onlinetinte
Hello, I’ve fancied having a go at developing colour prints. I’ve only developed black-and-white photos so far, but I’ve been reading up a bit on colour photography.
I’m not really interested in the technical details, but rather in the materials and, yes, the price too.
Colour paper is available pre-cut or on a roll from Fuji. The choice there isn’t difficult.
But I’m still looking for chemicals. I’ve found the home-use kits from Adox and Tetenal.
On eBay, there’s an Italian manufacturer called Axelcolor that also offers a 5-litre kit similar to Tetenal.
In the UK, you can order Kodak Ektacolor chemicals. They’re very cheap, but 20 litres is too much.
There are also a number of machine manufacturers in cardboard containers.
Fuji Frontier chemicals or Tetenal Compact Line pop up online from time to time.
Do these chemicals work in a tray as well? Does anyone have any experience with them or a favourite?
ZalmanYanowsky
Hello Onlinetinte,
The last time I developed RA-4—in a tray—was back when the brilliant Diluprint RT was still available. That’s why I’m not a reliable source of advice and can only pass on what various RA-4 processors have to say on the subject.
One of them buys Fuji kits on eBay for these small-scale labs (minilabs), which began to die out when digital photography – alas – was perfected. He reports (and I know him to be reliable) that it is sufficient to maintain a temperature of around 30°C (e.g. using a hotplate). You’ll just have to experiment to find the right development time (and likewise the time for bleaching).
Another continues to work unperturbed at room temperature and claims his results are good. As I have no connection to him, I can’t comment on that.
If you can get hold of bleach and fixer cheaply (as separate baths), you’ll need to read up online on how to use them. I seem to recall that the fixer comes first – and in this case it mustn’t be acidic – and only then the bleach. But do check it out for yourself; if you search long enough, you’ll find plenty of literature on the subject, written by real enthusiasts who have also published recipes for both CD and BX using basic chemicals.
Sorry I can’t be of more help. Perhaps some nerds will pick up the thread.
Good luck,
Zalman
onlinetinte
Thanks for the tips. Yes, the Minilab chemicals are practically being pushed on you.
I’ve now started using the RA4 Adox kit and it works very well. I wouldn’t have thought it would be so easy.
However, developing in trays using a buffet warmer is very time-consuming; with large trays, the temperature depends on thousands of little details, which makes it rather a nuisance.
Just moving the trays during development causes the temperature to fluctuate by 1–2 degrees. Differences in preheating time, developer volume and jacket bath fill levels also have an effect. On top of that, there’s that slight sauna-like feeling above the trays.
I’m going to get myself a second-hand Nova tank. Then I’ll think about getting more developer.
ZalmanYanowsky
Dear Onlinetinte,
Could you please tell us a bit more about your experiences with this Adox kit? I’ve bought one myself, but haven’t used it yet; nor have I ever actually used the heating plate (45 x 90 cm), but have only simulated a lab session using pre-warmed water in the three trays. (To see how accurately the temperature of the baths can be maintained.)
I’ve also noticed that a sauna effect occurs. What do you mean by a jacket bath? I only used a jacket bath (a half-full bathtub) when I was still developing C41 and E6. With reproducible results. I only gave up film development after a few years because I now knew I could do it and that a machine in a large-scale lab could do it even better (and cheaper) than I could.
At what temperatures did you maintain the three baths, or rather: what temperatures were you aiming for, and how long did the development and BX stages take? I’m less worried about slow temperature changes than I used to be, because back then, with RT, I’d start at 20°C in the summer and hours later (often without realising it) find myself at significantly higher temperatures, which I compensated for, so to speak, intuitively by adjusting exposure times (rather than development times, as would have been correct).
I also still have a 1-litre RA-4 print kit from Digibase, which I haven’t dared to use yet either. The deeper reason is probably that I want to wait a little longer before discovering that my stock of colour paper in the fridge has gone off in the meantime.
Best regards,
Zal
onlinetinte
Hi, the Adox kit works well. The photos are brilliant. Those drugstore prints really put you off photography. I tried to keep the temperature at the recommended 35 degrees. I always ended up at around 37 degrees. Development and fixing were 45 seconds each. I’m not really sure about the temperature. So I haven’t been able to test yet whether the photos show extreme colour differences with a few degrees more or less; I’ve only read about it.
For the water bath, I bought a large droppings tray from a pet shop, with the buffet warmer underneath. I then fill the tray with a bit of hot water until the photo trays float slightly. The water bath is about 8 degrees warmer than the trays.
I’d also tried placing the trays directly on the hob once, but somehow nothing warmed up, or rather, everything cooled down.
I think the contact area is too small because of the grooves in the base of the trays.
You do have to set all this up about an hour beforehand so the temperature can stabilise.
It’s also a good idea to put a small divider between the trays; otherwise, when you shake the paper, a bit might drip into the wrong tray here and there, leaving brown stains on the paper.
