Need help with the challenge of processing large format!

[rsank]

I need some guidance from you experienced LF shooters. I live in a small apartment and have no chance of setting up a darkroom until I go and buy a house. I have had no problem with smaller formats and the kitchen sink has worked well with BW and even C-41. The problem with LF that really puts a damper on my enthusiasm is the difficulty to develop film. I even bought a Yankee daylight tank but it requires 55 oz (1.6 l) of chemistry every time I use it which really does not make it suitable for developing one or two sheets at a time, plus the difficulty of controlling temperature for C-41 process. So now, I am more inclined to use a roll film back than 4x5. I guess what I am after is an efficient daylight system that does not require me to turn off lights to load chemistry (btzs tubes) and does not require me to use enormous amounts of chemicals (paterson mod 54 , yankee tank etc.) for low volume development. I don't mind doing some work and actually DIY'ing something if I can get some instruction.

I use a Horseman 45FA, Schneider Symmar 210, Schneider Super Angulon 90, Schneider Symmar Xenar150, Horseman 6x7 rollfilm back. As you can see, I have a reasonably good kit and all I need to do is go out and shoot, but it's not happening.

[rsank]

Correction: schneider xenar 150, not Symmar Xenar... :-)

[Oren Grad]

If you have the cash, Jobo Expert drum 3006 or 3010 with a roller base. If budget is tight, one of the less expensive print drums with a roller base.

[Darin Boville]

I would also seriously consider waiting to develop until you have a dozen or more sheets to do. Developing one or two sheets at time in LF is sort of wasteful and inefficient by nature...

--Darin

[Brian C. Miller]

I need some guidance from you experienced LF shooters. I live in a small apartment and have no chance of setting up a darkroom until I go and buy a house.

First, welcome to the forum!

Second, you are in exactly the same position that I am in. I also live in a small apartment, short ceilings (a few inches under seven feet), and of course no darkroom. What I did is I blacked out the window in my bathroom, and I put my enlarger on a home-made cart. I have a piece of plywood I put over my tub, and I use it as a bench for loading film or putting my Jobo on it, etc. My sink is to the right, and its counter is large enough to hold three 8x10 trays.

115052

For daylight loading of LF film into a tank, your best bet is to make your own dark box out of thin plywood. Get one of those cheap dark bags, and then chop off the sleeves, and use those sleeves on the box. You can then have enough room for BTZS tubes, or a Jobo 2521/2523 tank. The Jobo tank is Jobo's smallest sheet film tank, and it works great. Another thing to try would be the HP Combiplan tank, but it's out of production, so you'll have to wait for something to show up on eBay. The Yankee tank has never worked right for me, so I don't use it.

The window in my bathroom is blacked out with a sheet of plywood, clipped into the window tracks. Before that I used a sheet of blackout plastic. You can make an entire blackout door out of that plastic, and it works adequately if you aren't using infrared film.

The New55 project has started, so there may be a replacement for Polaroid Type 55 next year. Another thing you can do is use Fujifilm FP100C, and recover the negative from it (http://new55project.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post_6525.html). Only the smaller size is available now, so you'll need a Polaroid 405 or Fujifilm PA-145 holder.

One other thought: both BTSZ and Jobo use a minimal amount of chemistry, and it's expected that you'll toss it, because the chems will be exhausted. But chemistry has a capacity, so just total up the number of sheets you've used, and watch that limit. Xtol was designed for running lots of film through it, and it has a chart of increasing times for the amount of film used with it.

[djdister]

You might want to review this thread on Low volume (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?113125-FS-Low-volume-8x10-sheet-film-processing-tanks&highlight=low+volume)processing tanks

[vinny]

Those are pretty nice tanks! :)

[sanking]

"I would also seriously consider waiting to develop until you have a dozen or more sheets to do. Developing one or two sheets at time in LF is sort of wasteful and inefficient by nature..."

Not necessarily. Processing in BTZS type tubes, or in a Jobo Expert Drum (or print drum) with a roller base, is about as efficient as it gets for processing B&W. Plus, these methods take up very little space and give outstanding results.

Learning to use a view camera, and developing film, are two different skills, but you need feedback from both to become a better photographer.


Sandy

[Martin Dake]

You can also find a Unicolor tank and motor base that can be used for 4x5 film for not a lot of money.
You can do 4 sheets a a time but I am more comfortable doing in when I use mine.

[rsank]

Thanks for the many replies. In the days when my daughter was a toddler and we didn't have so much pressure on our one and only bathroom, I developed a few sheets in trays placed inside the bath tub. It worked but that is not an option today. I want something that is as easy as developing roll film in daylight tanks. and I guess Jobo tank and roller seems to be something I should invest in. The added benefit is good temperature control and ability to get consistent results with color processing.

[adelorenzo]

When I just have a single sheet I use a Cibachrome drum, 75-100 ml of chemicals. They sell cheap on eBay. I use an old motor base but you could easily figure something out that would work I am sure.

[StoneNYC]

There's also the MOD54 which fits in a 1L Paterson tank.

