Kodak Select B&W film

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I need to develop some rolls of Kodak Select B&W + 400 film. It says to use C-41 process but I would like to develop them in my own darkroom. What chemicals would be best to use?

-- Virginia L Shea (ginilee4@earthlink.net), January 14, 2002

Answers

It really does need C-41 process, which is a color process. Unless you want to get into something completely new, just have them developed at a local 1-hour lab. The prints from the lab might come back with a slight tint due to using color paper, but I considered this a cheap way to get proofs of black and white photos. Then I could reprint the shots I liked.

-- Jeff Polaski (polaski@acm.org), January 14, 2002.

Ummm, if I recall correctly, Select B&W+ is supposed to give no color cast when printed on color paper. I believe the negatives will be more like color negatives (orange masking) than regular B&W negatives. Can you print them in the darkroom? Ilford says yes on their MG paper. I have printed some color prints on B&W paper and you really have to pump up the contrast and you are very limited in the enlargements because they get really grainy. You can get C-41 chemicals for home but my opinion is to drop them off at a one hour lab.

-- Johnny Motown (johnny.motown+bwworld@att.net), January 14, 2002.

Then shoot "real" b&w film next time. Just as the label says, it's C41 process film. Otherwise, do as others suggest. If your want to *print* at home from chromogenic(C41 process)negs, then shoot Ilford XP2 Super. B&W+ and Portra BW are really meant for colour paper (T400CN can go either way). XP2 does extremely well with b&w papers (and produces superior results on Fuji Frontier machines).

-- Gary Watson (cg.watson@sympatico.ca), January 15, 2002.

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