Rollei Digibase C-41

[steelneck]

Bump..

Now i have developed 4 films in my initial 350ml batch of this soup, now 8 weeks old and stored in just a little more than half full bottles. Today i developed a roll of Reala and it came out OK. So, the working solution seem so far to last more than 8 weeks in room temp even with a lot of air in the bottles, and the concentrates lasts for a very very long time and do not need to be stored in full bottles or use of protectan gas or such. It can also be bought in very small quantities, even kits down to 500ml working solution. This chemistry looks to me more and more like the perfect fit for the hobbyist.

[perkeleellinen]

Ag Photographic are now stocking these kits. When pay day comes, I'm going to try one out:

http://www.ag-photographic.co.uk/rol...kit-1754-p.asp

[fotch]

Finally, a solution that doesn't require a rocket science degree and doesn't use blix.

[Greg Davis]

Freestyle now has the small and medium kits in stock. I ordered a kit and a 5 pack of Ektar 100, then I'll shoot a Macbeth Color Chart and Kodak Gray Card on each roll. I'll have one processed at my local pro lab, then do the others at home using the different temperatures listed in the instructions to compare how they look. If I can get away with a lower temperature without too much color shift, I can finally start doing my own 8x10's without getting an expensive Jobo machine.

[Greg Davis]

I should add that I plan on choosing one frame from each roll and printing them to match the gray card as close as possible in my darkroom using Kodak Supra Endura (the optical stuff), then comparing that to a drum scan corrected in PS for the gray card and printed on Supra Endura VC (the digital stuff) with a Lightjet. That will satisfy my testing criteria to demonstrate any shift in color and density at varying temperatures and output methods.

[JLP]

Just received a couple of the Digibase C41 midi kits from Freestyle.
I am quite surpriced to see that there is no stop and washing mentioned in the processing sequence, that must be a mistake or is it not?
Previously i have used the Tetenal C41 kit which require washing before the stabiizer and a stop is also recomended.
Anyone here willing to coment on this?
Thanks..

[wblynch]

On Freestyle's site they have a link to a pdf that describes everything about mixing and processing the Digibase kits.

I think I'll go there tomorrow and get some. It sounds like a great product.

Try this link: http://www.freestylephoto.biz/pdf/pr...structions.pdf

[srs5694]

Just received a couple of the Digibase C41 midi kits from Freestyle.
I am quite surpriced to see that there is no stop and washing mentioned in the processing sequence, that must be a mistake or is it not?
Previously i have used the Tetenal C41 kit which require washing before the stabiizer and a stop is also recomended.
Anyone here willing to coment on this?
Thanks..

Lack of stop bath is not odd, but lack of wash is. Referring to Kodak's Z-131 publication (I believe the 3rd PDF is most appropriate for small-tank use in home darkrooms), the Kodak C-41 process is normally:

1. Developer: 3:15
2. Bleach III: 6:30
3. Wash: 3:15
4. Fixer: 6:30
5. Wash: 3:15
6. Stabilizer III: 1:30
7. Dry: As needed

In another thread, PE explained that the bleach is acidic enough to serve as a stop bath, so no separate stop is necessary. (RA-4 blix, used in print-making, is apparently much less acidic. I'm not sure about the blixes used in C-41 kits that use blix.) FWIW, I use a pre-soak prior to the developer step in order to bring the film temperature up to 100F.

Also, there are variants on many of these chemicals from Kodak, such as final rinse rather than stabilizer. (Stabilizer is needed for older films, but either works fine with newer films from Kodak and Fuji.)

If the washes were omitted, the bleach would contaminate the fixer. This might not be a big problem if you used it one-shot. IIRC, the instructions for Kodak's single-use E-6 kit don't include a wash between the bleach and the fixer, but this is a single-use kit. I don't know how much of a problem it would be if you were to re-use the fixer; it would effectively turn the fixer into a weak blix. Certainly omitting the wash after the fixer step would leave fixer in the film, and that couldn't be good.

[JLP]

srs5694, Thank you for confirming. I will go by Kodaks process including the wash between bleach and fix and again after fix.
I usually always use C41 as one shot but thought it could be interesting to try to reuse since the Digibase C41 kit should have good keeping properties even when mixed. The wash certainly is important to avoid contamination.
Thanks again.

[epatsellis]

Has anybody run a control strip with this chemistry? It would answer a lot of questions and resolve any lingering doubts.