Contemplating JOBO CPP3

Good Morning,

I'm contemplating buying the JOBO CPP3 (and lift) that was (re)-introduced a couple years ago. The price is steep, but I'm heartened by the numerous accounts of people using the CPA and CPP predecessors for many years. It would seem that the CPP3 should provide reliable service for quite a long time.

I don't have space for a darkroom, so do all my B&W film development (35/120) by hand, in the kitchen, using a changing bag to load my reels.

The JOBO CPP3 kit (#4083) comes bundled with bottles, graduates, adjustable roller base (whatever that is), a #2520 Multitank 2, and a single 2502 reel.

For those of you familiar with JOBO, can you tell me if there is anything else I would need? And can I assume that loading the 2502 reel in the #2520 Multitank 2 can be done in a changing bag, a la my current process? Anything I'm missing?

Thanks in advance...

Jeff

I own what I believe is the first CPP3 to come into North America.. I love the machine, and I am using all the reels and tanks that I have over 14 plus years of rotary work.

There are some glitches, but Omer has been 100% attentive to any problems, right now I have a glitch which we are trying to sort out but the machine is still
operational in manual mode so I just work from a gray lab and let the machine rotate and keep my chemical to temp.
I do not use the water hook up to the machine but rather fill manually and I have a dumpable large washer to the side to wash the film
the unit is very light and portable, you need a small space to operate this unit.
I also know a lot of people who have made prints using this process so it is good for film and paper.

I process 35mm - 8x10 inch film in this machine using the expert drums and the new extended tank that can handle more film.

You need to make sure the machine is level each time you use it and that is easy enough with some wood shims..

I think it is well worth the investment if you process a lot of film, or if you want exceptional results....

I am always open here to give tips on this machine for any new user...

It's a very reliable system with repeatable results - I would get some extra Tanks, reels and 1 lit. bottles.
Loading film is the same as to what you are used to.

If you never plan on using the Expert drums, there's no need to get such a big machine (unless you just want shiny new stuff). The cpe will handle 35mm, 120, 4x5, and even 8x10 in the new Catlabs 8x10 reel. These machines can be had for a couple hundred bucks, or less. The cpp2 come up used quite often, I have a friend that got one with several drums recently for $400. That extra $3000+ will buy a lot of film and paper.

Great machines.

If you only plan to do film, not paper, then at least consider Photo-therm.

If you can afford one, get one, its a great machine and worth every penny.

Bob Carnie said:

I own what I believe is the first CPP3 to come into North America.. I love the machine, and I am using all the reels and tanks that I have over 14 plus years of rotary work.

Click to expand...

You should read the SN on your machine, it should read 30001 (3 for CPP 3) and #1 as production number. It is in fact the first production 110V machine off the factory floor!

Indeed the CPP3 is a great machine, and many other options available as far as drums and reels should you want to augment or expand the basic kit included with the machine. Other used/refurbished machines are also available from time to time.

In any case - all Jobo manual processors have an extraordinarily long service life (with some regular care and maintenance) so should serve you well into the future.

I have a CPP2 and I am very happy with it. When you divide the cost by the number of film rolls or sheets of film, you will see that the cost is not high and the expense is worth the enjoyment that you will get from it.

Thanks, guys. I'm glad to hear folks are happy with their Jobo's.

Alan, on your suggestion I spent a couple hours looking at Photo-Therm (I had not been aware of them). They definitely have an interesting processor there in the Super Sidekick. But given the space constraints I'm dealing with - my film processing is episodic, done in the kitchen, and must be set up before and taken down after - I think a Jobo would probably work better for me.

Wildbill, I would definitely consider a smaller, used CPE for a few hundred dollars. That would be the perfect way to test the concept, even if I later decided to invest in a new CPP3. Alas, the few times I've scanned the online markets for a used Jobo, the prices I see are considerably more than than. I see a lot more closer to a thousand bucks (or more) than 400. The calculus quickly changes (for me, at least) once you get into that territory.

Part of my rationale for considering a new CPP3 is to eliminate my remaining dependence upon commercial labs (I can hand process B&W, but have never done E-6 or C41), given their tenuous nature these days. A new unit, incorporating everything that Jobo learned in making its earlier processors, should last quite a long time, I would think. The additional consistency/QC for B&W would be a nice side benefit.

That's my thinking, at least...

I own a CPP2 for many many years now and I do B&W, C41, RA4 and in the past even E6. And that all without any trouble.
Go for it and you get a nice piece of German build quality.

Some simple help needed

I did buy the CPP3 processor and for now I am planning to fill it up with water manually. I am pretty good at everything related to chemistry and film processing, have been doing it with manual tanks for a decade now. But when it comes to household things, I am not so confident about my competency.
So here I have two silly questions?
1. Where exactly am I supposed to fill the water into the processor? Is it the part where the bottles are held or the part where the tank is?
My understanding that it is a connected water system, since the temperature is regulated only in one part, under the lift component.
2. I guess I can drain the water into a bucket when I'm done, but do I need to also use a hose on the spouts on the back of the machine? That looks like a double spout, do I need to connect a house to both ends?

