Tetenal C-41 vs Jobo 3010 specs

[mircea nicolae]

Hi guys,

I just put together all the things I need to start color development of 4x5 film. I have a Jobo CPP2, a Jobo 3010 drum and a Tetenal C-41 kit, the 5 Liter version.

I want to start developing, but I am a bit confused by conflicting or incomplete specifications in the manuals of the Jobo 3010 and Tetenal C-41.


Tomorrow I will do my first batch of 6 films.

This means, according to the Jobo 3010 specs (http://www.jobo.com/jobo_service_analog/us_analog/instructions/instructions_misc_expert_drums.htm#Detailed%20Tables), that I will need 210 ml of chemicals.

As is done with C-41 processing, I will do the development at 38 degrees Celsius.


However, when I go to the C-41 Tetenal specs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulclayton/5171695712/lightbox/), a few problems arise:

1. at page 5, in the lower right corner, the times for 38 degrees are calculated for a quantity of 1000 ml of chemicals, not 210 ml as per Jobo 3010 quantity neccessary for 6 4x5 films.

2. the development times for 1 to 4 films are dev / 3'15" and blix / 4', while for 5 to 8 films they become dev / 3'30" and blix / 6'.

I am not really sure what format these 1 to 4 films or 5 to 8 films are in the first place. Are they 35mm, 120mm, 4x5, 5x7?

From what I have read in the Tetenal specs, extending development times by 15' means pushing the film.
I just want a regular process, but which one will it be?


Please help me out.


Thanks,

Nicolai

[polyglot]

A "roll" is 80 sq.in of film, which is one 8x10 or one 120 or one 135x36 or four 4x5s.

210mL is the minimum needed to cover the film. I think most people recommend putting about 500mL in a 3010 for good even development. Say you soup 8 sheets in 500mL, that's 2 rolls in 500mL which is the same (chemistry per film area) as 4 rolls in 1000mL, so go with the 4-roll standard times.

So your first eight sheets get souped for 3:15 and the second eight sheets (using the same 500mL of developer!) get souped for 3:30. The time extension is to make up for loss of developer activity when re-using.

[vinny]

I never use less than 250ml since it covers the film and it's easy to calculate the dilutions. If you're only doing a couple sheets then 250ml should be fine. If you're doing 10 sheets, some of the chemicals may get the job done but others like fix may fall short and exhaust themselves. That's my experience with kodak e-6 and rollei c41 kits. I test the fixer afterwards, if it's exhausted, I mix more and run it again.

[Ari]

Could you provide a link as to where you purchased the 5L kit?
I've only been able to find the Press Kits, which are great, but make only 1L.
Thanks

[mircea nicolae]

@ polyglot

Thanks a lot, this really makes more sense as to what 'film' is in this situation.

@ vinny

The 5 Liter kit comes from a company in the UK, called Firstcall (http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/products/617/tetenal-colortec-c-41-rapid-negative-kit-5-litres).

However, you must consider the price - 51 GBP + about 30 GBP for postage.

I live in Eastern Europe, so if i order from B&H they charge about 60$ per shipping, this is why I went with this option. In you case, it might make a lot more sense to just buy a lot of the smaller ones.


A big thanks to everybody for the help.

Hope I will be able to post some results soon.

[Ari]

Thanks, Mircea; at that price, I'll likely keep buying the Press Kits.
Good luck!

[Ivan J. Eberle]

I'd run some test films before committing irreplaceable exposures. If you're using the C41 chemistry as one-shot without replenishment or reuse, the JOBO provided minimums for covering the sheets/rolls will probably suffice. But I remember all too well from experience that JOBO doesn't give the correct volumes for certain processes (I'm remembering E6 and Ilfochrome, specifically) where minimum volumes can easily hit the chemistry exhaustion wall too soon. The other thing I've had happen is that half-full bottles it can oxidize pretty rapidly at 100˚F. So especially for film development, I mix and temper only what I am going to use in a given session (rather than leave bottles in a constantly running CPP2-- as I've done when printing daily).

[Sirius Glass]

210mL is the minimum needed to cover the film. I think most people recommend putting about 500mL in a 3010 for good even development.

That is what I do. The each chemical get poured back into its 1 liter container with the rest of the chemical.

Steve