This sounds rather like trying to reinvent the wheel, and then sell it for peanuts.
To make any sort of decent profit on the items...
Well, if the 5 odd people who replied to this topic saying they would purchase such a unit at a <$500 price point are any indicator, then the market is big enough to be worth my timeIn this mostly digital photo age, what is the market for a new processor aimed at the declining numbers of analog shooters who still process film and make prints?
No apology needed - I need honest feedback, not pats on the backApologies if I seem to be negative about all this, but I've been around long enough to see many such projects start with a big bang, and end up with a whimper.
Our $300 target price seems to be giving a lot of people "reverse sticker shock." Despite the skepticism, the closer we get to validating all of the components we've sourced to ensure that they work, the more confident I am that we probably won't be too far off from this price point. I suspect the magic sauce here that's making this possible is nothing more than my own standards for how much profit I need in order to justify the project to myself. Certainly wanting to make some money is a factor, but it's far from my top priority. As I stated before, if I go through all the effort to design, prototype, and build a machine that does everything I want it to, and not one soul buys it... then I'll go to sleep with a smile on my face because now I have a machine that takes some of the grind out of my own photography hobby and frees up time for shooting and printing. If 5 people buy it, I'll go to sleep with the same smile on my face immediately after placing an order for some Ilford MG FB, 4x5 FP4+, and FixerAll the above stated, I accept it may be that there is a viable if limited sale market for this item, but a $300 sale price is unrealistic and a fast road to corporate bankruptcy for the makers. This said, I am quite interested in the project, I've bookmarked the post and I'll follow this thread. If you decide to go ahead with it, my very best wishes and good luck.
ozmoose, part of the appeal for me in this project is that it is new, and not a 20 year contraption with unknown repair potential. I have been lucky in repairing a fair amount of old darkroom gear, but it is always a crapshoot.
Do you use trays to process colour film?I use trays for film processing. The "repair potential" is astonishingly low with this technology.
WOW! All the negative vibes here!
If the kid wants to produce a self-contained film development system, and
put it out at a $300 pricepoint, why not encourage his efforts?
I, for one, would never think of spending $2,000 for a basic JOBO CPE unit
to help me enjoy what is simply a hobby, a passtime.
If most of those who responded negatively are professionals, depending upon
high-volume, steel-clad quality production, then I doubt that this system is intended for you.
Others, amateurs who pride themselves on their multiple Rolleis, Hasselblads and Leicas,
can probably afford to consider any toy costing less than a few thousand, to be beneath their
interest. So, if this suggested project is so worthy of your contempt, please just pass on to the next thread;
don't be shredding the OP's idea.
JEEZ!
Not sure, but guessing, the JOBO units ( of what type?) that you bought were not new?I bought not one but two Jobos through APUG Classified for between $100US and $130US, so why would one want to pay $300US for an unproven and as of now non-existent product?
Not sure, but guessing, the JOBO units ( of what type?) that you bought were not new?
Interesting; I've never seen a JOBO unit advertised at less than $350, and even at that, shipping was near $300.Exactly. There is still a large market of used Jobo machines in good working condition so that is a reason that a new machine at $300 will be still hard to sell.
Maybe they'll build it mostly with a 3D printer! Imagine that, a printer that builds a film developer? LOL.
Seriously, they ought to be encouraged. I am also extremely skeptical, but never say never. But what are the specs? Everyone is likely assuming something very different from one another. Will it be a single roll processor or a multi-roll unit? Will it have one fixed tank or interchangable tanks? If it has tanks, will they be based on existing ones or proprietary? Will termp control be analog or digital? Will temp remain constant throughout the process? If its automatic, it will need a pump and electrical. Will it be self-contained or require a water and drain hook up? Will there be variable control over processing times and agitation? Will those be programmable? How many chemical steps will it support? Will it be self-cleaning? And a dozen more questions....
Maybe they can build something for $300, but my bet say that f they did, it would be something with very limited capability, and that wold risk market failure.
I don't buy that something decent in the $1500 is too much. CPP2s sell well used, and people think nothing of plunking down $1500-3500 for a new DSLR body. It all depends what your benchmark is as that's how folks will evaluate price to value when deciding whether some inexpensive is a cheap piece of junk or a bargain.
MFL
It's helpful to tell folks the truth. It's not helpful to tell them what they'd LIKE to hear if we think it's not true. That would seem to be basic respect for others.WOW! All the negative vibes here!
If the kid wants to produce a self-contained film development system, and
put it out at a $300 pricepoint, why not encourage his efforts?
I, for one, would never think of spending $2,000 for a basic JOBO CPE unit
to help me enjoy what is simply a hobby, a passtime.
If most of those who responded negatively are professionals, depending upon
high-volume, steel-clad quality production, then I doubt that this system is intended for you.
Others, amateurs who pride themselves on their multiple Rolleis, Hasselblads and Leicas,
can probably afford to consider any toy costing less than a few thousand, to be beneath their
interest. So, if this suggested project is so worthy of your contempt, please just pass on to the next thread;
don't be shredding the OP's idea.
JEEZ!
I would pay up to $300 for a system that keeps chemicals and water at 104F +/-0.5. Forget the automation, just control the temperature.
Fish tank heater should do the job and a small circulating pump to move the water past the heater.
Fish tank heater should do the job and a small circulating pump to move the water past the heater.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?