Jump to content

EKTACHROME 7242


Martin Yernazian

Recommended Posts

I just bought this on ebay, to shoot some tests on cross process, any comments?

 

I read that is meant for intermediate use to prepare color prints, well film is film and I want to restart my research on cross process to use this technique on my next project.

 

Anyhow any opinions or comments are well appreciated

 

 

BEst

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As you say, 7242 is intermediate stock, designed for duplication. However it requires the standard ECN2 process, same as for camera negative, so you won't be cross-processing.

 

It is extremely fine grained.

Consequently it is extremely slow - start testing at around an EI of 10.

It has a gamma (contrast) of 1 : that is double the contrast of original negative.

It is designed to be exposed from a negative image (ornage masked) lit by tungsten. So treat it as having a colour temperature balance of around 2,000K

Its emulsion layers are optimised to reproduce colour from film emulsion dyes, not from real life. So colour reproduction will be imperfect.

 

Apart from that it's pretty normal :P but it should give you some interesting results if you can manage your way through all of its differences.

 

Have fun. Your are on your own as far as results are concerned though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Dominic - I think you missed the word "Ektachrome" before 7242 in the header.

 

Martin if this is Ektachrome 7242 it is very old color reversal stock - dating back to the seventies at least.

 

(I don't know how long it was continued after 7240/VNF effective replaced it in - what 1978, 1979 ?)

 

-Sam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

unholy poop haaha the 70's welll I was expeting to cross process anyway, might us well do it with anykind of stock

 

sam do you have anyinfo on this stock

 

 

thanks

 

ps thanks dominic ( the info was well learned even do I don't think this is the same stock

post-6138-1179790192_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Dominic - I think you missed the word "Ektachrome" before 7242 in the header.
Ha! I thought Ektachrome at first, then read
I read that is meant for intermediate use
in Martin's enquiry, so got misled. 7242 Ektachrome is SO old that Kodak have recycled the number for an entirely different product.

 

I was expeting to cross process anyway, might us well do it with anykind of stock
Unfortunately, 7242 (the Ektachrome one) was designed to go through the ME4 process which was discontinued many years ago (in favour of the VNF process that Sam mentioned). The process started with a pre-hardener bath, without which the emulsion will soften and fall off in the developer. Later types of emulsion didn't need this. I know you want to cross-process, but the modern (well, since 1974) negative process ECN2 does not have a prehardener stage.

 

In other words, I doubt if any lab will touch your 7242.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really doubt the emulsion would stay on the film, going through a machine processor. I cross processed some Ektachrome 7241(which is very similar to your 7242, they both were released the same year, 1966, both ME-4 process, only the 7241 is balanced for daylight) in regular temperature (36 degrees C) C-41 chemicals in a spiral tank and the emulsion stayed on, barely, but was very reticulated. Example below - close up of film frame.

 

reticulatedcolorsm2.jpg

 

I also developed some in 20 degree C black and white chemicals, in a spiral tank and the emulsion did not reticulate but was still soft compared to other non- ME4 process films, so I don't think it would make it safely through a b/w machine processor, either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Dominic, I don't know the procedures for changing chemicals in a MP lab but is there any chance he could send it to a lab and ask them to try it right before they were going to replace their chemicals, so nobody loses if it screws things up?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Martin, i had the same experience as Will but a pre bath with paraformaldehide would help to avoid reticulation. In any case, you'll have to process in a tank not in a continuous processing machine.

 

C41 at room temp also works reasonably. If you want I can dig out some pre-hardening formula.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
You would think that someone from Kodak (besides John) would actually check these boards out from time to time to give us some official answers.

I am sure the official answer would be something like "are you out of your....?"

 

The official recomendation are always what WILL work well. anything off to the side they really don't feel comfortable commenting on. I am sure that the lab guys do try cross processing, and so on, but I would guess thay stopped playing with ME4 long before the current e-6 or ECN-2 processes came out. they may have tried ME4 film in VNF process and visa versa.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am sure that the lab guys do try cross processing, and so on, but I would guess thay stopped playing with ME4 long before the current e-6 or ECN-2 processes came out. they may have tried ME4 film in VNF process and visa versa.

 

ME-4 hung around longer than Kodak wanted it to because the US Government, the single biggest ME-4 user,

took forever to update it's processors to VNF.

