caffenol c developer

Kodak BW400CN Processed in Caffenol C

by EveNSteve

The testing continues… BW400CN (C-41) by Kodak processed in my tweaked Caffenol C… the testing for this film is almost done… usable EI is around EI 50 – 400 / 800 all with the same processing time! Grain has a nice defined presence but not overpowering. A big advantage to this material beyond the flexability of the EI as mentioned above is the fact that is has fantastic reciprocity characteristics (no compensation required till 120 seconds) and it is very easy to scan on almost any scanner.

Below is a sample image shot with my Leica MP with a 28mm lens – the EI for this shot is 200. The dark barn board above the doors was placed at Zone 3… the light snow outside which has full detail is Zone 16!! This is a straight scan with minor adjustments in PS for contrast / levels… more soon.

Here is an example just for comparision of the same test shot on Kodak Tmax 400 processed in PMK using the technique outline here… instant coffee is looking pretty dam good!

Note: both shots were done using only natural light.

I Love Coffee: Caffenol C Developer Test 2

by EveNSteve

The sample images below are my second set of test shots processed using Caffenol C… the first image is Ilford FP4+ and the second is Fuji Acros… the Acros in my opinion is quite amazing! The Acros has the lowest fog level of any film I have tested so far (8 films and counting in Caffenol) and has a good usable range and very nice fine grain. The FP4+ was processed using the time posted on Digital Truth with very good success.

Ilford FP4+ Processed in Caffenol C
Fuji Acros Processed in Caffenol C

I’m not sure if it reads on the screen but in the Acros image there is very good detail in the left side dark region… both images were shot with my Leica MP with a 28mm lens at box speed. The Acros processing time and technique will be discussed later…

Viva la Revolution

I Love Coffee: Caffenol C Developer, Test 1

by EveNSteve

If coffee is good for me (and it is)…. it must be good for my film, right? I had heard about developing film in coffee back when I went to RIT but have never got around to trying it- until now.

My first test rolls were Kodak 400TX in both 35mm and in 120. The 35mm (above image) was shot in my Leica MP with a 28mm lens and the 120 was shot with the Cuboid using a F72 pinhole.

The method I used for mixing the developer can be found here on Digital Truth. My agitation was 1st minute constant and then 3 inversions per minute till end of time which for 400TX I chose 30 minutes at 70 F. After looking at my test negatives I think they are over-developed by quite a bit but my Imacon had no issue making a good scan. The increased development was a result I believe of the ascorbic acid added in the Caffenol C recipe. If I were to do 400TX again with this recipe I would go for around 20 minutes but I would need to run a test to confirm that time.

If you google Caffenol C or just Caffenol you will find a wide range of opinions regarding this processing technique. The grain is large and sharp and the film is VERY low contrast but that can be a good thing for scanning.

So why would you want to do this?

  1. It’s cheap.
  2. It is enviromentally sound.
  3. It has a unique visual quality from other developers I’ve used… a “vintage” quality.
  4. It produces negatives that are “easy” to scan.
  5. It can be done on almost all films with varying degrees of success.
  6. It’s fun!

If you want to see a larger version of the picture above click here. Please note it is a large file.

Next test…. Ilford Fp4+ in Caffenol C using the time suggestion also found on Digital Truth. The 400TX I used for this test is a bit too fast for my current needs and from what I can gather from other users of Caffenol C Fp4+ is a good choice… stay tuned.

One last note… it smells like hell!

Viva la Revolution!

Link to article on RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) web site:

A Use for that Last Cup of Coffee: Film and Paper Development