E2 processing (older Kodak Ektachrome film)

http://www.rockymountainfilm.com/e4.htm

And http://www.filmrescue.com/. But I do not know if these guys do E2.

The dyes in E-2 films were spectacularly unstable. The half-formed dyes in the film might be dead meat, and you would lose the image when you bleach out the silver.

You might really get more information if you just develop as B&W, since the silver is a lot more stable. I think you could still go back and cross-process in a C-22 type color negative process after doing the B&W developing, and get a color negative. That's because B&W processing won't remove the color couplers and dyes. (Kodak has a data sheet on how you can re-process C-41 developed in B&W chemistry, and still get a color negative.)

I suppose you could do snip tests each way, and see which results in a more rewarding photograph.

Getting some old unexposed E-2 film on eBay might be a wise thing to do, experiment with that before using the rolls with important latent images.

I suspect E2 first developer is the same as E3 and E4 first developer. All of them are reversed after first development, then redeveloped in the color developer.

With E2 and E3 the reversal is accomplished by exposure to light in the middle of the cycle (like solarization)...a non-critical step... the overhead light in the darkroom was satisfactory, though the then rare automated processors had a sealed reexposure section for the purpose (like some motion picture film processing systems).

E4 introduced a nasty chemical alternative to that light reexposure...

... E4 COULD be processed using E-3 light technique and color developer instead of E4's particularly nasty reversal chem if one insisted. For context, E3 was said to have more saturated color than E4, though less accurate, and the chemical reversal agent was said to be at fault...but in fact, hardly any labs did acceptable work with E4 so there wasn't much of a baseline for comparison...this partially explains Kodachrome's survival.

I *suspect* E2 might be processed in E3 chem, or in E4 with modified color developer (without the reversal agent).

Both E3 and E4 were easily processed in common Nikor tank/reel/bathtub setups and I'm sure the chems can be obtained.

Somebody older even than me (or more willing to research) will know if E2 chems were different than E3. I suspect they're not, but I've processed a lot of E3 and E4, never E2.

As I recall you could develope E2 in E3 chemistry with some changes.

I did a LOT of E4 in E3 chemicals in the late 70's. Look for a darkroom guide from the mid 70's and it should have the answers for you.

Also Unicolor used to have an Ektachrome kit that could do E2, E3, and E4.

I misread the question first and thought you were looking for places that would do E2. Sorry.

Thank you all for your rapid and valuable information. I'm amazed of the knowledge you guys (John S/John K) posses. It seems to be alot about really understanding the chemistry of these processes and I'm simply not there yet. I have learned alot reading your replies and have come to the conclusion that for the few rolls to process this time I will hand them in to a lab on the recommendation by Berk Sirman. THANK YOU, Patrik.

Can any reader provide either the number or actual title of the Kodak technical note on reprocessing color film developed as black-and-white? I'd like to add this PDF to my library.

I found the URL for the Kodak document. It seems to no longer work on their Web site, but you can access an archived version of it through http://archive.org, one of the best ways to retrieve pages at URLs that no longer work.

HTML version: (link)

PDF version: (link)