No I fill it almost all the way; never to overflowing.
So you fill the tank until it starts overflowing, put the lid on and start with rotation?
So you fill the tank until it starts overflowing, put the lid on and start with rotation?
My Jobo CPP-3 has the lift arm system so I fill through that, not to overflowing though.
I started rotary processing 120 film in 1987. In 2000 I got a Jobo and have been using that same Jobo ever since. Thousands of rolls of film through it and it still looks and runs like new.
Even though I only do B&W, temperature control is a key requirement. The temperature in my darkroom changes dramatically depending on the season.
I specifically wanted the CPP2 because I need to process many 120 at once, and the CPP2 allows one to process 10 rolls at a time in the tank configuration shown.
I use the plastic reels and have never had any issue with improper development at the edges or any other development issue. I have never had streaking and don't know how that would happen as the developer is constantly swirling around at the recommended settings.
I think it is important to use a developer that is designed for rotary processing. I have been using Tmax developer since 1987. I hope they still keep making it.
I fill the Jobo with 24C water and I fill all the bottles with 24C water also. I use the 24C water in the bottles to mix the chemistry. All liquid, one-shot.
That way the unit is ready almost immediately. By the time I load the tank with film, the developer is already at correct working temperature.
View attachment 354385View attachment 354386View attachment 354384
As you can see
Oh, so that's where all the Jobo tanks have gone!
Are you sure that is not your shop we are looking at . It looks pretty extensive
Folks,
Over the past almost 40 years of my photography, I don't think I've ever done rotary processing of roll film. I've done the normal inversion tank approach for everything that I can recall and when I did have a Jobo, it was used for sheet film (4x5, and larger using Expert drums). I never used it for roll film processing. Above 8x10 film size, I mostly processed in trays.
I'm back to shooting film, but only 120, and I've been doing it through the traditional Jobo 1500 series tanks and using inversion processing. That works well, but I'd prefer to automate it some so I can put my attention on getting a new batch of chems ready or for other tasks in the darkroom because I realy have to be more efficient with my time.
As I see it, I have 3 main choices, with some having options within:
Two of the main options are rotary. Some options are cheaper than the third option so that is a factor, but frankly, if the Heiland is the best option, then I'll go that route.
- Jobo CPE or Filmomat Light
- Jobo Silverbase or similar from China
- Heiland TAS
The CPE or Filmomat Light allow a water tempering bath which could be very handy for color processing, but I doubt it is really all that necessary for B&W processing. I could just use them without the water, though, but they are a bit more bulky because of that capability.
Next on the list is the Silverbase and all of the Chinese rotary roller units out there. The sad thing is that the Jobo Silverbase is about the sme price as the Filmomat Light, so there's something attractive about just buying that one instead of what appears to be grossly inflated prices for the modern Jobo product. The Chinese products are a lot less expensive, but they are probably nowhere near as robust, so I'm not as incliined to go that route.
I care about the quality of the processing (in this respect, I mean eveneess, not absolute density conrol aspects, ala the Zone System, because I'm scanning after this step, so I don't need to be too precise with the DR of the negatives), and one thing I have seen on occasion with Jobo rotary processing is bromide drag. That never happened with the Expert drums, but I have seen it when there is laminar flow in a drum from the regular rotation. In roll film, I would be concerned more about surge marks from the spools and if the rotary motion back and fourth causes this to be in the same location al the time, it will cause density artifacts.
What I'm interested in is whether I really am better off going the Heiland TAS route for this processing and foregoing the rotary approach because I will get consistentily superior results from keeping an inversion approach for my processing. I see comments/question on here from people who have had problems with roll film in the Jobo but I feel that there isn't enough data to have a clear understanind whether this is an edge case or if it may be more common, especially when looking carefully at the negative with respect to tingls like development uneveness.
I'm looking for some advice/recommendations/experiences for people who have done rotary processing with 120 fim and how that experience compares to inversion, etc.
Many thanks,
---Michael
But no, streaking is NOT a Jobo side effect but sadly..... user error of some sort.
Personally Hand Inversion and twist with stainless steel tanks is a very good method... I have used Jobo system now for a long time, The key for me at least even with Jobo tanks is to do the first 15 - 20 seconds of development by hand with a good twist and invert method, this gets the chemicals immediately to the film and has stopped all streaking problems, specifically in grey background or neutral areas. After I have hand agitated I put the tanks on the jobo unit to finish off the process.
Agreed, and thank you for your notes on your proces. FWIW, I do feel I need to keep a watchful eye on the process - and with color the steps are all pretty short so I'm usually at the sink washing something and within 3 feet. With my rig, some runs need some intervention due to unresolved wonkiness deriving from use of a Paterson tank designed for manual inversion rather than rotary. The tank's taper can result in a degree of wandering from the track. But when it happens, I step in, grab the tank for an adjustment, add a couple of hand inversions and then put it back on the rotary. It happens less than it did initially, but still... it's on my do-list to de-wonk.
More generlaly, my problem is with my photographer and whether the work is worth the squeeze rather than with the process. But one step fixed begats another.
As to using a lab for color ....I've been thinking of that to resolve the waiting period problem where I tend to save all my color until I have enough to use an entire E6 or C41 kit inside of a couple of days. Subjects accustomed to a 2-second interval between iPhone snap and viewing have given up on me.
Needless to say, this is far from a best practice, and the amount of money saved by home processing probably might not justify the practice. Let me say that "management has this habit under review". But the results are absolutely NOT the problem. Are they as good and consistent as a 1st class lab... like what I hear about Richard's in LA? Probably not, but they suit me nonetheless. With the B&W developer I'm using.... mix-for-1-use-and-dump has become my practice with D23 and now especially with PC512 Borax (relistan's formulation).
save all my color until I have enough to use an entire E6 or C41 kit inside of a couple of days.
I agree that home color processing is not necessarily cost effective.
Also once processed at home, making a print of every negative to review and evaluation is a longer, slow and more costly process.
@Sirius Glass Speaking of temperature control, the first 20 seconds of manual inversions won't make any difference. In fact, you can agitate C41 holding the tank in the air and be perfectly within 99.5-100.5F range for the entire duration of development. What @Carnie Bob is suggesting is certainly interesting.
Bob, quick question: when you use your manual-followed-by-rotation method, how much chemistry do you put into your tank and what size is your tank? Thanks.
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Best things are scrounged. I have 3 of these 1 for each of my big sinks. Makes things easier.
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