 

VNF, E-6 & ECN-2 run at a higher temperture than ME-4. The EF emulsion will melt off the base.

 

This batch is so old there's a chance that it's too shrunken to even be used as dummy loads or scratch tests.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Man they totally trick me I should of contact it you guys first

 

I was thinking to use it as a dummy load or a test roll, but by LEo's info it might be to mess up!!!

how can I check if the load isn't shrunk?

 

 

Also

 

Richardson I will love to have those C-41 pre-hardening formula.

 

 

Thanks everyone, I will check how it comes and see if it works

 

 

BEst

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...This batch is so old there's a chance that it's too shrunken to even be used as dummy loads or scratch tests....

 

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the potential aging shrinkage of triacetate base film was only 0.2% which should go through most cameras just fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the potential aging shrinkage of triacetate base film was only 0.2% which should go through most cameras just fine.

I have some "ebay find" old acetate that was in a sealed can, and the good old Vinigar problem showed up. (one roll of Per-war unused Kodachome in a black can that says "return to Kodak in this can" {I guess before the antitrust case- it was made I belive for the USA market} that someone had labeled "leader" comes to mind.) VS is "enhanced" by being sealed up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dominic, I don't know the procedures for changing chemicals in a MP lab but is there any chance he could send it to a lab and ask them to try it right before they were going to replace their chemicals, so nobody loses if it screws things up?

Labs don't "change chemicals" as such. As film runs through a process, the solutions are constantly replenished so that they stay in an absolute equilibrium, so as to give consistent processing results from the first foot of film to the last. Ther is no point at which the solution is "exhausted" as it would become in a batch process in a tank of the sort you might process in at home.

 

So it is very rare that you'd find a time that the lab was in a position to run a test before dumping chemicals. And in any case, I could tell you without any testing that if you run 7242 through a VNF or a ECN2 process, the emulsion will soften and some will fall off -into the solution, onto the rollers, through the pipes. And then it wouldn't just be a case of wrecked film, you'd have a clogged up processor that would require considerable more cleaning out than would otherwise have been the case.

 

You would think that someone from Kodak (besides John) would actually check these boards out from time to time to give us some official answers.
There are people other than Kodak staff who know what they are talking about and who DO frequently look at this list :rolleyes: .

 

And if you really want reliable information you can always ring the lab you intend to use, or the supplier whose stock you intend to buy . .etc.

 

Really, this stuff isn't last year's stock - it is probably 30 years old. Even if you could process it, it is likely to be seriously age-fogged.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
There are people other than Kodak staff who know what they are talking about and who DO frequently look at this list :rolleyes: .

 

They may look, but they don't post very often. How about a Fuji person as well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The process started with a pre-hardener bath, without which the emulsion will soften and fall off in the developer. Later types of emulsion didn't need this. I know you want to cross-process, but the modern (well, since 1974) negative process ECN2 does not have a prehardener stage.

 

I have seen EF film go through a processor mistakenly labeled as VNF.If it skips the prehardener, that emulsion will come right off the film and gum up the machine so badly,the entire chemistry will have to be dumped.You'll have one pissed off processing tech on your hands,the lab will probably not want to do business with you again.At least that's what I saw at the lab I worked at years ago.

 

Rocky Mountain Films may process it,they specialize in defunct emulsions but they charge serious $$$$$$.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well if you ever run a cross something like this again,I think these are the only people who will properly process it.http://www.rockymountainfilm.com/ektamovie.htm

 

Needless to say,you're better off with fresh stock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
guys don't bother, the film came and when I was opening it fell and broke the case exposing the whole roll..... anyhow the it goes my dummy load 400 feet of it

there are times when you want a roll to play with, and it is a shame to deliberatly expose film to try something. The Karma was trying to save you from greif, keep the roll if you need to check out something. I don't think that stuff has REM-JEt so at the least you could use iit as threading leader on a print, or as fill ..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think that stuff has REM-JEt so at the least you could use iit as threading leader on a print, or as fill ..

 

I'm pretty sure it does have an anti halation backing,but I don't think it's too much of a problem getting it off along with the emulsion if you want to use it as leader.Be sure to save the box and labelled can,if nothing else as a keepsake from another era.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...