How much do you use your JOBO CPE?

[fotch]

If doing a lot of color prints, I use to use a Durst RCP20 (I think that is what its called) to make prints. When the chemicals were changed, it made the unit useless unless you changed the gears. You just fed the exposed print in and out came the finished print, in the dark of course. Still have the machine, kept it with the intent to find a way to change the gears which I doubt I will get around to doing.

 

[MartinP]

Why don't you guys like tube processing for colour paper? Having never done it, I don't know the process. Is it just that you don't like loading the drums, or something else?

It's just that a relatively large proportion of your darkroom time becomes washing the drum, drying the drum, pre-heating the drum, discovering that you missed a drip in the drum etc. etc.

Most of the table-top print processing machines needed to be plumbed in, if I recall correctly, although that could be bodged by washing external to the machine (the wash tank being filled with static water each session), if there was a way of making it believe there was no water-feed pressure problem. I now have a Novatech slot processor which helps enormously with the potentially unhealthy fumes (it isn't like black and white) from trays, while also tempering the chemicals appropriately. Washing is external with the slot processor.

 

[Roger Cole]

Not intending to derail this thread but a related question:

@Roger;
Like you I do not like processing prints in a tube, to the point I don't do color C41 any more. There used to be developing kits called "Room Temperature" that were designed to do just that... tray process at room temp.

What are you doing now or do you use the tube in spite of your dislike's?

I actually haven't printed color in a long time but I plan to again. You can use regular RA4 chems at room temperature in trays; search the forum as there is lots of info. That's what I plan to do. Consistent temperature dies help of course and higher temps mean shorter times so I may rig up a water bath with an aquarium heater or the like for the developer tray. Stop and blix just go to completion so ambient is fine.



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[Roger Cole]

Bruce-

you can't tray process to visual inspection with color paper. Color has to be done in complete darkness.

Well not really. My Duka 50 sodium safelight I have tested and verified RA4 safe se on minimum and there are LEDs that can be used too. It's quite dim but still very helpful making out outlines. But no you can't develop by inspection.

It's just the drying of the drums that's a huge time wasting PITA. I know some just load them wet but that's messy in the dark too.


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[emeraldcity_grain]

The Jobo is certainly one of those darkroom tools that is nice to have, but not a necessary one.
I own 3 Jobos, an ATL1, ATL2 and a TBE.
I mainly use the TBE tempering bath for rolls I want to develop right away. It keeps the temp consistent when I hand process. My films come out consistent, because I keep my process consistent.
I pull out the ATLs when I have a boat load of film to develop. From a long trip. Or have accumulated many rolls of film from months of shooting (and not developing)
So to answer your question. For 1 roll a week, it's not a game changer. But it's certainly nice to have.

 

[WayneStevenson]

I have an ATL-2. Purchased it a few years back.

I never use it. Two or three times maybe. Use two of my Jobo tanks for my 4x5 reels for manual inversion processing. That's it.

I process my color prints in a rotary base uniroller. My color and B&W film I load into SS tanks.

It's more of a pain than anything. I can load up about a dozen rolls of 120 into my SS tanks at a time, process a couple tanks at a time. Keeps my chems warm with aquarium heaters.

 

[Roger Cole]

An ATL 2 is not a CPE2.


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[Doc W]

Keeps my chems warm with aquarium heaters.

I don't want to derail the thread, but I would really like to hear more about this. I tried aquarium heaters but it was never satisfactory so if you are making it work, please share the details!!

 

[henbo]

For those of you who have a manual film processor ala the CPE2, did it radically alter you photography? Is it a game changer or just a nice to have?

Also, fairly important, is that I go through no more than a roll of film a week.

I started developing my own b/w film (135 format) again in 2010, where I bought a Jobo developing tank and chemical. After developing a few rolls by hand I found a good deal on a Jobo CPE2 and a Leica Focomat V35 which I then bought. I must say for me the CPE2 have been a game changer.
Compared to handing in the film to professional lab the quality is more consistent, I get much less scratches on the film, and I decide how many frames there should be in each strip when cutting the film, which is nice when scanning the film afterwards. I also like that it requires less chemicals compared to developing in the hand.

The JOBO also meant that I felt confident in jumping into large format photography as I suddenly could develop the film sheets myself, so in 2012 I bought my first 4x5 large format camera. Last year I also started developing E6 myself.

Today I develop 135, 120 and 4x5 in both b/w and E6 and have plans for doing C41 as well. A nice side effect is that the overall cost for film developing has dropped. Especially for b/w, where the cost is only a fraction of having the film developed at a professional lab. I shoot in average between 20 to 50 rolls of film per year, so I’m not shooting a high volume. I tend to develop at least 4 rolls a time, but it’s nice to have the opportunity to develop the film right after shooting it, if required. I don’t do any wet printing yet.

The only regret I have is that I should have bought one earlier. :w00t:

 

[Neal]

Aquarium Heaters

Dear DocW,

Purchase an old process controller off ebay and use it (along with relays of appropriate capacity) to control the heaters. Turn the heaters all the way up to bypass their controls.

Good luck,

Neal Wydra

 

[WayneStevenson]

Two things really. Water needs to be recirculated to avoid hot spots. Two little $5 pumps accomplish this. Second is to bypass the limiter on the thermostat. Which usually just entails removing a screw from the dial so you can turn up the heat until it hits that limiter, pull the dial off, and put it back to the other end of the scale, and turn it up some more and keep doing that until you're set.

I would typically have the temperature a degree or two warmer than processing temp to compensate for a slight cool-off when pouring into my measuring cup.

I also modified (C-41 in particular) the processing time to 5:45 at 35C so I didn't need to keep the developer as hot.

 

[Dcarubia]

Miller's lab website

What is the URL for Miller's lab? I found http://www.millerslab.com, but it seems you have to be a professional to use their services.

Is that the right website?