First Time Developing Slide Film: Unicolor EZ – E6/Fujichrome Provia 100F.

First Time Developing Slide Film: Unicolor EZ – E6/Fujichrome Provia 100F.

Subtitle: How Many Things Can I Get Wrong With One Roll Of Film?

Hint: A lot.

From the start, things went sideways. All user error.

I was not paying attention when loading film in a camera. Two issues:

1. Thought it was negative film and it was slide film.
2. Thought it was 400 film and it was 100.

So I now need to:

1. Develop slide film for the first time ever.
2. Push the film two stops.

I have a Cinestill slide film developer kit, but (you guessed it) there is an issue.

• You cannot use the version of slide developer I purchased (The 1 of 3 color developers I chose cannot be pushed.). Needed a different first step.

Another issue.

• They did not have that first step at the camera store. My solution?

Buy a traditional slide development kit.

I was intimidated by slide film, and this kit said there are 6 steps. Eesh. But after some reading and a watch of a video…

…I realized that this was misleading. There are actually only three steps involving chemistry. The other are rinses. Not bad. A natural progression. Started with Cinestill monobath… 1 bath.

Developing with Cinestill Df96 Monobath: A KEH Repost and Update

Moved on to CS41… 2 baths.

Developing Color At Home Made Easy: Cinestill CS41 2 Bath and TCS 1000

Now 3.

Even mixing was easy. Used Cinestill TCS1000 to get the water up to 105 degrees F and pour in the chemistry and top it off at 32 oz. EZ. Like in the name.

Of course, I was not done with my user error shenanigans. Lunched and forgot the 7 times rinse between bath 1 and 2. The 1st Developer (B&W) and Color Developer. From what I understand this causes two issues.

1. Black and white development remnants left in the tank can cause color shifts during the color development bath.
2. Mixing of slide chemistry is a big no no and this likely ruined my color development bath chemistry on the first use… Great. My options that I have not decided between.
   • Risk using it again and see what happens.
   • Seeing if I can buy just the color chemistry bath and remixing it.
   • If not just buy another kit and just remix the color development bath.

Have not made up my mind yet.

Where was I? What is the point of all of this? Right. Pictures.

Now mind you while shooting I kept trying to shoot ISO 400 speed film wide open in broad daylight with a camera that tops out at 1/500s shutter speed… and some were not shot like I would shoot slide film, I.E. mixed lighting… I seem determined to hose this roll of film… so a healthy number of frames were lost. Here are the survivors of my tomfoolery.

Thoughts.

That was fun.

I do notice the colors are not as true and rich as when I sent this film out before.

But is this because…

• I used the wrong ISO?
• I did not shoot it as I would slide film?
• Because I did not rinse between the first two baths?
• Some or all of the above?

Right now, I am thinking I will just risk it as is with another roll of 35mm film and take care to use the right ISO setting, take greater care while shooting, and follow all steps and take it from there.

We will see. That is all for now.

Happy capturing.

-ELW