Colour film and Processing

[Rodinal]

Being still very new on this forum I am still finding my way around and looking at what's what. I have looked briefly but cannot find anything of developing and printing from colour negatives using the C41 and RA4 processes.. Any users out there?

 

[Karl.t1965]

Developing is easy enough, I use the Bellini C41 kit. A dark bag, tank and reels and a good thermometer will get you going. Make the kit up as it says in the instructions, place all the bottles in a sink of warm water to bring them up to temperature and off you go.

If you are going to be doing a fair bit and get into it, get a plastic storage box and a Sous Vide that works at 38°c and you have yourself a stable bath to bring your chemicals upto temperature and maintain it.

I will have to leave the printing side of colour to those more knowledgeable than I

 

[Rodinal]

Developing is easy enough, I use the Bellini C41 kit. A dark bag, tank and reels and a good thermometer will get you going. Make the kit up as it says in the instructions, place all the bottles in a sink of warm water to bring them up to temperature and off you go.

If you are going to be doing a fair bit and get into it, get a plastic storage box and a Sous Vide that works at 38°c and you have yourself a stable bath to bring your chemicals upto temperature and maintain it.

I will have to leave the printing side of colour to those more knowledgeable than I

I have been developing and printing colour since around 1993/4 and well versed in the foibles of dev & printing made worse by the virtual collapse of Kodak meaning their chemical and paper became unavailable. I have settled with FUJI for paper (I had little choice) and selection of brands for developing the film and have just finished a 5l Fuji C41 kit and a 20L Fuji RA4 kit which is about half used. The Fuji C41 kit has risen in price so that in the time I have had it, is now well over £120 so have changed to the new kit 2.5l kit branded under the JOBO name although made in Japan.
I use a JOBO rotary processor which I have had since 1994 which is stable temperature wise. For printing I have a NOVA 3 bath deep-tank processor which is well work stained, but still soldiers on. Again the micro digital heater control once it is up to 35C it stays that way.

If you have not done colour printing, I actually find it easier to do than B&W although you need extra equipment including a safelight powered by a sodium orange bulb to which colour paper is semi blind to the light wavelength from the sodium bulb. This provides enough light to work in reasonable comfort without serious risk of fogging the paper so long as the light is reflected and not in direct line of sight. These safelights are still available second hand at around £60 and branded 'DUKA' or 'Kaiser' although they are the same item. Replacement bulbs are unobtainable. I am lucky and probably have the last unused bulb in captivity.

RA4 developer is so stable and although it will 'go off' if the processor is uncovered to the atmosphere, with regular use, care and regular developer replenishment, ( about 220cc per 2 sq metres of paper) it will easily last 12 months before you have to clean out the sludge from the processor.

One bonus is the chemicals are odour free so dispensing with the need for ventilation.