Beginner - daylight developing tank for 4x5

[briandaly]

What daylight developing tank would you recommend for developing 4x5 sheets?
I have no access to a darkroom, so all filling and draining will have to be performed in daylight (for 135 processing, I currently use a Patterson tank and am comfortable with the procedure).

I've read too many bad reports on the HP Combi, so I'd like to look elsewhere.
BTZS tubes seem to require darkness when adding the developer and stop bath, so that would rule them out also.
Jobo 4341/4342 and Jobo Expert 3006/3010 seem to be the best options for me, but I'm not sure what the differences are, except that the Expert series is a lot more expensive.

Can anyone shed some light on the Jobo's and make any recommendations?
Thanks,
Brian

[Joanna Carter]

I've read too many bad reports on the HP Combi,

Well, here's a good report on the HP CombiPlan tank. I use one regularly and find no real problems with it, having developed, successfully, many a sheet of film. The only slight niggle is the time that it takes to fill and the volume of chemistry required but, as I tend to try and dev more than one batch in 24 hours, that saves on developer which can be used for at least 2 batches.

[Cristiano Abreu]

Jobo 4341/4342 and Jobo Expert 3006/3010 seem to be the best options for me, but I'm not sure what the differences are, except that the Expert series is a lot more expensive.

If you have the chance to get a used expert drum at a good price, like on eBay e.g., I'd definitely recommend them. The results they produce are excellent and very even.
As a cheaper alternative, you could use a 2800 series paper tank or a 2500 series tank together with 2509n rails for 4x5''. Although, loading the rail is more complicated than loading sheets on the expert drum, which is extremely easy and hassle free.

[Erich Hoeber]

People will complain about some of the quirks of the Combi-Plan, but it's a great option once you get the hang of it. You can also do twelve sheets (back to back) at once and then tray-fix them in the light. The expert drums are fantastic, but expensive. I've never used the 2500, but it's supposed to be a pain to load. I've also used the stainless steel Nikkor tank, which is a fine option, but only available used and they go for a lot on epay. Avoid the Yankee and other square daylight tanks as you'll often get uneven development.

[Ron Marshall]

The Combi-Plan is usable, it is just a bit more work than the Expert drums.

If you can find an Expert drum used around $150-$175 then I recommend that over the Combi. I have both, and still use the Combi, but only for semi-stand; the Expert is much more convenient and requires less chemistry.

[Tori Nelson]

Combi-Plan is incredibly effective and easy to use! I've been using mine for about 10 years and it has never failed me. There is a reason that you almost never see them come up on EBay!

[briandaly]

Thanks for the responses.
With the Combi Plan, How do you get over the problem of uneven development when draining takes up to 30 secs? The bottom of the negatives would surely be in contact with the solutions longer both when filling and when draining?

Also, can the Jobo be agitated by hand, or does it require further accessories?

[Graham Patterson]

I use a Jobo CPE-2+ with a couple of 2509n reels and tanks. Before I found the Jobo I used home-made daylight single sheet inversion tanks made from black ABS pipe. details are at http://www.btinternet.com/~g.a.patte...lfdevelop.html . I still use them for the odd sheet as the Jobo isn't worth setting up in my small space for a single cycle.

[Rob Champagne]

I have both a combi and also a Jobo 2521 with a 2509N reel which takes six sheets of 4x5.

Have a look at the following page. What's important to remember is that tanks ending with 1 have a top without a cog and have a lid instead. Tanks ending with 3 have a cog top and are for use on jobo processors only. Tanks ending with 1 can be used on jobo processors with magnet drive only. Tanks ending with 3 (cog lids) can be used on jobo processors with gear drives and magnet drives. Cog lids can be bought for changing to gear drive processors.

The 2521 requires 1500ml of chemistry when it is used for hand processing with inversion. It requires only 270ml when used on a rotary base or jobo processor. So it can be used for hand processing and jobo processor if later you decide to buy one.
It is totally leak free and in my opinion much better than a combi plan tank.
Note that the 2551 which can take two 2509N reels is really too big for inversion and is not recommended unless using a rotary processor.
The 2521 can also be used for 35mm and 120 film dev with 2502 reels. The combi can't.

http://www.jobousadarkroom.com/products/2500.htm

The combi plan works OK but is prone to problems. People frequently report problems and always the come back is that it isn't being used properly. The problem is that is agricultural and if not used properly it will leak when you invert it, or when you fill, it will sometimes let the developer run down the negatives giving a development line on the neg, or occasionally if you invert to violently a sheet or two will slip out of the guides and ruin the next negative. Most times it works OK but not always. The clip which holds the negs will wear out and that can lead to negs slipping up the guides and out of the developer. You can turn the combi upside down to empty it so top and bottom of dev get same development time.
I've heard all the usual its the way you use it excuses. Fact is it's badly designed because its finicky to use and if it were so perfect people wouldn't report problems. Spare parts are ridiculously expensive in the UK.

IMO the jobo is much better even though it uses 50% more chemistry.

The 3010 expert tank is designed for use on jobo rotary processors. It only has a cog lid which you can't invert, although some people have reported using a rubber stopper so you can. However, it uses even more chemistry than a 2521 when used for inversion. So unless you intend to use a rotary base or jobo processor, then its not the way to go. But if you intend to start with a rotary base or processor, then its also an expensive option.

[Dave Brown]

I've used the Nikkor tank, the Yankee, the FR, the Jobo 2500 series, and Unicolor-type drums. I haven't had serious problems with any of them; in particular, I've never had any problems with uneven development.

The Jobo is my choice for color film, mainly because of the precise temperature control the Jobo processor provides. You could certainly use the Jobo tank without the processor for B&W, and agitate via rolling the drum on the counter or using a Uniroller.

For B&W I currently use a Chromega drum (it's vastly superior to the Unidrum, as it empties more quickly and more completely) and a Uniroller. Although it only processes four sheets of 4x5 at a time, it makes up for it by using tiny amounts of chemicals.