Mod54?

EASmithV · Mar 14, 2013

Has anyone used one of these?

Opinions?

I heard that the sheets slip a little bit, but with side to side agitation, would it still be an issue?

I want to get one for stand dev and color processing.

Thanks

StoneNYC · Mar 15, 2013

Me too, good luck finding one at B&H... They've been "available soon" for months...

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

250swb · Mar 15, 2013

You can buy them directly from the manufacturer.

I have one and have had mixed results. The first consideration is keeping the film in the slots. With inversion agitation one out of six seemed doomed to move, although not always causing damage. 'Gentle' agitation is easy in theory, but 1 litre of liquid still has a lot of force in it as it drains from one end of the tank to the other, and some film bases are more flexible than others. And swirl agitation suits some developers more than others, but I found this was perhaps the best way.

But the main problem I had was with choosing a developer. Some like HC110 seem to work very well, but when I get the Pyro out for doing my favourite semi stand development I got 'hot spots' forming (seen as stripes of increased density) on the negs where the negatives are nearest the ribs of the MOD54 insert. Leaving the inner slots empty is an option.

I am sure the MOD54 can work very well indeed, but it doesn't work perfectly for me, which is a shame since it is a great idea.

Steve

Athiril · Mar 15, 2013

bought one ages ago, even the super gentle slow inversion in the demonstration video causes sheets to slip back notches on one or both sides, some films are worse for this than others. In reality it is a 2 sheet holder, not a 6 sheet, do not load 6 sheets. And load them on the inner most sections so they dont slip off the reel altogether and scratch.

That still happens with gentle side to side twist agitation too, or at least when you drain the tank. Gentle twist agitation works fine for C-41 I've found.

trotkiller · Mar 15, 2013

I have put a few loads through mine and had no issues thus far.

I use DD-X 1:4, I don't think my agitation is particularly special, standard inversions for 10 seconds once a minute.

I even loaded sheets of film wrong and they still came out fine...

I guess it is a classic case of YMMV...

pekelnik · Mar 15, 2013

I have mixed results. After learning to invert gently I don't have a problem with sheets jumping out, but I still can't seem to get rid of uneven development with xtol.

Axle · Mar 15, 2013

Oh very nice! I signed up to receive a notice from B&H when they come in.

Morgan ~ MOD54 · Mar 15, 2013

Hey Guys,

I've ironed out quite a few of the problems with the new version, better development and much smoother fingers.

Here's a little teaser on the new version.

[video=youtube;SOEJwih7CKk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOEJwih7CKk[/video]

you can pre order one on my site. Dead Link Removed

Cheers,

Morgan.

StoneNYC · Mar 15, 2013

Morgan ~ MOD54 said:
Hey Guys,

I've ironed out quite a few of the problems with the new version, better development and much smoother fingers.

Here's a little teaser on the new version.

[video=youtube;SOEJwih7CKk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOEJwih7CKk[/video]

you can pre order one on my site. Dead Link Removed

Cheers,

Morgan.

Honestly, that was anti-climactic, I couldn't even see anything worth seeing till the very end and even that was too fast and since it was a digital rendering it was basically not helpful at all, I hope you didn't spend a lot of money on that video...

Now after possibly insulting you I have to ask is it true that Ilford/Harman has taken over production?

Thanks.

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

250swb · Mar 16, 2013

Promising. The ribs are gone that were causing me streaking and the edges are now rounded (apparently) so if a sheet does slip out it is less likely to get scratched. Looks like it is designed for injection moulding rather than made from cut perspex sheet.

Steve

EASmithV · Mar 24, 2013

I would also like to know better about how the new version is improved.

250swb · Mar 25, 2013

Having bought my MOD54 direct from Morgan I got an email with an 'upgrade' option to the new tank insert, which is excellent service.

The new one appears to be injection moulded, so the design can incorporate rounded edges to the crucial bits that may touch the film. Additionally injection moulding allows for a more flexible design and the two central ribs which could cause uneven development with the older version have been removed entirely. The only question in my mind is whether the claws of the new insert hold the film more firmly, but just looking at the pictures it seems at least two out of the three 'niggles' (edges, ribs, claws) have been solved.

Steve

nsurit · Apr 25, 2013

I really like mine and will buy the new one when available, primarily because I know if I drop the old model it will be toast. Had scratches the first time because I loaded the film in backwards. Since then I've had no problems. Watch the Youtube video on use of Mod54. Bill Barber

drumlin · Apr 27, 2013

Bought one direct from Morgan and shipping took about a week to North Carolina, US. Don't have any experience with older versions so can't speak to improvements. This is my first 4x5 dev "system", as I'm only getting started in LF and have used the taco method previous.

Plan to dev 6 sheets this week. Ill report back with results/opinions.

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