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Konica Color, B&W Soup, Pancolar F/8.0


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<p>With all your encouraging with tips I made bold to develop the Konica Color 100 film in my home made soup of B&W chemicals. I used the Exakta VXIIA that I refurbished from a junk purchase with the pancolar F/8.0 rebuilt by Mr. Yazdhani of kamera Werke, Calcutta.<br>

Here are some results that I am happy with. I would appreciate your comments on the same.<br>

Yes, the negatives are not really legible due to the heavy masks. But they seem to scan fairly well. I developed for the same time as I do with my B&W films. Thank you for your patience and advice.</p><div>00Tj4q-146875584.jpg.84739eb08047d474717d7e9f7fdd73ae.jpg</div>

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<p>I took some pictures of flowers too from our front yard at home. Russ Rosener! if you are around these may interest you for the OOF of the Pancolar. [You had asked me some time ago.] Unfortunately, the color processing on these films is bad. But I shall try when I get a good Kodak color film.</p><div>00Tj53-146879584.jpg.dad74b7f05f5a762adbaa4e6b17f0695.jpg</div>
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<p>we appreciate your posts as well as your experiments<br>

but I have a question<br>

why did you process the konica film in B&W chemicals?<br>

was it an experiment<br>

(( they came out better that most folks indicate- you must know what you are doing)<br>

or is trhis some film that is incompatible with normal c-41 processing?</p>

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<p>Walter Hi! Good question; my main problem was that the commercial guys who process C-41 films are franchisees of Kodak. They seem to do a good job on Kodak films. Of late, they have been below par in quality. Also they processed my Konica color film rather poorly. The colors were running all over. So I had to scan and post the pictures in B&W.<br>

At this juncture I read some discussions that C-41 films can be processed in B&W chemistry. So, I thought "why not give it a try?" Most people [rightly] cautioned that the developed negatives won't be good for printing but that they can be scanned. But they were skeptical on that too.<br>

My results are better than what many indicated. At least they are better than what the commercial lab did for me. The commercial lab also costs Rs 40 per roll plus 3 trips to the shop and things like "it is not ready yet...it is on its way...come tomorrow first thing in the morning, etc." My brew costs me only Rs 4 per roll and it is a fresh developer each time! Of course, no trips to the shop, either.<br>

I shall also admit that I am a zany guy who likes to experiment. Keeps me young and inquiring. At the end of it all I have sense of achievement.<br>

In my zeal to learn and experiment I bought several junk cameras Exaktas, Prakticas, Feds and Zorkis on ebay for less than $5 to $10 each. I have learned to repair them all; all are working well. But I have more cameras than I need, really. That is one irrational aspect while trying to feel young and learn! Thank you, regards, sp.</p>

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<p>I forgot to add that Kodak, Konica-Minolta or Fuji do not sell C-41 chemicals to customers. They sell them only to their own franchisees. Though it would be violation of the Monopolies and Free trade laws no one has taken them to court on this. So the game goes on in the guise of "Industrial Marketing". sp.</p>
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<p>Hi SP, interesting experiment and your results are pretty good. I do notice that on several of your images there is what looks like lens flare. I have seen this before on some of your posted images. After looking at them closer I think it is not lens flare but a scanning/post processing issue. I don't know what scanner you have nor am I that familiar with Picassa, but my guess is you need a bit of levels adjustment in on the shadow side to give you a good rendition as shown in the example below. Of course this is all a matter of taste as well.<br>

The cost issues aside, even crummy color on c-41 can be managed in scanning and it need not be right on the money if you intend to convert to B&W. This is bit OT for this forum so if you want any further discussion on this don't hesitate to contact me offline.<br>

That's a very pretty area/house you live in!</p><div>00TjMT-147047584.jpg.c3b9d56560984939c6a932122ea17e31.jpg</div>

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<p>It's interesting to me that this turned out so well. The effect, developed and done by the same person of course, is not unlike that of your Nova SilverPlus. (and yes, I'm slowly working up to it Subbarayan, be patient with me.)</p>
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<p><br /> <br /> Subbarayan, </p>

<p>Wow ! Thanks for the inspiration.</p>

<p>I grabbed a roll of Shop-Rite 200 C-41 ( Scotch brand, actually) and popped it into my VXIIA when I read your post this morning. I attached a Steinheil 55/1.9 and a 35/2.8 Quinaron and made a few shots under diffused light coming from the skylight in my flat. I set up some collectibles and shot them around 1/25 wide-open.<br>