According to the Fuji data sheet, Crystal Archive paper lasts an incredible 20 years when stored in a cool place. If you’re using that.
ZalmanYanowsky
No, I’ve run out of Fuji paper; I’ve only got Kodak Endura left, which I last used back when this RT was still around. Still, your mention of the 20-year shelf life for Fuji Crystal gives me some hope. Does that mean the unexposed paper can be kept at fridge temperature? That would be brilliant.
Now I understand why you find keeping the solutions warm a bit of a faff. (I didn’t know what a buffet warmer was.) Two or three years ago, in a fit of extravagance, I bought an electric hotplate (for catering use), measuring 45 x 90 cm, which fits three trays for 24 x 30. Adjustable, in terms of surface temperature, from somewhere around 20°C to almost 90°C. In the simulation, this allowed me to keep preheated water at a fairly constant temperature of – I can’t remember exactly – around 30°C, at any rate the temperature I wanted to achieve. I was also interested in how often the plate reheated and what temperature fluctuations there were in the baths: almost undetectable. I really ought to get round to developing colour again. It’s good that you’ve inspired me to do so with your posts!
Yes, home-made colour enlargements are quite different from the products you get in most (not all) large-scale labs. When I started out, the EP 2 process was still in use, and two or three years later we switched to RA 4 (with the silver chloride paper which, at the insistence of the large labs, allowed for shorter processing times, meaning that in the home lab with Diluprint RT we could achieve a 1-minute CD [as a precaution, I always bleached-fixed for a little longer than was strictly necessary]).
Regards,
Zal
Rolf-Werner
As for the temperature, I’ve always used 30 degrees so far, even though I use Jobo drums and Jobo equipment for this.
That’s because at 30 degrees, the processing times are slightly longer, which makes them easier to control. The results have always been flawless, using Adox chemicals and Fuji paper.
As far as I remember, the times are listed in the Tetenal instructions – at least they used to be. If the instructions are available as a PDF on the shop’s website, have a look. I think the development time was 1:15 or 1:20 with that.
Best regards,
Rolf
jonny
First of all, a word on longevity: the figures in the Fuji data sheet refer to PROCESSED paper, i.e. finished prints. Unfortunately, unexposed/unprocessed RA4 paper does not last very long; it becomes fogged quite quickly. Its longevity is significantly worse than that of black-and-white paper. I therefore strongly advise against buying older paper from online marketplaces etc. I have some Fuji CA DPII that I bought brand new from a dealer four years ago, which already shows a slight fog. Ten-year-old Kodak Endura from my stock is dark yellow, and 20-year-old Agfa paper is eggshell brown. Don’t waste your time or money on old paper!
On the subject of processing temperature: it is normally possible to process colour negative papers at lower temperatures down to around 25 degrees without any problems. I have no first-hand experience with even lower temperatures, but I suspect that works too. The processing times just become quite long.
At lower processing temperatures compared to the standard 35 degrees, there is a certain colour shift, but this is linear and can be compensated for by normal filtering. More important than the absolute temperature is that the temperature does not fluctuate from print to print, otherwise you might end up filtering yourself into a frenzy.
From this perspective, a temperature closer to room temperature is actually more sensible for tray processing, as it is easier to keep constant. So just give 20 degrees a go. The proof is in the pudding.
Please ensure the darkroom is well ventilated when working with colour chemicals.
It is also important for good results that the film to be enlarged has been properly exposed and correctly processed. Here (during film development), the temperature of 37.8 degrees must be strictly maintained. If this is neglected or the film is deliberately developed at lower temperatures, different density curves result for the three colours, leading to so-called colour casts. This means that the colour cast in the shadows is the complementary colour of the colour cast in the highlights. For example, the shadows are magenta and the highlights are green. As magenta and green are complementary, you cannot filter out both casts. A colour cast will always remain.
Enjoy colour enlarging!
Gelegenheitsentwicker
Here’s my two cents:
Of all the colour papers, Fuji lasts by far the longest (unexposed, stored dry in the cellar). I’m currently using Fuji Crystal Archive Supreme paper, which I bought at least four years ago (fresh from the shop), and I still find it in perfect condition.
A simple test: develop a sheet of unexposed paper; if it’s bright white afterwards, it’s perfect. With this test, the Fuji paper gets a bit darker (grey) over time, taking on a slight eggshell hue. But really only minimally.
Kodak papers develop a tinge over time that leans towards greenish-yellow (there’s no filtering that out; you can then only use them for a ‘general overview contact print’), whilst old Agfa Sensatis tends more towards ‘ivory’ (A little aside: I once came across someone on the internet who was specifically looking for Agfa paper that was as old as possible...).
On the subject of chemicals: if you experiment a bit, pretty much anything labelled RA-4 CD will work. As an experiment, I once developed in a tray at 20°C, and that went without a hitch too (I was using Calbe developer at the time); naturally, the development time shot up.
Cheers, Martin!
