First Home Processed Slide Film

Colorado CJ · Joined: 29 Jul 2012 Posts: 210 Location: Northern Colorado

Here's my first home processed slide film (or color film for that matter). I used the Arista Rapid E-6 kit to develop it.

Just a shot of one of the lakes in my town.

Taken with a Zone VI 4x5 camera and Fujinon W 125mm F5.6 lens, using a 2 stop graduated ND filter. Shot on Velvia 100 and processed with Arista E-6 chemicals.

Lake Loveland - Velvia - 4x5 by Andrew Marjama, on Flickr

I'll add more as I have time to scan in the slides. I developed 6 sheets at once in a Jobo Daylight tank.

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

Congratulations! Looks nice to me, but I don't know anything about developing film.
I guess you have already done B&W film developing.

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

Very good...lucky you were in the right place to capture the view.

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

I love the colors,beautiful.

Rick1779 · Expire: 2014-06-06

miran · Joined: 01 Aug 2012 Posts: 1364 Location: Slovenia

Amazing colours! Smile

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Great success , congrats!!

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

Very nice, Andrew! I too have been using the Arista kits from Freestyle and I've been very happy with the results. I don't have anything as great as a large format image to show, just small stuff. Here are a couple 35mm shots I took while visiting a Brit Bike rally a while back. Sorry, I don't recall the camera(s) or lens(es) I used.

And a shot of my old BMW R90/6:

The film was Kodak's Elite Chrome 100, purchased before it was discontinued. Too bad, it was great .

Colorado CJ · Joined: 29 Jul 2012 Posts: 210 Location: Northern Colorado

Thanks everyone!

Here's a couple I just finished scanning, taken this weekend while on a camping/hiking trip in the Glenwood Canyon area of Colorado.

Both shot on Velvia 50 slide film and developed with the Arista Rapid E-6 kit.

Shot with a Zone VI 4x5 camera and Fujinon W 125mm F5.6 lens.

This first one was the view I had while I was cooking some dinner over the fire in the White River National Forest.

White River Wilderness - Velvia - 4x5 by Andrew Marjama, on Flickr

This one is of "Sprouting Rock", the waterfall that created the Hanging Lake in the Glenwood Canyon of the Colorado. The waterfall is coming out of a hole in the cliff face, not from a normal above ground river.

Spouting Rock - Velvia - 4x5 by Andrew Marjama, on Flickr

I'll add some more tomorrow of the Hanging Lake once I develop and scan in the slides.

miran · Joined: 01 Aug 2012 Posts: 1364 Location: Slovenia

Great images again! Smile

Btw, do you have any large ones to show off with detail and resolution? Wink

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

poilu · Expire: 2019-08-29

tb_a · Expire: 2019-08-28

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

Thomas, it isn't very difficult to control temperature. One easy way is to get a small styrofoam cooler that's big enough to hold all the chemicals and use it for the bath. An accurate thermometer is required to monitor the temps.

What I do is heat water to above the required temperature level before I immerse the chem bottles, I just run the hot water tap for this. Then I take a cap off one of the chem bottles and insert the thermometer. Periodically, I check the bottle's temp, and then the temp of the bath. I might have to add more hot water to the bath once the bottles start heating up.

If the final equilibrium temperature is still too hot, I just wait til it cools down to where I need it. If it's too low, I add more hot water, then wait for equilibrium. Obviously, what I mean by 'equilibrium' is when both the bath and bottle temperature are the same.

When I add water, I prefer to replace rather than add, actually. That is, I bail out a cup of water from the bath then add a cup of hot water to it. Less dilution effect that way.

Then, once the equilibrium temperature has been reached, I start the process, keeping an eye on the bath temperature. It will slowly cool during the process, more than likely, and what I do is this. I have a cup handy and I use it to bail out a cup of water from the cooler, then add a cup of hot water. I might do this 3 or 4 times before I see the temp stabilize back to where I want it. If I need to perform this process of 3 or 4 exchanges of water, it's usually only once.

I'm not sure, but I suspect the blix process is not as sensitive to to temperature change as the developers are.

It sounds like a lot of fiddle work, but it's not so bad once you have everything set up and organized. I do my developing in my bathroom because I have a handy sink and hot water there. Obviously, the kitchen will work just as well.

tb_a · Expire: 2019-08-28

Michael, thanks for your quite extensive explanation. Though, it's indeed sounding a little bit cumbersome for me. Wink

I've read about a "cold" method for color which takes rather long in comparison. That should be less sensible for temperature variations comparable to B&W and works at room temperature. Did you ever try this?

Colorado CJ · Joined: 29 Jul 2012 Posts: 210 Location: Northern Colorado

I use the exact same method Michael explained. It really is easy to do, and it gives you something to do while the developers are doing their thing in the daylight tank.

I add one thing though, I keep a gallon jug of water at the right temperature so that I can use it as a wash between the developers and blix. Got to wash the tank 7 times between each developer, then for 5 minutes after the blix.

It really is MUCH easier than I thought it would be and will save me tons of money in the process (I have 275 sheets of 4x5 Velvia and 60, 120 rolls left!)

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

Keeping the gallon jug handy is a tip worth remembering. What I do is run the hot water tap enough so it stays hot when I need it. I do check and adjust temp with the cold to insure that it is close to the same temp when I do the washes, though.

Thomas, to answer your question, no I've never tried chems that work at lower temperatures. The Arista kit requires the higher temps. I wouldn't mind trying a kit that works at lower temps, but apparently it isn't one that Freestyle stocks and I haven't checked on other sources for E-6 emulsions.

tb_a · Expire: 2019-08-28

Thank you! Maybe I'll give it a try as well. Will see.

Colorado CJ · Joined: 29 Jul 2012 Posts: 210 Location: Northern Colorado

Yeah, I wouldn't use the lower temperatures. The developing times are greatly extended and the instructions say that there are large color shifts and density problems when not developed at the recommended temperatures.

It really is just about as easy as B&W processing and that first time you pull out a developed slide from the tank is a memorable experience. That and you can shoot a lot more slide film since processing will be SOOO much cheaper than having them developed at a lab.

tb_a · Expire: 2019-08-28

A nice accessory for something around 3.000 $:
http://www.jobo-usa.com/jobo-analog-products/jobo-cpp3-processor/1-jobo-cpp3-processor

Insane pricing! Evil or Very Mad

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

Oh yeah. Known about the Jobo processor for years. If it were more like $300, it would be worth thinking about.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

I bought my Jobo for 100-200 usd , keep your eyes open.

Colorado CJ · Joined: 29 Jul 2012 Posts: 210 Location: Northern Colorado