Developing C41 Color Film At Home February 2009 The above video says most of what needs to be said on this subject, but allow me to tell you that this process is not only not difficult, it's actually easy. In fact, in a way, it's easier than developing black and white. Depending on what you use, the dev and fix times are shorter. The main complication is temperature—you have to get the chemistry up to 102 degrees Fahrenheit and keep them there more or less. But the process is fairly forgiving, and you're only going to be working at that temperature for ten minutes, anyway. The Unicolor/Tetenal C41 Press Kit was supposedly created for traveling photojournalists who could not rely on film processing labs to be available where they were working. The kit, coupled with a small two-reel tank, is compact enough to use in, say, a hotel bathroom. But the number of photojournalists shooting C41 on location in 2009 has got to be near zero, and so you and I are now the target market for these kits. You can get them at Freestyle or B&H. The most challenging part of all this is mixing the chemicals. You have to get your temperature up to 120, and the directions are unclear on how to mix the blix. There are two packets marked "blix A" and "blix B," and this fact is not reflected anywhere in the documentation. I'm here to tell you that you've got to mix them together. You're supposed to be able to soup about ten rolls with these chemicals before they wear out, but I'm up to about 15, and have been using the same stuff for almost six months, stored in airless containers. I'm about to mix up a new bactch, though; the colors are finally beginning to grow dull. One other thing the instructions don't mention is what you're supposed to do after the stabilizer. It turns out you shouldn't rinse, as I do in the video. The stabilizer stays on, and it contains a photo-flo-like substance to help you avoid drying marks. Below are a few pictures from my first two rolls. Personally, I find these results far superior to my local supermarket, which has ended its film developing anyway. And now Ritz is going out of business, and I suspect Wal-Mart will be next. Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm shooting color film at all, given the existence of digital cameras, but never mind. Pentax ME Super, 50/1.4, AGFA Ultra 100 Canonet QL17 GIII, AGFA Ultra 100 c2009 by J. Robert Lennon.