Simplest Processing System

[Tim Meisburger]

I am (or will be) a complete beginner at processing 4x5, and live in Bangkok where it is difficult to get practical advice and equipment. I wonder what is the simplest inexpensive method to develop negatives. I've considered trays, combiplan and Peterson Orbital.

Also, I would like to be able to make contact prints, and understand that some chemicals can be used for both development and printing. Is that correct?

Thank you.

[Nick_3536]

Stop and fixer can be used for both. But you should have different bottles of at least fixer for each process. Stop is so cheap it's not a big deal to have two sets of that.

Jobo 2551 with a 2509N is the simplest. It's not the cheapest new but can be reasonable used. Trays are the cheapest.

[rwyoung]

There are some threads around here and over at APUG about using Rodinal (normally a film developer) for paper development. Also seen threads where people have used Cafinol (Folgerol, i.e. coffee developer) as both a film and paper developer.

I have tried Folgerol as a paper developer and while it did work, I didn't like the look and it stinks in an open tray! Rodinal as a paper developer I haven't tried. Might be fun some afternoon.

You can use plain 5% vinegar (white) as stop bath by diluting it 1 part vinegar to 3 or 4 parts water. Replace after 10 or 20 8x10s or after each film developing session. Or use an alkaline fixer like TF-4 or TF-3 and (distilled) water as your stop bath.

[Donald Miller]

Rodinal as a paper developer does not produce the dmax that conventional paper developers do.

I have used heavily diluted Dektol (1-30) for developing lith film that I used in a continuous tone masking application...not sure about pan film...never used it.

[xmishx]

I will go along with Nick to say the 2551 Jobo and accompanying reels with a motor base is amazing simple. I have had no problems loading the film onto the reels either. I've got a film changing tent where I load the film onto the reels and tank. After that, just basic measurements and timing is all that is required.

Note, I have never processed my own 4x5 film until a week ago. While the motorbase does all the work, you'll have time to prepare your next step or clean. I almost felt like I was cheating somehow!

Good luck,

Ted

[Tim Meisburger]

Thanks guys. I will look into picking up a used jobo system. Very interesting about using coffee as a developer. We have a few coffee trees at our house in Indonesia and a few years ago I cut a few down and sawed them into smallish planks. This past summer I was there and used them to build (you guessed it) a coffee table. I have it here in Bangkok, and enjoy sitting there drinking a cup of the coffee from our farm. Maybe I'l take a picture of it and try to use coffee to develop it!

[Michael Heald]

Hello! A Unicolor roller system and 8x10 tube is simple and effective, and much cheaper than a Jobo. It will also do prints. Best regards.

Michael A. Heald

[Merg Ross]

The simplest, most inexpensive method to develop negatives is tray development. This has been my method for over fifty years. I have never had a problem with uneven development or any of the problems mentioned on this forum utilizing other methods. For 4x5 I would suggest no more that twelve negatives at a time, using a presoak with a pinch of alkali. Four trays are all that you will need.

[John Kasaian]

Ansco 130 works as both a film and paper developer---that would give you only one developer instead of two. I've yet to try souping film in Ansco 130 but if you do a search john nanian explains the proper dilutions etc... I've also found that plain water is an adequate short stop for film (but not paper.) Since stop is so cheap there's hardly any reason not to use it, but if you want to super simplify you can use water instead (for film)

[Merg Ross]

For further simplification, Dektol can be used as film developer for contact printing pan film (I used it for my 8x10 film for a few years), of course also as a print developer. As John suggests, water is all that you need for a film stop bath (I have never used anything else). Keep the process as simple as you can.

When I was an Army photographer in Thailand during the 1960's, temperature was a major concern. Processing at 80 degrees may alter your procedure, but there are solutions should that be a problem.