ORWO Negative C-5168 developer

Description

The developer of the East German C-5168 negative process — the proper chemistry for Svema DS and LN film and other emulsions of that family.

Why a separate process

Eastern bloc colour films were built on a different dye-forming system from Kodak’s and come out of C-41 with a shifted balance and weak dyes. C-5168 is the process they were designed for, and the difference shows immediately on a scan.

A two-part developer

The concentrate is a liquid part A and a powder sachet B: dissolve the sachet first, then add the concentrate. The powder is a reagent, not packaging, and the developer does not work without it.

Questions and answers

Can Svema be developed in C-41?

It can, and you will get an image. But the colours drift and the dye density comes out lower than intended.