When we speak of slide films, we refer to the vibrant color slides shot using iconic reversal films. Among these are Kodak Ektachrome, Kodachrome and Fuji Velvia. However, black and white slide films are actually a thing as well, just less common.
Today, you may still be able to get your hands on some 35mm black and white slide films like Fomapan R 100 or Adox Scala 50. The challenge often lies in developing these films. Very few labs offer processing services for these special emulsions. Likewise, the chemical kits for these films aren’t widely available as well.
But, knowing film photographers, like Noah Henderson of Analog Resurgence, there’s always room for discovery and experimentation. Case in point is the video above. He shared a process that he found that allowed him to turn negative films into slides. He noted that while Ilford has shared a process of their own, he wanted instead to see what he could achieve without using a reversal developing kit or variety of chemical components.
So, the regular route to black and white reversal film isn’t available to you, maybe you can give this a try. A bit of warning though — if you’ve never done film developing at home though all the technical details may be overwhelming. Otherwise, this could be an interesting weekend project for you!
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Thanks this was very interesting. I am also in Canada and having trouble getting any of the European reversal kits (Foma, Adox, etc) plus they are rather expensive compared to starting with pure chemicals. I am using the permanganate sulfuric acid bleach, but I may give your system a try. I find that with 120 roll film the emulsion gets very soft after the second develop, and easily tears or just comes off the backing, compared to 35mm films. Lots of things to try to minimize this. I need reversal as I am making stereo slide pairs for viewing as… Read more »