Tetenal : new generation of photochemicals

[fs999]

New generation of photo chemicals in form of tabs : PHOTOTABS.

PARVOFIN TABS developer and SUPERFIX TABS are the new generation of photo chemicals from Tetenal.

 

[AgX]

Now I wonder if they are effervescent as stupidly claimed by them before...

 

[halfaman]

Now I wonder if they are effervescant as claimed by them before...

They are not, it is one of the reasons for the hot water (~ 50º C) to dissolve them.

 

[halfaman]

A video illustrating it:

Tetenal Parvofin Tabs-Testing the Eco dilution. - YouTube

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Considering the price of this tablet packaging - I would think they would be useful more for emergencies if one ran out of a standard developer rather than for any kind of regular use.

 

[Auer]

Considering the price of this tablet packaging - I would think they would be useful more for emergencies if one ran out of a standard developer rather than for any kind of regular use.

I don't think this product is targted towards high volume users but rather casual shooters, maybe the one roll a month types?
Since it stores so well and takes up very little space it would make for a nice setup with a Lab-Box etc.

 

[mshchem]

I think that's pretty neat. For folks who are cramped for space for their darkroom this could be great. One thing, as long as you were only heating water any microwave would work. I suspect that at 50° C the tablets dissolve quickly. The ecological benefit is huge. Black and white chemistry isn't dangerous or particularly harmful, but think of the benefits of not transporting liquids, not wasting large quantities of chemistry, and finally not having to deal with the waste.
If this kind of product had enormous demand (which is unlikely) cost could drop.
I bet that, especially with the fixer, you could drop a tablet into your bottle at night, add room temperature water, and with a quick shake in the morning be ready to go.
Tetenal has a history of making high quality products, I'm sure that this will be well received.

 

[Adam W]

I wish these came in C41.

 

[Auer]

I wish these came in C41.

ECN-2 tablets would be neat too

 

[NB23]

Wow, great for developing while traveling.

 

[pentaxuser]

I wish these came in C41.

Yes that would be the real breakthrough in "portable " C41 processing. I got the impression when Tetenal hinted strongly that it was about to embark on tablet processing it also hinted that C41 tablets were its goal but my recall might be faulty

pentaxuser

 

[AgX]

You are right.

They indicated that effervescent(!) developer-tablets are their goal. And that C-41 and E-6 tablets would be beneficial. They did not even mention b&w.

Such tablets would be ideal for shipping to the customer and for use by him in the field.

 

[4season]

I don't think this product is targted towards high volume users but rather casual shooters, maybe the one roll a month types?
Since it stores so well and takes up very little space it would make for a nice setup with a Lab-Box etc.

My thoughts exactly: Up until around 2005, I used to mix Kodak Xtol developer in 5-liter batches, and I'd regularly run back-to-back batches of film through my Jobo processor, and grumble about my plastic reels not drying quickly enough! But in 2021, my volume of film usage averages less than 1 roll per month, but I still want to process my film right away, not several months later.

 

[fs999]

And for E-6 too it would be more important as my number of exposed slide films is smaller than my C-41 films !

The only other shop I've seen selling them is FotoImpex...

 

[Rudeofus]

If the safety data sheet is not entirely misleading, then this is a simple MQ developer with a carbonate/bicarbonate buffer used as alkali. This whole thing is about as simple as it gets, but the tablet form can make it very attractive for people who travel a lot. Tetenal certainly has the experience and expertise to make C-41, ECN-2 and E-6 dev kits in tablet form, but they rather seem to play it safe for now.

 

[Henning Serger]

This might be a stupid question but is Tetenal still the real Tetenal? Or did someone buy the brand to stick on their stuff?

Yes, current Tetenal (after their restart) is still the "real" Tetenal: Same stuff, same factory, same machinery.
But with a reduced number of employees, as because of their reorganisation they got rid off several product groups (mainly those related to digital imaging), and they are now concentrating completely on classic analogue photo chemistry products.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[mshchem]

Yes, current Tetenal (after their restart) is still the "real" Tetenal: Same stuff, same factory, same machinery.
But with a reduced number of employees, as because of their reorganisation they got rid off several product groups (mainly those related to digital imaging), and they are now concentrating completely on classic analogue photo chemistry products.

Best regards,
Henning

Hi Henning, correct me if I'm wrong. Didn't Tetenal already have this tablet forming equipment? I seem to recall this sort of product was sold for use in markets like dental x-rays, graphic arts etc.
One thing to clarify, you don't need a magnetic stirrer/hotplate to prepare this material. At 50° C these would dissolve quickly.
Best Mike.

 

[Henning Serger]

Hi Henning, correct me if I'm wrong. Didn't Tetenal already have this tablet forming equipment?

Best Mike.

Mike,
AFAIK yes.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[tezzasmall]

I don't know if it's the film used or the developer, but I didn't like the tones in the first few pictures shown.

And the size of the pots to hold the tablets are just so BIG!!!!

I'm not their customer base though, as I make my own developer from scratch and am happy doing so. But if there was a way for a home user to compress their own chemicals into tablet form, now that might be a different matter.

Terry S

 

[Richard Man]

I just bought some, Should be here Wednesday. Rudeofus said " simple MQ developer with a carbonate/bicarbonate buffer used as alkali" which other popular developer fits that description? This is for the case where they don't list a development time for a less common film, and I can use a similar developer's time as a starting point.

Thanks

 

[Richard Man]

p.s. I just started using the FIXER tabs, and they seem to work fine

 

[bripriuk]

There's nothing new n photography, these tablets were advertised in the British Journal of Photography Almanac in the 1920s

Brian P

 

[albada]

Ron Mowrey (PE) mentioned that Kodak was investigating tablet chemicals when their chemistry research was halted. I didn't know they were made way back in the 1920s.

Mark

 

[halfaman]

Ron Mowrey (PE) mentioned that Kodak was investigating tablet chemicals when their chemistry research was halted. I didn't know they were made way back in the 1920s.

Mark

Some late Konica Minolta minilabs for C-41 and RA-4 used solid replenisher (tablets) instead of liquid. They called it "Ecojet" chemistry and Tetenal was one of the suppliers.