Printing with Kodak Ektacolor Developer Kit

[Oye]

I get the message from ag-photographic.co.uk that Kodak Ektacolor Developer Kit officially is ment for use at 35 degrees C, but that apug members say they use it at 20 degrees. Could someone who has experience with this chemistry say more about it?

 

[mexico531]

All I can really say, is that having tried various RA4 chems at 20 degrees, processing for a longer time, they are never as satisfactory as using them at the time and temp they were designed for. I dish processed at 35 degrees for quite a while, and never really had many problems maintaining temp. I now use a Nova slot processor and find it clean, efficient and quick.

 

[Bob-D659]

Well one of the persons here recommending it's use at 20 C is Photo Engineer, a retired Kodak chemist. Yes it works fine at 20C if you use Kodak paper, just up the time in the dev and blix to 2 minutes. I've had no problems with it at all.

 

[hrst]

Look at: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/busi...ucts/chemicals/ektacolor1.jhtml?pq-path=12552

It says KODAK EKTACOLOR RA Developer Replenisher RT can also be used in trays. Okay. Then look at http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/j39/j39.pdf page 3 table 2. This says that you can officially go down to 28.3C. It's not so far from room temperature anymore . I'm using it at 23C and 2 mins seems to be completely sufficient. I use no starter when making up the developer.

 

[E76]

I have used the Kodak Ektacolor RA chemistry at 20ºC developing Kodak paper in trays with excellent results. There is some yellow shift, but it is easily compensated for with filtration.

 

[hrst]

I made side-to-side comparison with Tetenal room temp kit (1 min at 23C) and the mentioned Kodak chemistry (2min10sec at 23C). The color was exactly the same (compared with eye). Kodak had a little better definition in shadows and still a proper dmax. (But the difference is hardly noticeable). I like it.

 

[Jerry Thirsty]

Interesting. I've tried color printing a few times and the thing I hated most was washing my Jobo drums and getting them dry before the next run. So if tray processing at room temperature is feasible, I have a few questions:

1) Do you use a safelight? (I think I recall PE suggesting very low illumination from a green was okay, but I don't remember the Wratten number)
2) Do you find the fumes coming off open trays to be a problem?
3) Based on the Kodak steps, do you do something like:

- Tray of water #1, 0:30
- Developer, 2:00
- Tray of water #2, 0:30
- Tray of water #3, 0:30
- Blix, 2:00
Lights on, then
- Running water, 1:30

?

4) Is oxidation of the chemistry in the trays a problem over, say, a 6 to 8 hour printing session?

thanks,
Jerry

 

[Photo Engineer]

Use RA-RT developer replensiher for 2' at 20 deg C. Use NO starter.

WR series 13, AMBER is the correct safelight.

I do not use a prewet at 20 deg C.

PE

 

[hrst]

I use a stop bath (like in BW, I prefer citric acid) for 15 sec and a quick dip to a water bath after it before blix. Quick and easy. You can put lights on after the blix has been carried on for a while (30 seconds?)

I have never had a problem with oxidation in trays. And I almost like the fumes . Tetenal was pretty odorless (like they say) but Kodak developer has an interesting odor. Not bad at all!

I use yellow leds as a safelight. If you want constant illumination, the level has to be very very low. If you add wratten 13 filter the level may be somewhat higher. But, as you really need the safelight most when the dev time is over and you are going to move the paper to stop, then it can withstand a much higher level of amber safelight. Any yellow led light is ok at a level that is just enough for you to move the paper to stop bath. I've had no problems with quite a high yellow led illumination at this stage.

 

[Jerry Thirsty]

Thanks, I will have to try this on my next run. I was just checking out the charts on the Kodak #13; looks like peak transmittance is around 588nm, with a spread from 577 to 603nm. And then I was comparing it to the data for the yellow LED bulbs I have; they are peak of 595nm but the spectrum is spread out from about 550 to 630nm. Maybe as hrst says, I can rig up a foot switch and only turn them on for moving from tray to tray. I'll definitely try that before dropping $50 on a safelight filter.

 

[nickandre]

I'm getting amazing results at 20 C but you have to use supra endura.

 

[ricksplace]

I also process at 72F in rotary tubes. I get excellent results with endura and edge.