That or the JOBO 2509n reel and accompanying JOBO tank.

I think if you plan to do JOBO in a machine later when you have the money, then start with a JOBO tank now, if not, the MOD54 is a lot cheaper, especially if you already have a Paterson tank.

You'll find a lot of pluses and minus to either, but the MOD54 works just fine, and all the fears and complaints you may find about it, are often claims by those who have never used one and are only opinionated people who like to talk more than shoot ;)

But either of these two options are very good for 4x5.

The old Yankee is awful, but the MOD54 only takes 1L which isn't really THAT much more than the JOBO.

I also want to mention I prefer loading the MOD54 to the JOBO 2509n, but switched to the JOBO system because of the processor and not because of the JOBO reel.

If you have the money, the JOBO 3010 is way better, but a lot more $ and also you can't process different formats, but if you have the 2509n and you have a 5reel JOBO 2500 series tank you can also process another roll of 120 or two rolls of 35mm while also developing your sheet film.

So there are options... Good luck choosing!

[rsank]

Checked eBay, cibachrome drums and rollers are cheap. I wonder how to immerse a cibachrome drum in a water bath for better temperature control?
And I do have several Paterson tanks, small and large, so Mod54 might be something more easy to try first before going the jobo route.
Thanks for all the information.

[rsank]

Jumped on the auction site and bought a MOD54. Hopefully my next post on here will be some negative scans.

[StoneNYC]

Jumped on the auction site and bought a MOD54. Hopefully my next post on here will be some negative scans.

Hope it was new and not used, if it was used I hope you didn't get version one, the second version (which they sell at B&H etc. Are the new version, if you bought used it could be the old version, they made some improvements to the arms which had some scratching issues, however if you're gentile with your agitation you should be fine.

Sorry I didn't mention that before.

[rsank]

Stone it's brand new. The new production version.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-MOD54-six-sheet-4X5-processing-reel-adapter-for-paterson-3-reel-tank-/281292187528?

[StoneNYC]

Stone it's brand new. The new production version.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-MOD54-six-sheet-4X5-processing-reel-adapter-for-paterson-3-reel-tank-/281292187528?

Cool!

Should have bought from B&H thigh, that one is overpriced by $10 compared to many other retailers, but it doesn't matter, you'll get your processing done and that's the impotent thing :)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/906271-REG/Paterson_1174296_MOD54_4x5_Sheet_Film.html

[rsank]

Drat! Impulse buying. Shoulda checked B&H first. Oh well. Now to wait for the mailman...

[StoneNYC]

Drat! Impulse buying. Shoulda checked B&H first. Oh well. Now to wait for the mailman...

;)

[David Schaller]

I loaded the film in a dark bathroom, and developed at the kitchen sink with a Jobo 2520, up to six sheets at a time. I used it as a daylight tank, not on a roller base. Yes it's a lot of chemistry, about 1500 ml, but I've had good results with both a D-76 developer and Pyrocat, using hand inversion. Now I have a house and a darkroom, which makes traditional printing possible, but for developing, I got the same results in my former 1 bedroom apartment, with one bath.
Dave

[towolf]

Will probably get scolded for such a low tech solution. But hey, it works (with some drawbacks).

http://i.imgur.com/QJ7RMDo.jpg

I glued the PVC strips and the tube into my spare JOBO 2000ml tank.

The sheets are held to the wall flexed with tension. One can use as little as 150ml of developer through slow rolling agitation.

Fits two sheets http://i.imgur.com/Z45LZfG.jpg

[Tim Meisburger]

A Patterson Orbital is a good solution for low volume processing, but they are quite difficult to find these days.

[StoneNYC]

Will probably get scolded for such a low tech solution. But hey, it works (with some drawbacks).

http://i.imgur.com/QJ7RMDo.jpg

I glued the PVC strips and the tube into my spare JOBO 2000ml tank.

The sheets are held to the wall flexed with tension. One can use as little as 150ml of developer through slow rolling agitation.

Fits two sheets http://i.imgur.com/Z45LZfG.jpg

Clever.

[rsank]

Hi everyone, thanks for your help! I got the MOD54 in the mail yesterday and developed a couple of sheets right away. I found it very easy to load. I think development was also good. This is awesome! I feel confident I can tackle C41 with this setup as well. Now to figure out my EI for the box of 320TXP that's lying in the freezer, deal with my leaking film holders, and try to shoot some decent images. I have one box of Kodak film that I need to use up. After that, I have to decide if I want to stick with Kodak or switch over to Ilford.

Scanned only with contrast adjustment.

115457

[StoneNYC]

Congrats! Grab a few smaller told of both films and see which is best, I'm guessing you'll go with ilford for the price ;)

[rsank]

I love TriX and have used it for years in 35mm and 120 but it might be time to support the only company that seems to be still committed to film.

[Ian Gordon Bilson]

To the OP : Consider using Xtol and a replenishment method. Then you have no concerns about the large volumes of developer required,especially when only a few sheets require processing.

[rsank]

Ian, thanks! I will try that. I have never used anything other than D76 and Rodinal (Blazinal).