TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Has anyone tried the CineStill 2 bath C-41 color negative processing chemicals? I’ve usually used the 4-5 chemical process, but this is getting excellent reviews and the pricing is very reasonable.
https://cinestillfilm.com/products/cs41-simplified-color-processing-at-home-quart-kit-c-41-chemistry?variant=30376678593

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

You might ask on photrio.com. There seems to be a lot more film users on that forum than on here.

Stan

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you have some form of water bath temperature control for tanks and chemical bottles, go for it. I haven't personally used it, but watched a video on it on YouTube by a guy I trust. https://youtu.be/kU2vLRITu7A?

The keys are

> accurate temperature control in the developer (±0.5°F) (use a sous vide temperature control device)
> accurate timing and precise agitation technique
> CLEAN containers and mixing equipment, and follow mixing instructions precisely
> total darkness when loading film into the tank
> wearing chemical-proof gloves throughout (most videos don't show people wearing gloves, which with C41 is a Very Bad Practice)
> proper bottle labeling
> if you reuse chemicals, proper recording of the number of equivalent rolls of film developed
> proper calculation of the new developing time for subsequent batches/rolls.

I would use distilled water to mix chemicals, to avoid any reactions with residual dissolved water treatment chemicals and minerals.

Most of this is covered in the PDF instructions you can find at the link you listed.

No matter whose kit you use, C41 solutions are nasty and dangerous, so avoid getting them on skin or clothes or countertops. BLIX can stain, and it smells funny. I always used funnels, separate measuring beakers for developer and bleach/fix, and permanently labeled dark brown glass bottles. I had gloves that went half-way to my elbows. My Nikor tanks didn't leak if I twisted the tops after pressing them on. I preferred stainless steel tanks because they conduct heat quickly.

I did a lot of E6 back in the 1980s, which is harder than C41 because it has more steps. But C41 bleach fix (BLIX) is nastier stuff. Protect thyself...

Dry film in a dust-free place like a bathtub with a shower curtain I hung a clothesline from the shower head to a cuphook on the opposite wall, and used spring-loaded clothespins on the line, with additional clothespins as weights at the opposite end of the film.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Thanks Bill for the detailed response. I have a well ventilated darkroom with temperature controlled water bath for chemicals and temp controlled rinse in my washer. I have developed both E6 and C41 before and completely agree on the bleach or blix of the 3 or 4 step (plus rinse) of the chemistry I’ve previously used - nasty stuff. I haven’t done any color since the Cibachrome process became obsolete, but since I have a bunch of 120 Fuji NPS and Velvia in the fridge, I wondered if the blix in this 2 part process was as bad.

I also agree that dust during film drying is a real issue (I have a drying cabinet). That’s one of the reasons I like working with the larger negative of MF - a spec of dust isn’t quite the disaster it is on 35mm. When I was in VietNam and using the large PIO darkroom, we had a combat photographer run some Ektachrome E6 film and hung it to dry overnight. That night after hours, the “Mama San” came in and swept the floor which trashed the film. The photographer’s comments on seeing the disaster the next day are unprintable on this forum.

Cheers,
Chris

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The great thing about digitizing film is that dust can be eliminated after the fact if you have an image that needs it (and that image is worth the time). I do my spotting in Lightroom Classic. There are programs and scanner drivers that can do it automatically, but they usually don't get it all.