photographic @ge - Processing E-6 Ektachrome & Fuji Films

How does it compare to the Tetenal E-6 Kit?

In our last issue we reviewed the Tetenal E-6 processing kit with very pleasing results. This month we review the Kodak E-6 processing kit.

When I opened the box I knew that this would be a bit more of a challenge than the Tetanal kit. The dead give away was the fact that the Tetenal kit contained five foil pouches that mixed up 500ML of each solution. Kodak doesn't offer a 500ML kit, instead this is a 5 liter kit. It is possible to mix the Kodak chemicals in as small as 350ML at a time. I chose to mix 500ML of solution since I didn't want to have over a gallon of the chemistry mixed up.

The only drawback to this was that many of the solutions required only 12.5 to 20ML of concentrate. Unfortunately for me, all of my measuring graduates were not quite that precise. The one small graduate that I did have was marked off in ounces and cc's which made it a little tricky to quickly measure out the concentrates.

3 Step +, +, +, +

The Tetenal process was 3 steps plus a stabilizer bath, which to me means that it is 4 steps. By the time you add in a few wash and rinse step it comes out to be a 7 step process. The Kodak, on the other hand, has 7 steps of various solution plus a few rinse steps. This brings the total amount of steps with the Kodak kit to 9 steps altogether. Oddly enough both kits take 35 minutes to process, so time is not a factor in deciding which one to use. I guess even the two additional steps wouldn't be that much more of a deterrent, but the trouble of mixing up three more solutions does have some drawbacks.

With two rolls of Kodak Elite Chrome loaded in the tank, I was ready to embark on the process. Just like the Tetanal kit, the temperature is also 100° for almost all the steps. Since I was mixing the chemistry just prior to developing, I employed the help of my daughter to mix the chemicals and agitate the tank while I did the more critical task.

The Kodak kit also came with very poor documentation, so poor in fact that it was printed on the flaps of the box top and no booklet or printed information sheet. I had to research in the color darkroom dataguide to find that the chemistry would last four weeks after being mixed. That was much better than the two weeks shelf life for the Tetenal's first developer.

What's The Bottom Line?

Assuming that you read the first part of our E-6 processing segment in our last issue, I can skip some of the minor developing details that are identical with the Kodak kit.

Just like with the Tetenal kit, the film had a slight cast covering the film that I assumed would go away as it dried. And just like before, it did in fact clear up to yield nice properly developed slides. But, I could tell even from briefly looking at them in the drying closet that there was some difference in color and saturation.

I placed a strip of images from the Tetenal process on the light table alongside a strip from the Kodak kit. With slight disappointment I must say that the Tetenal process yields much better contrast and saturation. The density of both processes were the same. But when compared to the Tetenal kit, the images just didn't have the punch.

Don't get me wrong, the film is very acceptable and produces good prints. It is only when you compare the two processes side by side that the measurable difference is noticeable. As you can see in the pop up window, the process did produce very accurate color, and the highlights were maintained and great shadow detail was also evident.

The main difference in the two processes is purely a personal taste issue and not a correct color or density difference. I prefer a little bit more saturation and contrast from my images than I am getting from the Kodak kit. But actually, for those that want a more neutral looking image and don't like them to pop right off the page with vibrance, then I suggest that you use the Kodak kit.

My disappointment came from the fact that I still have enough chemistry to process 20 to 30 more rolls of film. I like the results so much from the Tetenal that I want to make that my normal system of E-6 processing.

I am not sure if altering development times or some other change in procedure will give me the results I am looking for. I will probably shoot Elite Chrome Extra Color for the remainder of this kit to get back the beautiful saturation and contrast I was getting in my E-6 processing with the Tetenal kit. Also note that the 5 liter Tetenal kit can be broken down into smaller batches so that you don't have to mix the entire five liters.

In the end I have definitely chosen the Tetenal kit due to its less number of steps, less mixing headaches and enhanced color saturation. While both kits are well worth trying, the fact that you can get the Tetenal 500ML kit for only fifteen dollars makes it a lot easier on the budget for trying something new. If you are currently processing Black & White, I highly suggest you give E-6 a try.

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