[Leica] Developing E-4 Ektachrome at home

[Howard L Ritter Jr]

Does anyone know anything about home processing of E-4 Ektachrome as a B&W negative?

My brother just came across Dad’s old View-Master stereo camera, opened the back, and discovered that it had a partially exposed roll of film in it. He sent the camera to me and I figured out how to rewind the film. (Thank you, Mike Butkus at Orphan Cameras, butkus.org <http://butkus.org/>) When I took it out, I found that it’s process E-4 Ektachrome, which I was told was marketed from 1963-74. I suspect the film was shot toward the early part of that period. I’d like to see what images of me and my sibs might be on it.

It can be processed at some expense by several commercial labs, but they’ll develop it as a B&W negative. I’d think this could be done at home, since it’s the color and the reversal that take the exotic chemicals and the technique, correct? I know there’s a caveat about the need for hardening of the emulsion of E-4 film prior to processing, so this might make it impossible to do at home.

Any instructions, experiences, or guidance appreciated.

BTW, I’m running a roll of Ilford Delta 100, the highest ASA the camera is calibrated for – and it goes down to ASA 4, for original Kodachrome! – through it now. It might yield some interesting images for those who can fuse stereo pairs by staring at them onscreen. If so, I’ll post them.

(This camera has an innovative system with linked ASA, shutter speed, and aperture dials, calibrated for subject brightness and for illumination level – and even for summer or winter! – obviating the need for a light meter. As I recall, it was quite effective even with the slide film that it had to use. It had fixed-focus lenses and a viewfinder that incorporated a spirit level below the field of view, as leveling is critical for a stereo camera. A flash attachment with its own built-in split-image rangefinder for determining the correct aperture setting was available. Because the stereo effect was more pronounced the closer the subject, two degrees of close-up lenses were available, going down to 20". Conceptually and mechanically, it’s a fascinating camera and system.)


—howard