robcalhoun

I don't know what Fuji paper you have used but I use Fuji Chrystal Archive II paper, and it does work very well with the Kodak RA-RT Developer/Replenisher at room temperatures when used at about two minutes development time. I see little if any difference between it and Kodak Endura paper. Past versions of the Fuji paper may not have worked at room temperature, but the current version certainly does. Fuji CA II paper, on the other hand, does not work as well with the process for making prints from slides known as RA-4 Reversal (an experimental, unofficial process) compared with Kodak Endura paper which can give very good results, at least in my experience.

As discussed earlier there are chemicals available that can be used to develop RA-4 prints at low temperatures with excellent results. I use trays with great success.

This may be true for some developers but not for the Kodak RA-RT replenisher, used without starter. I have run sensitometric and visual comparisons to the high temperature developer with identical results. Ron Mowery, a deceased Kodak engineer (Photo Engineer over on APUG-Photrio website) discovered the ability of the RA-RT replenisher to produce excellent results at room temperature sometime after he retired, and endorsed its use, and many printers on that site have use it, although Kodak itself has never promoted this capability. It is true that the C-41 process must be used at the correct temperature to avoid crossover.

This just isn't true. Color prints can be developed with excellent results in trays at room temperature. I use Kodak Ektacolor RA Developer/Replenisher RT to develop Fuji CA II paper at the same temperature as b&w, 68F for two minutes, followed by bleach-fix for two minutes then a wash. In a tray, no stop bath is needed so it is even simpler and easier than b&w processing. Besides the chemistry all that is really needed is to develop the skill of color balancing a print which can be learned with a little practice and a color head that can be acquired relatively cheaply these days. There are of course many factors that can enter into a person's choice of medium, I just want to point out that darkroom color printing is not as problematic as many think it is and as such it often gets a bad rap because of this, and it is becoming a lost art and that is a shame because it is still a very viable way to produce high quality color prints, and is easier today than ever before.

C-41 formulas I have seen or used have about 1.3-1.5 grams/liter of sodium or potassium bromide. I believe the starter may adjust the pH as well as supplying the missing halides, therefore a check of the pH and adjustment if necessary, after adding the bromide and water, is advised (typically 10.0 to 10.1) for best results. If a test gives you acceptable results then you would never have worry about the availability of starter again!

You are correct in that the replenisher used as developer would eventually season itself, but to have it work properly from the start you would need to add "starter" to the replenisher, (since replenisher necessarily lacks certain chemicals that are in the starter), and usually water as well. This would be true whether you are mixing developer for a machine or at home. Otherwise the developing results would likely be out-of-spec. So, the purpose of starter is to make proper working developer out of replenisher. In my view, the salesman was wrong. The ratio of starter to replensher you mentioned doesn't seem right to me, but excessive, based on ratios I have seen for other replenishers . If the labels do not give clear instructions on the proper amounts to mix, I would try to find some other source such as Kodak's website. I have it on good authority that unlike developer, bleach will still do its job properly if starter is not added.

The "Handbook of Kodak Photographic Filters" indicates #10 and #13 can be used for color printing papers. I have never used a safelight for color but I understand these are quite dim. Working in darkness can easily be learned and managed. Kodak does not advertise the use of the Kodak RA/RT Developer/Replenisher for room temperature use, perhaps because it is designed for lab machines, or perhaps they don't know or care. In any case it gives excellent results when used for two minutes, as many users know. Likewise with Kodak Bleach-Fix.

RA-4 is easy to do in trays since it can be done at room temperature with times comparable to b&w. With drums you have to pour the solutions in and out, include a pre-wet and stop bath, have a way to rotate the drum, and rinse and dry the drum before the next print. A beginner learning to color balance prints wants ease, and quick feedback that tray processing gives. Working in total darkness is not hard, just takes a little getting used to. The Kodak RA/RT developer is used by many who do or have done room temperature tray processing and gives excellent, consistent results.

You can print RA-4 with trays and that is the easiest and cheapest way. I use Kodak RA Developer/Replenisher RT at room temperature (68-75F) for two minutes for developer, followed by Kodak Bleach-Fix for two minutes and a four minute wash. A stop bath can be used but I have found it is not necessary with tray processing (highly recommended for drums). Thus the processing is actually easier than b&w. I used drums years ago and when room temperature processing with trays became feasible, I quit the drums and have never regretted it. The developer can have high capacity if you store it properly between printing sessions. You must learn to color balance the prints as indicated earlier, but it just takes some experience and a little knowledge of color theory . All in all, I don't think color printing is any harder to master than b&w printing, maybe easier.

In my darkroom I am set up to process both b&w and color film and prints and enjoy it very much. Most here favor b&w printing but although I do both, color is my preferred medium as the world is in color and despite what many believe, is very easy to process today. In the past prints had to be processed in rotated drums or processors at high temperatures but today can be done at room temperature making it easy to do in trays, and is therefore is about as easy to process as b&w prints. Film must still be processed at a high temperature for best quality but is not that difficult to manage. For some reason many still believe that color chemicals, especially developers have a short life, but as many color darkroom workers know most can have very long lives if stored properly, i.e., in filled, glass, tightly sealed jars to minimize oxidation. I have had both Kodak C-41 and RA-4 (color print) developers last several years stored this way and still give excellent results. If one is set up to do b&w work and has a colorhead, then the transition to color can be relatively easy, just need to buy the paper and chemistry which can be purchased at reasonable prices. I find making my own color prints definitely preferable to outsoucing them and losing control over the finished product. It would also make no sense to do it digitally as this would mean buyng additional equipment to produce a product that in my opinion is no better quality if not lesser quality than what can already be produced easily.

There is evidence that they are indeed very stable. My understanding is the dyes used in Cibachrome had similar color absorption problems as those used in negative papers but although improvements were made in later versions, the problem was never completely solved. And whereas negatives have dye spectral characteristics that are designed to work well with matched color papers, reversal film dyes were not designed to be printed on to paper at all and one could sometimes see problematic differences such as varying degrees of crossover between the different types, Kodachrome, Ektachrome, Agfachrome, etc. when printed, in addition to varying dye impurity problems in the films. Also, C-41 films use DIR and DIAR couplers which give improved color correction, sharpness and grain whereas reversal films do not. However, as stated earlier, many of these problems could be fixed to a high degree with masking by the user.