"Thor Lancelot Simon" wrote in message
...
After a long phone odessey with Kodak (and some help from Chaim in B&H's
darkroom department and one of B&H's buyers) I've discovered that Kodak
does still sell the ready-to-use Flexicolor C41 developer (no separate
starter and replenisher required). It's no longer packaged as gallon
kits, though the bleach and fix are still sold as gallons.

It is now labelled as Flexicolor SM Tank Developer and sold in a 2-liter
size. The Kodak part number is 1756337. I've confirmed with Kodak
photofinishing support that this is a standard C41 developer, with the
usual 3:15 @ 100F time if mixed per the package directions, and requires
no starter.

It's about twice the price of the old gallon kit ($10 for 2L instead of 1
gallon) but still a pretty good deal compared to commercial processing,
particularly for large format film.

Yeah, this is a PITA! I was using the package that makes 3.5 gallons. This
was perfect for me. With the new packaging, I will be mixing chems about
every third portrait session!

My vendor (PDI in Rochester, NY) also sells Trebla brand chemistry. I've
used the RA4 Trebla with excellant results (no more tar in the racks*). PDI
recommended that I go to the Trebla C41; it requires starter, but they do
have a small quantity package, at a better price than Kodak.

(* When I switched to the Trebla RA4 developer, it actually 'cleaned' the
tar out of the system. This was a good news/bad news thing. It loosened any
tar in the plumbing, replenishment pumps, tank, etc, and I had to clean the
racks every couple days! You really get strange looks at WalMart when you
buy a dozen bottles of Lysol Toilet Bowl cleaner, the manufacturer's
recommended cleaner.)