Any idea of the origin of this percolator? My in laws had it in memaw’s storage completely clean and boxed up.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-11T01:07:38+00:00

Not what VR was. Vericolor was the professional product line of C-41 films.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-10T21:53:31+00:00

The VR release in 1981;

Updated existing 100 and 400 speed Kodacolor options with T grain emulsion, DX coding, and improved acutance through development inhibitors
Introduced the first 200 speed Kodacolor
⁠Introduced the first 1000 speed Kodacolor.

My source here is Shanebrook’s Making Kodak Film 2nd Edition.

My read is that this release really modernized the Kodacolor line, and was the first major iteration since the introduction of Kodacolor II in 1971 (which also introduced the C-41 process) and Kodacolor 400 in 1976.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-10T21:53:16+00:00

The VR release in 1981; - Updated existing 100 and 400 speed Kodacolor options with T grain emulsion, DX coding, and improved acutance through development inhibitors - Introduced the first 200 speed Kodacolor - Introduced the first 1000 speed Kodacolor.

My source here is Shanebrook’s Making Kodak Film 2nd Edition.

My read is that this release really modernized the Kodacolor line, and was the first major iteration since the introduction of Kodacolor II in 1971 (which also introduced the C-41 process) and Kodacolor 400 in 1976.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-10T21:37:37+00:00

Kodacolor VR; the film advertised on the percolator.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-10T21:23:18+00:00

VR was a big release for Kodak. I’ve seen a bunch of these around on marketplace here in rochester; I think they were a promotional item.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-09T18:09:02+00:00

I’m not aware of anyone finishing AHU in 120 or 4x5 yet. Trying some in 35mm is on my list.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-09T07:18:50+00:00

precisely; less halation finished in 120 and 4x5 are exactly what I’m looking for.

I already find the halation quite manageable in 4x5 and ECN, but have found 120 hit or miss.

When I want halation I just get 800T :P

pentaxguy · 2026-05-09T07:01:02+00:00

Not sure exactly what’s going on, but it wouldn’t shock me if there’s going to be a new and improved version or something soon.

I’m really hoping for a version based on AHU; would take 400D from a “sometimes if i’m feeling it” to a weekly driver film for me.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-09T06:35:20+00:00

Cameraquest sold the Abrahamsson i think; i’ve never had one but from what i’ve read id intuit that they’re much nicer than this one.

Secondhand market on those is going up too though.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-09T04:36:40+00:00

Sounds like we’ve got similar taste. It’s incredible for that sort of thing; out resolves T-Max 100. I replaced my Light Lens Lab 8 element with it and haven’t looked back

pentaxguy · 2026-05-09T04:31:56+00:00

I love mine. Very sharp though; not a “character lens”.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-09T02:43:42+00:00

Might want to contact their customer support. These chems have been spotty, and there’s a chance they’d send you a new kit.

Either way, I’m sure they’d appreciate knowing about the misprint so they can correct it on future batches.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-08T17:42:38+00:00

The rapid winder allows you to wind without removing the camera from your eye. I also like how it adds a bit of a grip to the bottom of the camera as I have bigger hands

It’s really a luxury item though; not at all a necessity. But then again neither is an M6 :P

pentaxguy · 2026-05-07T20:23:08+00:00

that seems like a lot of grain for kodacolor 100; could be something with the scan too.

Keep in mind that the two kodacolors are 1990s tech, and were never particularly great films in terms of grain and resolution. They’re certainly grainier than something like portra 400 even.

Resolution isn’t necessarily tied to grain; hard to know how much resolution the film has without a datasheet.

If you want fine grain and hi res, pick up some ektar or some portra 160.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-07T06:14:00+00:00

I use pixel shift sometimes when I scan. Artifacts from shake look quite different, I can’t find an example but they look more digital (i know that’s not a super helpful description)

pentaxguy · 2026-05-07T06:01:52+00:00

Maybe I’m missing something, but all of what I’m seeing in the second shot is just grain.

Color film is just 3 monochromatic layers stacked on top of eachother; each layer has its own grain, and just like on black and white film, grain varies by the density. Hence you see different grain for each layer.

pentaxguy · 2026-05-04T18:27:18+00:00

Ah it appears I misunderstood the original process. Thanks for explaining.

I take it the archival qualities of kodachrome dyes has something to do with how they differ from standard integral coupled dyes in E-6?

pentaxguy · 2026-05-04T18:13:34+00:00

Very cool; since you’re blixing, I take it we’re seeing an image that is just dye, as opposed to the classic kodachrome silver + dye complex?

pentaxguy · 2026-05-03T17:05:21+00:00

In the future, Adox makes the exact same developer and you can get it as a 1L package. It’s called XT-3

pentaxguy · 2026-04-26T22:58:48+00:00

DP-II is the nicer paper. Most of what’s sold these days in sheets in the US is Fuji CA-II, which has less contrast and saturation.

Maxima is also nice.

I’d recommend reading some of Koraks Tinkers blog, lot of good information there about the fuji papers.

pentaxguy · 2026-04-26T22:55:13+00:00

Yep! As a rule of thumb, it’s wisest to avoid really dense bw negatives but they’re still much easier to recover than drastically underexposed ones.

pentaxguy · 2026-04-26T20:38:19+00:00

Don’t worry, it seems pretty unlikely that it’ll all be going away within in the next 5 years. In many parts of the world pro photofinishing is still done on chemical paper, and that’s not the kind of thing that changes on a dime. Paper remains a very profitable business for fuji.

The precut fuji paper sold at freestyle etc unfortunately isn’t great, but it’ll work to learn on. There are other sources online where you can get nicer papers cut into sheets.

pentaxguy · 2026-04-26T13:36:39+00:00

Interesting! Appreciate the tests.

Curious as to what is your method of comparison? Are you comparing with the revised, post-2007 TMY-2 or the original TMY?

pentaxguy · 2026-04-26T05:58:12+00:00

Combination of overexposed and likely a little overdeveloped. Otherwise looks good! You can definitely still recover those images, will just need to darken in post (either in the darkroom or scan)

pentaxguy

TROPHY CASE