[Leica] Re: [Lieca] Slides

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

At 09:25 PM 1/1/98 -0800, you wrote:
>
>I know two pros who finally got a Jobo and do their own work, primarily
>because they were unhappy with lab consistency.  I have similar
>complaints and use labs which are very good.  But the consistency of a
>dip tank (Refrema) is just not as consistent as one shot.  I read an
>article recently by Ric Ergenbright, the travel shooter out of Bend
>Oregon who uses Jobo (started because nearest good lab is Portland), but
>figures with all his processing for originals and dupe film, he saves
>SAVES $20,000 a year.  Yes, he is prolific and makes numerous dupes. 
>One member of the stock photo list also discussed the need for Jobo
>processing in his duping system to maintain the day to day color
>consistency by using one shot.  
>
>donal
>

He may save $20,000 gross but to save this much would require a full time
lab technician. That's a lot of film. So the salary should be subtracted
out. Also the kits aren't always consistent. I know from years of use. What
I settled-in with is: a water de-ionizer and a pH meter, NaOH and H2SO4.
Mixed all chemistry with de-ionized water. Tested the first and color
developers with the pH meter and adjusted the pH (via NaOH & H2SO4). And
don't forget that a pH meter takes lots of maintenance. Calibration with
buffers. Storage problems. The resultant chemistry was split into one-shot
size portions, stored in glass brown bottles, using glass beads to take-up
the extra air space. The rotary processor drum must be warmed to processing
temperature BEFORE starting processing. The drum will suck the heat out of
the one-shot of first developer and cause low D-max (muddy looking slides).
You cannot run the stabilizer through the processor as it can cause
contamination. So you stabilize separately. Then either squeegee or not,
and hang in a DUST FREE drying space. To push or pull a single roll or
sheet, requires a full shot of chemistry. Not very economical. If you walk
into your lab and start from scratch (mix chemistry, adjust pH, load film,
process, hang to dry, then CLEAN-UP... we're talking a minimum of four
hours. Probably more. This is if you are going to do it correctly. You can
skip steps, but your results will suffer and never be consistent. I have
also found that fresh "just mixed" chemistry is "hot" and needs to age a
few hours before use. There is "three step" E6 chemistry but it is classed
as amateur and when it came out, was not recommended for rotary processor
use. That may have changed by now.

It is a LOT OF WORK to produce properly processed and consistent E6
transparencies. I know from years of experience. The control strips that
pro/commercial labs run and their modem link to Kodak's Tech-Net will
provide the necessary adjustments to keep the line in balance. I don't know
about other labs, but Calypso (and I'm sure many other labs) work very hard
at maintaining an in balance E6 process. I can personally vouch for Calypso
as I've run separate 4x5 sheets, on different days, of the exact same
subject/exposure and ended up with identical 4x5 transparencies.

Why would I do this? When photographing with my Linhof, I shoot two sheets
of film for every subject. When I get back, I process only one sheet of
each pair. I then evaluate the transparency and figure out how to process
the second sheet. Most of the time it gets processed normally (that's how I
get two identical transparencies, processed on different days) but if my
exposure was a little off, or if I want to change the mood, I'll have the
second sheet pushed or pulled accordingly. With 1/8 stop steps, you can
fine-tune your final transparency. I was wrong in a previous post. It's 1/8
stop increments, not 1/4 stop.

This is how you bracket with a 4x5. You do it at the lab.

Anyway, if I had a huge amount of E6 yearly, I probably would do what your
acquaintances do. Set-up a lab, hire a lab tech, and do it in-house. Once
you get a routine down, you can produce consistent results. But it sure is
easier to let someone else do it... especially with two hour turn-around.

Jim