Uneven Processing?

[photoevangelist]

Testing some 5x7 processing. Could use some advice.

FP4 / D-76 1:1, 20 degrees C / Jobo 2853 Rotary Processing with CPP-2 Processor / 11 min. on F setting

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[photoevangelist]

HP5+ / D-76 1:1, 20 degrees C / Jobo 2853 Rotary Processing with CPP-2 Processor / 11 min. on F setting

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[photoevangelist]

HP5+ / Pyro PMK 1:2:100, 20 degrees C / Tray Processing Constant agitation (using this method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWwN_T-FQyw) / 12 min.

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[photoevangelist]

I've got some negatives that I really want to treat well. I haven't ever used the 2853 to process film. I bought it to process 7x17 negatives. 5x7 was a trial run. I'm open to tray development, but judging by my Pyro negative, I've got some problems with that too. Last time I did tray development was 10-15 years ago. Any advice, before I ruin more negatives?

We have trays with bumps. Tried looking for some tupperware plastic containers this morning and the local mart had nothing in the 8x10 size without a central bump.

[photoevangelist]

This may or may not have relevance.

On the images processed in D-76, I used around 500 ml of chemistry using only the bottom half of the 2853 drum. Both the HP5 and FP4 were processed together since the recommended starting times were the same at 11 min.

For the image of the smoke, I used the 12" Dagor. I have filter thread converters from 39mm to over 77mm, but the Dagor thread isn't one of the standard sizes of my converters, so I held the yellow filter up to the lens. Was that my mistake in this image?

[Daniel Stone]

When I tray develop 8x10 film, I do it in batches of 6-8 negatives at a time. Not 1 at a time. I develop them face UP in the tray, and do a cycle of 1 negative every 8-10s. I shuffle the bottom sheet to the top, give the tray a little lift on one corner(I change the corner for every negative, so the next negative gets agitation from a different corner as the prior one. Not enough to make a 'wave' in the tray, just enough to move the chemistry around a little bit.
9.8/10 times, my negatives look great edge to edge with no difference in tone. Sometimes a little bit more edge density, but its usually not there in the final prints.
Oh, I'm using TXP with either D76 1+1 or Pyrocat HD 2:2:100

When I first started tray developing, my agitation was too constant/strong. I was too ambitious, and got nervous that it wasn't getting "enough" agitation. I soon found out that LESS agitation and longer time in the tray helped smooth things out a good bit :)

-Dan

[photoevangelist]

I read one of Sandy King's comments a few years ago that people had problems with D76 1:1 in the Jobo 2850 drums. Once dilution was increased to 1:2 or 1:3 development was more consistent. Does anyone have other suggestions for developer combinations with the print drums?

I saw some really nice tonal images of Rodinal 1:100 stand development with FP4 and HP5 large format. Both of these films are new to me. I'm experimenting with them and 5x7 as practice for the large Ilford films I can get with the ULF order from Ilford. I'd rather have my film/developer/process technique nailed before making mistakes on the larger negatives.

I'm not a big fan of D76, but I figured it would allow me to do N- & N+ developments when needed. I usually use Rodinal or Diafine for medium and small formats (and even 4x5 on a 4x5 jobo reel drum). I love the results I get with both. D76 would be new again for me. I'd also consider D23 or DD23 (2 bath), Xtol or HC-110. I love the tones Ken Lee gets with his scans, but I also like the grit and contrast that can be had with FP4. The midtones with D76 aren't usually very exciting for me.

[photoevangelist]

I want to re-read Ansel's The Negative. I thought we had it in our library in an English version. When I went to check it out, it was only in Korean. So I ordered the Negative and the Print a week ago.

Thanks Daniel for your comment. I'll probably start back up with 2 negs and work my way up if I do tray development. I want to process film today. Perhaps I'll try Rodinal stand development and D-76 1:3 in the rotary drum and maybe D-76 1:1 as tray development I have to find what look I want with these negatives. Our darkroom at school isn't really set up for tray development. It can be done, but its a communal darkroom and during the semester many students will be in there. Our hot water heater is broken too. I'm getting 10 degree Celsius water from tap and have to get hot water from our water purifier or boil it. This is another reason why I prefer the Jobo CPP-2. Even though the heater is broken, I can get the water in the Basin to 20 degrees and hold it a lot easier than 4 or 5 trays.

[photoevangelist]

I created a new thread that should be more useful for others to contribute to:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?100053-Jobo-2800-Series-amp-Film-Development&p=989903#post989903

[Peter Lewin]

HP5+ / Pyro PMK 1:2:100, 20 degrees C / Tray Processing Constant agitation (using this method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWwN_T-FQyw) / 12 min.

After watching the video you referenced, I went back to Gordon Hutching's "Book of Pyro." I use PMK for all my 4x5 and 120 film, but for the 4x5 I shuffle process six sheets at a time, rather than the single sheets as shown in the video. But in his book, Hutching's recommends agitation for single sheets by lifting and dropping the corners of the tray at 15 second intervals. he suggests two lift/drops each time, and I seem to remember an anecdote where he was trying to instruct someone in this approach over the phone, and he said that if he couldn't hear the "thump" over the phone, the agitation wasn't sufficient. He also suggests a tray one size larger than the film. While he has one sentence about continuous agitation, as you seem to have done, it isn't his recommended approach. You might try his method for one of your test sheets to see if it gives you more even results than the sample you scanned. While shuffle processing multlple sheets works well for me with 4x5, for ULF film I think single sheet development would be the way to go for tray processing PMK.

[photoevangelist]

After watching the video you referenced, I went back to Gordon Hutching's "Book of Pyro." I use PMK for all my 4x5 and 120 film, but for the 4x5 I shuffle process six sheets at a time, rather than the single sheets as shown in the video. But in his book, Hutching's recommends agitation for single sheets by lifting and dropping the corners of the tray at 15 second intervals. he suggests two lift/drops each time, and I seem to remember an anecdote where he was trying to instruct someone in this approach over the phone, and he said that if he couldn't hear the "thump" over the phone, the agitation wasn't sufficient. He also suggests a tray one size larger than the film. While he has one sentence about continuous agitation, as you seem to have done, it isn't his recommended approach. You might try his method for one of your test sheets to see if it gives you more even results than the sample you scanned. While shuffle processing multlple sheets works well for me with 4x5, for ULF film I think single sheet development would be the way to go for tray processing PMK.

That book is on my 'To Read' list. I'll Hutching's method the next time I do PMK. Thanks for your advice!