HP combi plan

[ignatiusjk]

Have any of you used the HP combi plan daylight tank? I'm thinking of getting one and wondered what people who use them think.Tell me the good and bad.

[Tim k]

This should keep you busy for a while.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?searchid=4611214

[Marko]

It uses a full liter to fill, it's a bit finicky to fill and empty out and some of the parts may be too fragile for some hands, but otherwise it is second only to Jobo Expert IMO, and second to none for stand development. Even when I develop in Jobo, I still use the Combi for washing the film.

[Scotty230358]

I used one for a short while. Personally I did not have a great deal of success with it. Its greatest virtue was that, second to the Jobo Expert, it was easy to load. However it took a long time to fill and, in the case of my tank, leaked a little when it was inverted. I found you had to get your agitation regime spot on otherwise there was a good chance of uneven development. Mind you, that is the case with many tanks. Fill and empty times were about 30 seconds. You could empty it in the dark and also insert the film holders into a prefilled tank to speed the process up. I eventually changed to a Jobo 2500 series tank and 2509n reel which works better for me.

[Armin Seeholzer]

I get totaly even dev. negs in my CombiPlan but I use it as a full street and not as a daylight tank! So I fill it with the developer, have a tank with the old fix as stop and the 3 is with fresh fix. I load the sheets in darkness to the holder, put it in the developer tank close it and turn it over the small side to the head and back to the bottom for 30 sec. then put it strong on the table. Now I make the lights on till 30 sec. bevor the end of developing, and switch the insert with the negs. to the next open tank in dark etc.
And I can do semi stand and almost full stand dev. if I like to!!!

Cheers Armin

[Bob Kerner]

The search feature will reveal about a dozen threads on this. Here's one I started a short time ago:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=72253

I have only used mine once, so I can't offer a definitive opinion. It takes a lot of chemical and takes awhile to fill and empty. Mine leaks a bit but to be perfectly fair I've only used it once so I could have done something incorrectly and Bob from HP instantly offered a replacement (good product support).

If you must develop in daylight, I think it's worth a try. I also think if you can work in the dark, you can set up an array of tanks, as described in Gem Singer's article on the LF main pain, in the darkroom/developing section, and not be bothered with inversion and emptying.

[Tori Nelson]

I've had mine for at least 12 years now and it works perfectly! No leaks and never any uneven development. I don't use it as much now because I shoot mostly 8x10 but I wouldn't ever want to not have it!

[Toyon]

It is quirky to learn, and you have to be gentle. But once you learn the system it works remarkably well - without streaking, scratching or uneven development. I have run thousands of negatives through a combi. The only caveat I would make is to never use any photo-flo or LFN in the unit. The residue can alter the internal flow by effecting surface tension and that can cause uneven development.

[Juergen Sattler]

Anything plastic (like plastic reels) should not be exposed to Photo flow. Jobo makes that very clear in their instructions - the same is true for the HP Combiplan. I have used mine for years without any trouble at all - and yes, I use it as a daylight tank.

[Mike Anderson]

I use one. I'm new to this so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I load it in the changing bag (that's the tricky part for me) and then the rest of the operation continues in the kitchen sink. Things spill and overflow but it's all in the sink so...

It works fine for me - haven't screwed up yet with BW film.

...Mike

[Professional]

I got it yesterday but didn't take it out of the box yet, but i hope it will have a good use later, i got BTZS as well days ago, so will see which will serve me better or easier if both will do the job anyway.

[Revolucion Artistico]

I got it yesterday but didn't take it out of the box yet, but i hope it will have a good use later, i got BTZS as well days ago, so will see which will serve me better or easier if both will do the job anyway.

These are the two systems I have been going back and forth on getting so any information once you have tried both as to the pro's and con's of each would be most appreciated.

[Professional]

These are the two systems I have been going back and forth on getting so any information once you have tried both as to the pro's and con's of each would be most appreciated.

I will but i am not good at all about pros and cons of any tool i use, and i may find it fine with me but you may find it a bit .... you know, so i can't be sure whatever information and impressions i will get from those both will help you on your decision.

[engl]

This should keep you busy for a while.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?searchid=4611214

Does not work for me, I get a "Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.". It happens to me pretty often, I get the same page sometimes when I click "New Posts".

Anyway about the tank, I have one and use it for stand developing BW. It works very well for this task, mine seems free from leaks, but it does fill/empty slowly which might be an issue with short development times.

[spacegoose]

I've used the HP Combi-Plan with good results for a couple of years. I liked it so much (I bought the company) - no I bought a second Combi-Plan. I've developed both B&W and C-41 in it. Only a few times have I had uneven development (probably due to some combination of poor agitation or slow pouring of chemistry). Some of the downsides, as have been noted, are it can be leaky during inversions ... and - film can slide out of the rack and stick to each other (so be gentle) - despite that, I don't think I've ruined any negatives.

I'd love to have the 5x7 version but they are quite rare. If you have one - let me know!

One tip - understand the valves - as with a big can of juice, having a second opening allows the liquid to pour more readily out - so when you are draining especially, (and even when adding chemistry to an extent), try opening the valves - experiment with water first :)

I didn't know about not using LFN etc. in it, I have - perhaps I shouldn't ... can someone elaborate more on why I shouldn't? Does it stick to the film rack and film and not dry properly?

[David de Gruyl]

I'd love to have the 5x7 version but they are quite rare. If you have one - let me know!


I'd kill for an 8x10 (which does not exist, to my knowledge), but I suspect it would use over a gallon of chemistry.

[Jim Ewins]

I manage to get streeks no matter what method I use although the Combi was better than some - the loading is not fool proof (I'm the fool)

[coops]

Mine leaked a little but used a lot of chemicals. Now I use the BTZS tubes and use the combi for the fixer.

[Zaitz]

I just got mine a few weeks ago and love it. I was getting uneven development in trays and that was cured right away. Easy to use and mine doesn't leak. I stand develop in it and find it very convenient and cheap.