I souped the color film in D-76 1:1 at 72F for 13.5 mins (educated guess, but I think it needs more experimenting).<br>

Yeah, densest negs I've encountered and a real PITA to scan .... awfully grainy, too. <br>

But, heck, it was fun hearing the clunk of the Exakta and sipping on some vintage Tokaji.<br>

Again, thanks for the inspiration for an enjotable rainy morning experiment.</p><div>00TjSB-147105984.jpg.1770fbdefc961137569c47f0964ad9c6.jpg</div>

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<p>Thanks Louis! Your examples of the potter's are very interesting. Yes, someone earlier termed it the "Pancolar Glow" and suggested that it be left as is. All the same I would like to learn if it can be controlled, as you have demonstrated so well.<br>

I use the HP G3010 scanner. It is slow but seems adequate for the little lay work I do. Regards, sp.</p>

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<p>Gabor, that looks good to me. Perhaps, some more dilution and longer development time would make it finer grained. I use a formula patterned on Microdol. I worked on it for over 6 months and many trials [around 30 strips] and arrived at a reasonable combination after plotting the results in a nomograph. Now I am getting fairly consistent results. Nice little Exa; I used to have one with its own small standard and Tele lenses! Regards, sp.</p>
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<p>I have tons of almost and recently-expired C-41 lying around . Another rainy spell this summer and I'll get down to finding a good method. At what amounts to $.09 a roll, who can complain ?<br>

This first-run trial yielded incredibly narrow scale on the Epson's histogram. I think the negs were a stop or two underexposed to begin with. This was my first roll in the VXIIA. It came with a bunch of Steinheil's, a Meyer 100mm, and a Zeiss Biotar 75/1.5. All of these lenses went up on the 'Bay this week . I kept the Exakta and Exa for fun (as this little exercise proved).<br>

The WLF on the Exakta is stuck because the release pin is broken and I didn't feel like fiddling with an awl or small screwdriver to pop it off to swap the prism from the Exa. Vertical shots were a pain in the bum, to say the least. At least the shutter curtain material isn't full of holes ( a bit wrinkled but OK).<br>

As a lover of quirky cameras, I guess I'll keep the Exakta; it is a handsome beast !<br>

Maybe run some Takumars on it ( I have M42-to-Exakta adapters) and hit the streets.</p>

<p>Oh, I did notice, as an Exakta newbie, that getting near the end of the roll was filled with perils of sorts. There's almost no indication of film tension and I wound up stripping the sproket holes of the last few frames because I had no idea I was at the end of the roll ( failed to set the counter at the beginning). Live and learn !</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>Gabor, the Meyer 100mm and the Biotar 75mm are reputed lenses. The price of the latter especially is out of reach for me. Yes Exakta makes you work hard; it is built more like a World War II Jeep. So we need to forget any delicate indicators from it. It is a most reliable camera though. I bought a VX from Ebay US last week for less than $5 ! The seller advertised it as a repair/spares body.<br>

When it arrived I had to do some peripheral cleaning; that was all. Everything works well, including the slow speeds. I tested the shutter timings on the CRT TV; they are bang on the dot, after 50 plus years! Hope you have more fun with your C-41s in B&W soup! Regards, sp.</p>

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<p>Wonderful experiments! I have some old (almost) expired C-41 here I don't want to spend money on for commercial processing. I think I'll give it a try in my B&W chemicals after reading this :)<br>

I read in another thread on C-41 B&W film that (semi)stand development at high developer dilution gave good results, I'm curious whether that would also benefit C-41 color film in B&W chemicals....</p>

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<p>Kasper Hi! I don't think that I can be of much help here other than encouraging you. This was my first and only strip of color c41 negative that I developed in my B&W chemicals. Thus I have no experience; some web discussions in Flickr etc., said that one ought to develop at 100 degrees F, etc., etc.<br>

However, I developed it only at my usual 75 degrees that I use for regular B&W. My guess [only a guess!] is that with a little more dilution and longer time in the soup it will produce a finer grain. I think you have to experiment a little and arrive at a suitable method. Best regards, sp.</p>

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