KODAK C 41 CONTROL STRIPS PATCH
KODAK C 41 CONTROL STRIPS PROFESSIONAL

I found their process to be dirty (specks, fibres) inconsistent and badly controlled (color differences across sheets, usually with a noticeble step in density in the middle of a sheet). I do know that when I first started using 5x4 C-41 I got my sheets processed by a local lab that caters exclusively to professionals - at appropriate high prices. I process my own C-41 5x4 sheets in a Jobo CPE-2 with lift.Ĭan a carefully controlled rotary process be as high quality as carefully controlled dip-and-dunk? I can't answer that question.

Now that there are no more optically optimized papers on the market I'd say it is no longer necessary since if you're serious about color balance you'll be scanning and making your adjustments in photoshop instead of working under an enlarger with papers designed for laser light jet. One year ago I'd suggest that if you were doing critical color balance work for a portfolio then getting an in-control process is of utmost importance and that without it you'll never have precise control over the palette. And in all honesty they don't need to because the results they're getting are good enough.but still out of control.

KODAK C 41 CONTROL STRIPS PROFESSIONAL

I spent weeks running, reading, and plotting kodak professional control strips with an x-rite 810 densitometer (I started a thread on this experiment from three years ago here on apug - it wasn't long before it was just a back and forth between me and PE which goes to show how very few people rotary processing c-41 have actually done this). temps I ended up having to use a nitrogen gas feed to get consistently in-control processing). That's not to say it's impossible, just really, really difficult (Besides spending gobs of time verifying proper dev. The short answer is no, you will not get dip and dunk lab quality easily from rotary processing c-41. It is a small cooler, filled with water and fitted with a fish tank glass tube immersion heater set to 100F. I process in tanks held in a temering bath that also warms my chemistry. Currently I have a surplus of E-6 bleach, and so use it for 6' for c-41 film bleaching, as well as e-6 bleaching iot is rated to 25 rolls per litre. I have bleached 2.5' with c-22 bleach, and replenish 45ml per 80 sw in, until 1L of replenisher (same mix as working) has gone into a 1L of working solution. For non critical work I have found that two week old used blackish crud developer run though a coffee filter first will still do an ok, but not perfect job. I scratch mix my c-41 developer, and find that I need 3:20- 3:25 for the second batch if done the same day, and 3:25-3:30 if there is an overnight gap between processing runs on the same chemistry. I will recycle c-41 for up to 8 -80 sq inches of film if I can do them in short sequence from fresh, and usually there is 40 sw in in the first batch, and 40 sw in or less in the second batch.

I still use them to verify if I am getting good density, by reading the denisty of the grey card. I printed them to find the enlarger/print chemistry filter settings for each session before I got a Lici Colorstar now it automatically corrects for paper or print chem or film type drift as long as you feed it a grey card, and then analyse the first few prints of grey for a printing session. I include about 4' snipped from one of these rolls with the first batch developed for each session. Frame in tight on just the cards and her smiling face, meter off the grey card, lock exposure, and with the motor drive, wind off a couple of 36 exposure rolls in quick succession.

KODAK C 41 CONTROL STRIPS PATCH

I make control strips with my wife in the front of the house out of direct sunlight, lit by the north sky (I'm in Canada), with a grey card held to one side of her face, and the color swatch patch page open from an old Kodak Color Darkroom data guide on the other side of her face.

Prior to the denitometer I still ran control strips - home made, and they work with the machine reading now. I started off without denistometry, but was gifted one,and now half assed run a control sequence. I don't shoot a lot of C-41 4x5, but I am happy with my gear doing 4x5 e-6, and c-41 I run in smaller formats, no problem. I am one not afraid to take this on with less gear, and am happy with the results.

Kodak c 41 control strips