CPP-2 vs Deep Tank for 4x5 film Developing

[markwny]

I have a Jobo CPP-2 with 3010 expert drum for 4x5 film development. With rotary batch development one cannot tailor the development time for individual negatives as with open tanks and trays. The convenience and repeatability of rotary development is great. Also, I hear lots of horror stories of uneven development, streaks, and scratches using tanks or trays. I want to give open tanks and stainless hangers a try. Is it worth it or should I stick with rotary. Are stainless tanks better than plastic?

 

[ic-racer]

Try printing on multigrade paper.

 

[bdial]

Hangers and open tanks help a bit with avoiding scratches as an alternative to tray processing. However, for films like Kodak and Ilford, scratching hasn't been a problem for me in trays.
I like using hangers, and they are my preferred method for 4x5. Once I get some bigger tanks I'll be using hangers for 5x7 too. I have a Jobo, but I don't have it set up all the time, so hangers or trays are easier for me than dragging out the Jobo and setting it up.

Stainless doesn't break like plastic could, however plastic doesn't bend like stainless can. In other words, they each have their +'s and -'s, but either work fine.
I have a small stainless tank that holds about 4 4x5 hangers, but I use rectangular plastic kitchen canisters for the stop and fix.

Some people like the "slosher trays" which hold 4 sheets of 4x5 and fit in an 8x10 or larger print tray, I think Bostick and Sullivan sell them. Since the film sheets are separated and don't get handled during processing there is less chance of scratching with these.

 

[Roger Cole]

I have a set of 4x5 deep tanks and hangers. I haven't used them since I got a Jobo. Just sort your film into batches and do a batch of N, a batch of N+1 etc. as you get the negatives. If you need to run less than a full batch the much smaller solution requirement of the Jobo makes that pretty reasonable anyway.

I had good results with hangers but the need for 1/2 gallon of solution and the difficulty of temperature control, for me, make the Jobo the runaway winner in this comparison. (I have a CPE2 and use the 2509n reels but the same arguments apply to the Expert system.)

 

[Allen Friday]

Have you considered using BTZS tubes? You could use your Jobo for developing most of your film and the tubes for the individual sheets that require different development times. You might also consider a "slosher tray". The tray avoids scratches and provides very even development and allows individual sheet development.

I use a Jobo for just about all my film development. I have tried hangers and trays but the results are not as consistent as with the Jobo. For 4x5, I will use the slosher as needed. The only downside to the slosher is you use more chemicals than with the Jobo or BTZS--and you have to do it in the dark.