Processing colour film as B&W?

Philippe-Georges · Jul 11, 2021

As I have a vast stock of different colour film, sheet and roll, in the freezer and not using is as I lost interest in colour, I was wondering if this film could be processed in a B&W developer and, if so, in which one.
I do realize that the filmbase will still be red-orange and rather impossible to print, but I intend to scan...

Any thoughts?

zanxion72 · Jul 11, 2021

I would not bother. The result is so poor that it just isn't worth it. More interesting shooting the film with the emulsion side the other way around. If you want to get rid of it, just sell/give it away.

removed account4 · Jul 11, 2021

hi Philippe-georges
I do this all the time with both c41 and chrome film. yes, it is all worth exposing and processing in b/w. you will have to experiment a little to decide
which developer you like to use, I typically use a strong print developer ( like dektol (d72 ) or ansco 130 1:6 @ 6 mins ). I also mix a little in the coffee developer I make
( caffenol c + a speck of either of those print developers @ 8 mins) or I split process the print developer first normal agitation 1:10 @5 mins, 5 mins continual agitation in the caffenol
and get great results. I sometimes contact print the sheet film ( I do this for all formats unto 4x5 )
and often scan my film when I to this to extract the orange layer ( slide film is a different color layer yellow I think ). the images won't be perfect,
but the dye cloud instead of grain is really beautiful.
good luck !
John

Don_ih · Jul 11, 2021

jnantz said:
dye cloud instead of grain

I'm wondering what you mean. The b&w developer only develops the silver. The resulting image is monochrome.

Raghu Kuvempunagar · Jul 11, 2021

With a little bit of testing, it's possible to repurpose C41 films as B&W. Very decent results can be obtained if the colloidal silver layer in C41 is removed after developing. @David Lyga has proposed a simple method for this. It works fine and doesn't require any chemicals that's not already there in the darkroom.

AgX · Jul 11, 2021

jnantz said:
the dye cloud instead of grain is really beautiful.

Don Heisz said:
I'm wondering what you mean. The b&w developer only develops the silver. The resulting image is monochrome.

With his remark John referred to his practice of using Caffenol as developing agent. And Caffenol is a staining developing agent. Thus it makes dye clouds.

Don_ih · Jul 11, 2021

AgX said:
With his remark John referred to his practice of using Caffenol as developing agent. And Caffenol is a staining developing agent. Thus it makes dye clouds.

Ah. Ok.

AgX · Jul 11, 2021

But a staining developer is no good idea if you want to get rid of the orange mask of C-41 films by dye bleaching.

focus_on_infinity · Jul 11, 2021

Personally, I'd sell it to someone who is interested in color, and then just replace it with b&w film.

Raghu Kuvempunagar · Jul 11, 2021

Raghu Kuvempunagar said:
With a little bit of testing, it's possible to repurpose C41 films as B&W. Very decent results can be obtained if the colloidal silver layer in C41 is removed after developing. @David Lyga has proposed a simple method for this. It works fine and doesn't require any chemicals that's not already there in the darkroom.

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...eloped-or-printed.117199/page-50#post-2138021

removed account4 · Jul 11, 2021

AgX said:
With his remark John referred to his practice of using Caffenol as developing agent. And Caffenol is a staining developing agent. Thus it makes dye clouds.

.. even if I process it in straight dektol or ansco 130. the "grain" from color negatives isn't / doesn't look like grain like with black and white film ... PE referred to this "stuff" as dye clouds ..

AgX · Jul 11, 2021

"dye clouds" is only used with reference to chromogenic development. However the staining part of staining-development can be regarded as such too in this context, though the couplers are missing, and thus the dye forming does not even need the diffusion to such couplers, thus forming smaller dye clouds .

I can't imagine PE used it in another meaning.

removed account4 · Jul 11, 2021

AgX said:
I can't imagine PE used it in another meaning.

thanks for the explanation..

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I've been known to misunderstand high-tech, fancy talk, maybe he was talking about something else and
in my cluelessness I equated the weird grain in my cross-processed film ( something photo-purists told me not to do ) as dye clouds ...

Philippe-Georges · Jul 12, 2021

I still have two unopened boxes of AgfaColour 13x18 cm and one and a half boxes of Fuji Provia 13x18 in the freezer. They got frozen in before the expiring date.
As these are deep frozen, I wouldn't know how to ship them without warming up and be destroyed, that's why I want to use the film myself...

BTW, my well looked after Sinar Norma 13x18 cm camera + G-Claron 210mm (in Prontor Professional) will be for sale at Catawiki soon.

AgX · Jul 12, 2021

If frozen film would be destroyed by warming, how then would you use those films yourself?

Don_ih · Jul 12, 2021

Philippe-Georges said:
I still have two unopened boxes of AgfaColour 13x18 cm and one and a half boxes of Fuji Provia 13x18 in the freezer. They got frozen in before the expiring date.
As these are deep frozen, I wouldn't know how to ship them without warming up and be destroyed, that's why I want to use the film myself...

BTW, my well looked after Sinar Norma 13x18 cm camera + G-Claron 210mm (in Prontor Professional) will be for sale at Catawiki soon.

Include the film with the Catawiki sale. It will drive the price up.

Philippe-Georges · Jul 12, 2021

AgX said:
If frozen film would be destroyed by warming, how then would you use those films yourself?

Just by 'defreezing' what I need before using it.
Any way, 'defreezing' will be done in the refrigerator, then acclimatized in room temperature just before exposing.

Don_ih · Jul 12, 2021

Freezing film that was previously thawed will likely do no damage, so long as no moisture condensed on the film while it thawed. Thawing shouldn't prevent you from selling it. I once bought some boxes of frozen film from someone who didn't want to mail them because the film would no longer be frozen. I said, I won't be freezing it, anyway - I'll be using it.

Ko.Fe. · Jul 12, 2021

Are you scanning? If so, use c41 developer and convert to BW in PP.
If you are using enlarger, use regular developer, anything not fancy will do.
Getting it on the dr paper takes longer for exposure.
I did it couple of times. I prefer ecn2 films as BW.

Best results always takes more effort. Selling film will take some effort, but it will allow to buy normal BW film.
Someone will get what they want, color film will be not wasted and you will get better results.

Don_ih · Jul 12, 2021

Ko.Fe. said:
Selling film will take some effort

He's a subscriber here. He could have that film sold by this afternoon.

Disconnekt · Jul 13, 2021

It could, Ive shot a few rolls of Kodak 50D & developed it in L110 (Legacy Pro version of HC110) & fixed in Photographers Formulary TF5. I used Ilford Pan F+ Dilution E/time

relistan · Jul 14, 2021

Raghu Kuvempunagar said:
https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...eloped-or-printed.117199/page-50#post-2138021

Super interesting, thanks for posting!

Raghu Kuvempunagar · Jul 15, 2021

relistan said:
Super interesting, thanks for posting!

Yes, it works fine and with a bit of testing, it is possible to get nice results. I was happy with the results I got from the films I tried - Fuji C200, Kodak ColorPlus 200, Fuji Superia 100, Fuji Superia 400, and Kodak Ektar. If you plan to try the method, you can replace the relatively more expensive C41 blix by a suitable strength Ferricyanide + Thiosulphate blix as done by @David Lyga or simply use a rehalogenating bleach followed by a weak fixer.

Processing colour film as B&W?

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