Reasonably priced E6 kit

[cinejerk]

Where can I find a reasonably priced E6 kit in the USA?

What ever happened to the 3 bath kodak rapid E6 kits?

 

[J Rollinger]

Freestyle has them, They are $20 or $30.

 

[srs5694]

I prefer Kodak's 6-bath kit. Dead Link Removed for $58.50. This is a 5-liter kit, which processes significantly more film than most of the hobbyist 3-bath kits that cost $20-$30, so Kodak's kit actually works out to be less expensive. I find I get better results with Kodak's 6-bath kit than with any of the 3-bath kits I've tried. (I've tried two or three of them.)

 

[cinejerk]

Are there any other sources worth noting.

 

[2F/2F]

For the Kodak 5L full 7-chemical E-6 kit, I pay about $55 after tax from Freestyle, Samy's, Your Local Professional Photo Retailer, etc. This gives you "proper" archival processing, and works out to about 11 dollars per liter, or per 360 square inches of emulsion, which ends up being about $2.75 per roll. It is more than a 60% savings over paying a lab $8.00 a roll, and you get free pushes and pulls, which is a huge money saver, as I almost always push or pull with E-6. For sheet film, it is even more savings, as you can process a batch of 10 sheets in a Jobo Expert drum using only 250mL of chemicals: $11 for 40 sheets of E-6 4x5, versus $120 for 40 sheets at my lab (and that is NORMAL processing only). If you reuse your liter, you double the capacity. (Don't reuse if processing sheet film in a Jobo, however, due to oxidation.) To do this, you first have to test and see if the results are acceptable for you, and also to see how much time you need to add the second time through the process.

 

[rootberry]

What about the C41 Arista Chems, any of you using those? How are the results?

 

[amuderick]

I use an 8 35mm steel tank and process rolls with the Kodak E-6 kit and the minimum required chemistry. Results are great and it costs me $60 to do 40 rolls. All one-shot.

 

[nickandre]

In terms of cost effectiveness the kodak kits are very much so. It's a 80-90% savings over most labs. You can use it more than once as well. I typically mix up a liter when I need it and use it three times and then toss it.

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

I'll give a good word for the Tetenal kits. They work fine. I used Agfa for years and had a seamless transition into Tetenal.

 

[cinejerk]

Thanks to all for the replies.
2F I don't see the kodak E6 at freestyle? Maybe they no longer sell it.
Adorama does have the kodak E6. Yes it does seem better for the money.

 

[2F/2F]

Thanks to all for the replies.
2F I don't see the kodak E6 at freestyle? Maybe they no longer sell it.
Adorama does have the kodak E6. Yes it does seem better for the money.

CALL THEM...Like all brick and mortar stores that also do on-line ordering, they carry products that are not listed online. If they don't carry it, B&H and Samy's do, last I checked.

 

[cinejerk]

Samy's and Freestyle no longer carry the kodak 5 liter E6 kit. I called them.
B&H do $58

 

[2F/2F]

Samy's and Freestyle no longer carry the kodak 5 liter E6 kit. I called them.
B&H do $58

Did you ask to order it? That's what I had to do at Samy's. Took about a week. If B&H has it you are set.

 

[domaz]

B&H won't ship it.. only Adorama last I checked.

 

[WGibsonPhotography]

does kodak make a kit that makes less than 5-liters? I'd like to get in to shooting slides, but I dont think I'd shoot enough to justify buying that much, and I really dont want to have to mail it or drive 30 minutes each way to drop it off at a lab

 

[srs5694]

AFAIK, Kodak doesn't sell a less-than-5-liter E6 kit. Where are you located? Perhaps you can find somebody locally who'd be willing to split a 5-liter kit with you. Also, these E6 kits do last quite a few months. IIRC, my last one was working for about two years after I bought it (about a year past the expiration date).

 

[WGibsonPhotography]

AFAIK, Kodak doesn't sell a less-than-5-liter E6 kit. Where are you located? Perhaps you can find somebody locally who'd be willing to split a 5-liter kit with you. Also, these E6 kits do last quite a few months. IIRC, my last one was working for about two years after I bought it (about a year past the expiration date).

I'm located in Decatur, alabama. I think the only time I'd be able to find someone to split chemicals with me would be in the fall when the local community college offers the color photography class (which I've already taken).

I didnt they would last that long. Is that the concentrate or the working solution that lasted so long?

 

[srs5694]

It's the concentrates that last for months. The Kodak 5-liter kit actually comes with something on the order of ten or twelve bottles to mix up seven solutions; it's those ten or twelve bottles that last for months. Once mixed, I wouldn't trust it for long -- but then, you generally mix just minutes before using the stuff, so that's not an issue. (Everything in the kit is in liquid form, so there's no need to mix more than you need immediately, unlike with powdered products.)

 

[nyoung]

F This gives you "proper" archival processing, and works out to about 11 dollars per liter,

I've only ever used the Kodak 6/7 bath kits. What's the compromise with the 3 Bath kits that seem to be more readily available?:confused:

 

[WGibsonPhotography]

It's the concentrates that last for months. The Kodak 5-liter kit actually comes with something on the order of ten or twelve bottles to mix up seven solutions; it's those ten or twelve bottles that last for months. Once mixed, I wouldn't trust it for long -- but then, you generally mix just minutes before using the stuff, so that's not an issue. (Everything in the kit is in liquid form, so there's no need to mix more than you need immediately, unlike with powdered products.)

ok, I was wondering if it could be mixed up little at a time. Knowing that helps a bit. The only problem would be mixing it up exactly the same every time, which shouldnt be too difficult. that would save me from buying a buttload of slide film (or perhaps cross-processing some Ektar or just plain old Ultramax or something )

 

[cinejerk]

There is someone on ebay selling a expired 5 liter kit. He says it's unopened and good.

Since it's a year old I don't think I would take the chance. He's asking too much anyway.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=400039434293

 

[srs5694]

It's not just a year old; it's a year past date! IIRC, the last box I got had an expiration date about a year into the future when I got it.

On another point, one of the box flaps has mixing instructions with amounts to mix to make various quantities, like 300ml and 500ml. You've still got to measure accurately, of course, but the need for math is minimized by this.

 

[2F/2F]

I used a Kodak 5L kit ten years past expiration once, and it worked perfectly. A bit of the developer had crystallized into a long icicle-like chunk, but I heated up the water, mixed up the developer in a blender, filtered out what solid particles remained (which was not that much), and did an initial experiment on a test roll. It was totally fine. I intended to just see if it would work for cross processing, but ended up using it on E-6 film.