Hi
I use the Combiplan for 4x5 and in futere the Nova quad for 8x10!
Hi
I use the Combiplan for 4x5 and in futere the Nova quad for 8x10!
On the View Camera magazine web site there is a good how-to article on tray processing. It is cheap and has many advantages.
www.viewcamera.com
go to the section on Free Articles
steve simmons
Thanks for all the suggestions fellers.
I looked at the products mentioned 'n' some of ya got way more money than I do! I'm not far from retirement and photography is a hobby, so I gotta be careful with the $$
Since I compulsively "make stuff" (from steam engines to cannons) and I'm making my own 4x5 view camera (no, I am not crazy enough to make my own lenses!), I see two viable options to do B&W and E-6, since I anticipate doing only 1 to 6 sheets at a session:
1: I found an article on making your own tubes (from PVC). Home-made tubes in a home- made roller would be about the same as the Unicolor system
2: A Combi Plan tank in a home-made rocker box would also work.
Either would work in a tempering bath for running E-6
Don't know which would be better, though tubes would allow processing with less chemical....
Compared to roll film processing, sheet film processing is an entirely different game. Outside the big labs, almost all roll film is processed on reels, in small daylight processing tanks. The film it processed on edge, the entire reel is immersed, and agitation is by inversion.
Since sheet film is, by definition, not on rolls, sheet film is processed differently. Outside the big labs, sheet film is processed either flat in trays, in various configurations of daylight tanks, or in rotary processors.
The big problem (if there is one) with processing sheet film is to obtain even development across the sheet, and to obtain consistant results, sheet to sheet. These are the reasons that many people, myself included, advocate rotary processing. I personally use a Jobo with an Expert 3010 tank for 4x5. It lets me process 10 sheets at a time, and the developer is used as a one-shot which really improves consistency. Each sheet is perfectly evenly developed, and sheet to sheet consistency is outstanding.
I tried trays. I tried BTZS tubes (a big improvement over trays). The Jobo, and particularly the 3010 tank, is head and shoulders above the others. Of course, YMMV.
If you are really going to do E-6, I think a Jobo is a must. My memory of E-6 is that it demands absolute consistency in agitation, and absolute control of temperature. My expectation is that you will not be happy with the quality of your processing trying to do E-6 in a knockoff Unicolor drum, or in a Combi Plan tank. Also, I don't think you'll find it much if any cheaper than your local pro lab.
People typically process their own B&W to obtain control and to save money. You gain neither in processing your own color, IMHO. Again, YMMV.
Bruce Watson
"1: I found an article on making your own tubes (from PVC)."
If you plan on daylight processing of film, then PVC (unless it is of the gray electrical conduit type) is not the material to use. The reason is that conventional PVC will transmit light. The proper material is ABS (Black) plastic. Additionally, PVC is dense enough to sink in water whereas ABS will float.
I have tray processes sheet film with both shuffling and brush development. I have also tank processed many years ago. I used Unicolor drums and motor base many years ago for E6 process.
Today I process all of my 4X5 and 8X10 sheet film in BTZS type tubes that I built myself. I minimally agitate using Pyrocat HD and Efke film. There is, in my experience, nothing that I have ever found that will produce the results that this system provides.
Email me if you want the details on tube construction.
As Donald said, you will be very impressed with minimal agitation of sheet film using homemade tubes. Check out the articles in the AZO forum about it. It is well documented. In addition, comparison AZO contact prints between normal/gentle agitation versus minimal agitation have been posted in APUG and clearly there is significant advantages in this procedure.
CJ - Keep in mind that rotary processing, like in a JOBO, give continuous agitation. While this works OK for most situations, giving even development, it's not the best for all situations. Just keep this in mind if you want to do more "exotic" development regimes or films.
RJ
Thought ya'll might be interested in this http://medfmt.8k.com/brontube.html
If you are willing to buy used a Jobo tank,reel and something to spin it on shouldn't be too expensive. New the 4x5 reel is I think about $30 but you don't get the loader base. Plenty of near new used tanks selling for less then 1/2 the price of new. You can then use the same tanks [but different reels] for 35mm and 120.
"Since I compulsively "make stuff" (from steam engines to cannons) "
well, now you tell us...
Get some large waste water plastic pipe (the black stuff, about 4 inch), and the endcaps that go with it. A reducer to 2 or 3 inches is nice for one end... Get some 1 1/4 pipe and cut it to 5 1/2 inches long. Three of these will fit in the bigger tank. I set up a tray with a presoak. In the dark, I unload my film holders and put them carefully in the presoak. I then load the film into the 1 1/4 pipe and load them into the 4 inch pipe. Put the developer in, cap the tank, start your timer, and turn the lights on. I use the same agitation schedule I use for roll film in my Nikor tanks. Turn the lights off, do your stop step, then put fixer in. The lights go back on. After fix, I have sheet film holders and a deep tank. Place the film in the holders and wash your normal wash cycle.
You can figure out how to build a light trap for this thing if you aren't as lazy as me.
Wonderfully consistant developed negatives. I use W2D2+ BTW on Agfa APX100 film although this also works well with Rodinal and Classic200.
tim in san jose
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