C41 processing error

Steve

Steve

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So had my first try at C41 processing with the Tetenal C41 kit and the results are.... not very good.

The negatives have a significant green colour cast. Some orangey negatives just have a small green bit, but some are completely green without a hint of orange. Oddly this is not as noticeable once scanned as when looked at.

Additionally there is a coloured line down one side of the negative. Example here:


C41 error by SteveGam, on Flickr

Looks like a light leak too maybe?

The C41 kit was brand new and unused so exhausted chemicals should not be the problem.

I was careful with times and temperature. Although I maybe didn't mix the chemicals as thoroughly as I could have; I mixed at correct temperature but only stirred it for a few seconds...is that enough?

The film was out of date, but I thought stored well.

Anyone any ideas or advice on what I'm doing wrong?
 
Personally, I've been burning through a lot of Agfa Vista this week to ensure a fresh stock from a known good camera to practice with. I'd prefer as few variables as possible. Sorry, that's not meant to be preachy. I've not even mixed my chemicals yet so I'm looking on this thread with great interest.
 
Out of interest Steve, what film did you use?.
And what were your agitations, and did you leave your tank submerged the whole time in the water?.
 
Light leak, agitation, contamination with dev and fixer ?????...my first thoughts from memory from many years ago when home processing.
 
i would be thinking uneven development ,or fogging . ( although the line down the left is a bit strange in that its has very straight edges )
 
Thanks for the comments. The film was Fuji Reala with an expiry date in 2012. Totally agree Steven....wish I had used an in date film to reduce the variables in case of error.

It was processed in a Jobo CPE2 so the rotation part should have been okay. I did a 5 minute pre heat of the tank before adding any chemicals and followed the instructions

Agree with Donut that the line looks too straight edged which is odd.

So maybe I need to run a colour film that I know is in date and then try again to reduce the variables.
 
That line seems too straight for a chemical error or a light leak. Looks more like something the scanner would do. Can you upload a picture of the negative itself Steve?
 
robhooley167 said:
That line seems too straight for a chemical error or a light leak. Looks more like something the scanner would do. Can you upload a picture of the negative itself Steve?
Click to expand...

Here is a photo of some of the negatives showing the orange/green issue more clearly.


collour cast negs by SteveGam, on Flickr

Rob, you are right the lines are a scanner issue...was my assumption they were part of the processing fault. So I rescanned the relevant negative and the lines have gone. Still got the green thing going on.


C41 error 2 by SteveGam, on Flickr
 
did you roll the spool up tightly? looks like the first frames are the worst affected. It's (light/slight) fogging.
 
Blank_Canvas said:
That looks like contamination to me. Can you recall what you did ?
Click to expand...

It could be. I thought I followed the instructions correctly, but the result shows something went wrong and that could be contamination

RumpFace said:
did you roll the spool up tightly? looks like the first frames are the worst affected. It's (light/slight) fogging.
Click to expand...

I really struggled getting the film on the spool. I'm used to easy load Paterson reels, but had to use the specific Jobo reel for the CPE2 tank and found it a lot harder to use.
 
i meant after shooting, did you keep the roll taut on loading in the camera? i see a lot of baggy rolls of 120, you get fogging down the edge where light gets inside the backing paper and sometimes a bit on the start of the roll.
 
RumpFace said:
i meant after shooting, did you keep the roll taut on loading in the camera? i see a lot of baggy rolls of 120, you get fogging down the edge where light gets inside the backing paper and sometimes a bit on the start of the roll.
Click to expand...

Ah yes.... I know what you mean. Don't think it happened here as the Reala has one of those little stickers on it that lets you tightly wind the film onto the spool and keep it tightly loaded. Not ruling out a user error elsewhere that could have caused a light leak, but would that make the negatives go green?
 
yes, a minor light leak on colour can give a green (on the neg) cast. try a b/w and see if you get the same pattern.
 
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