single constituent).

The problem is that if you divide the powder in a package, you won't get equal proportions of all chemicals in each sample.

- Leigh

 

[wogster]

Well, it's time for me to knock down my backlog of c-41 films, so I need to get some c-41 chems so I don't go broke.

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/c1001-Color-Chemicals-Color-Print

Freestyle has both powdered press-type kits and liquid mixing kits available. What are the primary differences between these kits? Is one better than the other? More importantly, which is more stable and has the better ability to push it past it's recommended maximum amount of rolls processed? The quality of stabilizer isn't an issue, i have Kodak stabilizer that i mix up for stuff like this, but i was wondering what the advantages / disadvantages are of powdered / liquid c41 kits.

Thanks!

Powders are cheaper to ship due to weight, may not be subject to hazmat fees, and as long as the package is kept dry, may be good for many years. you need to be very careful to work in a well ventilated area, you don't want to breathe in any of the powder. They can be a lot harder to mix, and may not be usable right away. You generally can't divide them up, and need to mix all in one go.

 

[James in GA]

I will show how old I'm now in C22 days it was a mix of powdered & liquid. C41 is all liquid why Kodak did it that way, ask Ron.

 

[wblynch]

I got 25 rolls out of the Freestyle Arista liquid C-41 kit.

It lasted over 18 months and I reused all the chems. I kept the developer in a plastic photo bottle and squeezed out the air after every use.

Kept it under the sink, nothing special.


I haven't tried the powdered version yet. I'm using the Rollei Digibase kit now and very pleased. It''s about 1 year old and I only have done about 6 films with it so far.


I d-i-y my 126 Instamatic, 127 and 120 color and take my 35mm color to Costco because they do a great job and every little bit of business helps keep it going.