Also do I really have to drain after every use, or say, if I am planning to developer the next day too, I could just leave the water bath there and would drain only if I know that I won't be developing for a longer time?

All these questions might sound silly, but the user manuals do not say anything about it. Typical German stuff, they thing that everybody is an engineer
Thanks for any help.
Miklos

Hi Miklos


1. yes that is where you fill manually when it hits the right level the water will start coming out of the drain in back. I only work manually with this machine and this is what I do.
2.yes put a hose on the back, mine is draining into a sink .
I put the machine on a portable table and walk it up to a sink and run it from there so that hose in back does have to drain to sink.
3. I drain it each time I use it as I do not want the water to get stinky, but for a day or two no problem.

not silly questions at all.. keep it level as this will also cause you some problems.

Omer here is an expert on this machine.

Bob
QUOTE=miklosphoto;1953771085]I did buy the CPP3 processor and for now I am planning to fill it up with water manually. I am pretty good at everything related to chemistry and film processing, have been doing it with manual tanks for a decade now. But when it comes to household things, I am not so confident about my competency.
So here I have two silly questions?
1. Where exactly am I supposed to fill the water into the processor? Is it the part where the bottles are held or the part where the tank is?
My understanding that it is a connected water system, since the temperature is regulated only in one part, under the lift component.
2. I guess I can drain the water into a bucket when I'm done, but do I need to also use a hose on the spouts on the back of the machine? That looks like a double spout, do I need to connect a house to both ends?

Also do I really have to drain after every use, or say, if I am planning to developer the next day too, I could just leave the water bath there and would drain only if I know that I won't be developing for a longer time?

All these questions might sound silly, but the user manuals do not say anything about it. Typical German stuff, they thing that everybody is an engineer
Thanks for any help.
Miklos[/QUOTE]

Wow, I never thought I'd see another brand-new Jobo darkroom product again! Having owned a CPE2+, Lift and a number of drums and reels, I had nothing but the highest regards for their products.

I've never used a CPP, but in the smaller processor, it was all one big water bath, and I'd just fill it with a bucket up to about lower shoulder level of the bottles if I recall.

The water fittings are what you paid the big $$ for: One is for incoming cold water, and the other is for disposing of the resulting excess. This allows for temperature regulation even at temperatures below ambient. But if you never encounter that situation, I suppose you could just cap those fittings. But on more than one occasion I was processing black and white film during a heat wave and really would've appreciated such a thing!

Draining it: When I was running the processor nearly daily, I could go for weeks without a complete water change. Uh, the reason they don't really recommend doing that is because warm fresh water left out in the open gets pretty gross after awhile, nice slimy bacteria culture (cats aren't picky and will want to drink from it BTW). Overnight shouldn't be an issue. They used to sell a processor-cleaning powder but I think a standard laboratory detergent like Alconox would be fine for even the most fastidious users.

BTW, don't forget to allow time for the water bath temperature to stabilize. My ritual was to fire up the processor's heater when I got home in the evening, and by the time I was ready to begin an hour or so later, it was good. CPP has a much larger water bath, so times will likely be different there. For what it's worth, I was in the habit of measuring processor temperature from the #1 developer bottle. Don't be surprised if you find that temperature as measured there is off by a couple of degrees compared with the processor's temperature setting.

If I were to do it over again, I might keep at least one set of stainless steel reels on hand: There were times when I'd be running multiple back-to-back batches, and the plastic reels wouldn't always dry in time. Or I'd foolishly handle them with wet hands. SS reels can be loaded while wet.

miklosphoto said:

I did buy the CPP3 processor and for now I am planning to fill it up with water manually. I am pretty good at everything related to chemistry and film processing, have been doing it with manual tanks for a decade now. But when it comes to household things, I am not so confident about my competency.
So here I have two silly questions?
1. Where exactly am I supposed to fill the water into the processor? Is it the part where the bottles are held or the part where the tank is?
My understanding that it is a connected water system, since the temperature is regulated only in one part, under the lift component.
2. I guess I can drain the water into a bucket when I'm done, but do I need to also use a hose on the spouts on the back of the machine? That looks like a double spout, do I need to connect a house to both ends?

Also do I really have to drain after every use, or say, if I am planning to developer the next day too, I could just leave the water bath there and would drain only if I know that I won't be developing for a longer time?

All these questions might sound silly, but the user manuals do not say anything about it. Typical German stuff, they thing that everybody is an engineer
Thanks for any help.
Miklos

Click to expand...

There are no silly questions. None of us was born with photographic knowledge, we all had to learn from someone at some time.
Fill the water in the tank. Suspend the bottles in the bottle openings.
Drain the tank through the hoses into a sink or if necessary into buckets. I have my machine sitting next to the sink so that it can drain into the sink through hoses and so that the lift hose is in the sink for the bottles to catch the chemicals again.

Thank you guys!