Which Jobo ?

[menglert]

I'm somewhat considering a purchase of a used Jobo. I only want to use it for film formats of 35mm, 645, and 4x5. I plan on doing mostly E6, B&W, and perhaps some C41 in the future.

So my question is, which Jobo do you suggest, and how much is a fair price for one?

Thanks,
Martin

 

[Nick Zentena]

B&W is the potential problem I see. How many rolls/sheets at once? What sort of developer dilution?

The smallest Jobo will only handle 600ml of developer. It also won't handle Expert drums if you decide to go that route for sheet film.

The two models above it will handle 1litre.

 

[Mark_S]

I used to have a CPE, which I upgraded to a CPP. I used /use them for developing mostly B&W, some E-6, in 35mm, 120 and 4x5 - mostly 4x5.

Capacities:
4x5
In one batch you can do 12 sheets with the CPE, or 18 with the CPP/CPA

120/220
You can do 3 spools with the CPE, or 5 with the CPP/CPA - one spool will hold one 220 roll or 2 120 rolls, although I found it a PITA to get two 120 rolls on one spool so I didn't do that.

35mm
CPE handles 5 rolls, CPP/CPA will handle 8.

Jobo offer 'Expert Drums' for sheet film which will work in the CPP/CPA but not the CPE - the Expert drums apparantly offer better consistency although I have had no problems with the 2509 reels for 4x5, and they will allow you to develop larger sheet film if you get into 5x7 or 8x10.

Generic things about all of them:
The basic principle is to use a small amount of chemistry in a constantly moving drum. This has advantages and disadvantages over other techniques - the biggest advantage is much less chemistry usage per roll/sheet. Since I like to use a lot of my stuff one-shot, this is nice. A disadvantage is that the constant agitation will oxidize rapidly those developers which tend to oxidize - I had to play for quite a bit to get Pyro to work well in the Jobo. Another thing is that when working with very dilute developers like Pyro or some HC-110 concentrations you have to watch that you have enough chemical to not exhaust your developer when using it one shot.

I use the lift, and find it very handy to get the timing accurate - I would highly reccomend the lift on any Jobo that you end up with.

The CPE and CPA have a single analog knob to set the temperature of the bath - I found that the calibration on mine was not right, so I always had a thermometer in the water bath and would tweak the knob until I got it to the temp that I wanted. Once tweaked, the temp was very stable.

The CPP that I have now has a digital temperature set - you dial in the temperature that you want and it is very accurate and very stable. I think that I get better/more consistent results on E-6 with this than I did with the CPE.

 

[paul ewins]

I've got a CPP and that's what I would recommend if you are planning to do E6 or C41 as it has the finer temperature control. Once you dial in the temperature mine varies by only 0.3 degrees celsius as the heater kicks in and out so the actual temperature inside the drum should be constant. Make sure you get one with the lift if you can afford it as it makes changing chemicals a lot easier.

I've swapped over to the expert drums for 4x5 as I found them much easier to load. The results from the 2509n were fine, so don't fret if you can't afford an expert drum (typically $150 - $200 on eBay). I haven't mastered loading the 120/220 reels for the 25xx drums and am looking at the 15xx drums and stainless steel reels.

 

[dancqu]

I'm somewhat considering a purchase
of a used Jobo. Thanks, Martin

That may be all that's available, used.
I may be repeating and it may not matter
but, IIRC, Jobo is no longer producing. Dan

 

[David Nardi]

I have a used Jobo Autolab 1000 that I got from eBay for $1500 with all the original accessories. This means, hoses, drums, reels, etc. I bought a few more 2509n 4x5 reels for more 4x5 processing runs in one go (meaning less drum/reel drying time). All I process is 4x5 in E-6 for the most part with the odd B&W. I also process 120/220 and 35mm E-6.

If you can afford an Autolab, or you find a better deal than me, I recommend it only because you can walk away from the machine while it is processing and perform other tasks. If you want to control individual processing times per bottle than I would stick with a CPP/CPA or see if you can find the Autolab 1500. The Autolab 1000 only uses preset processes. The 1500 is programmable.

The Autolabs 1000/1500 max film format capacities per run:

35mm - 5 rolls
120 - 6 rolls
220 - 3 rolls
4x5 - 12 sheets

The Autolabs 1000/1500 max film format capacities per 5L Kodak E-6 kit:

35mm - 35 rolls
120 - 40 rolls
220 - 20 rolls
4x5 - 100 sheets

I love my unit and wouldn't trade it for the world. One day when I make the move into 8x10 LF I will have to consider adding a CPP/CPA processor as well.

Cheers,

David

David S. Nardi Photography
www.davidnardi.com

If you would like to see the savings you can expect from processing your own colour films than have a look at this thread I posted a little while ago:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Nick Zentena]

That may be all that's available, used.
I may be repeating and it may not matter
but, IIRC, Jobo is no longer producing. Dan

Supposedly they've restarted low volume production of one model. I wonder if they are using service spares Or if it's real new production.

 

[Petzi]

Supposedly they've restarted low volume production of one model. I wonder if they are using service spares Or if it's real new production.

The CPP2 is still listed as available. They can only produce what is in demand, and the CPP2 is their essential processor.

As far as I know, they still produce the drums, spares etc., and they have made a commitment to the supply of these items in the future.

 

[snaggs]

I'm look at a ATL-1500 or ATL-1000 for very little money.

1. Can the ATL-1000 still be upgraded to a ATL-1500?
2. Is the loss of expert drums a big deal?

Regards,

Daniel.

 

[Nick Zentena]

2. Is the loss of expert drums a big deal?

.

Only if you want to use them

For paper it only matters above 16x20.

For film it matters if you need volume 5x7 or bigger. But paper drums can be pressed into service for this.

Some people report problems with 4x5 film and 2509N reels. Never had a problem myself.

 

[Petzi]

2. Is the loss of expert drums a big deal?

I see no problem getting an expert drum.

 

[Baxter Bradford]

The normal drums produce great results in an ATL-1000 or 2300. Any process.

The expert drums command a massive price. The std adjustment on the ATL-1000 gives pull of 1/2 stop through to a push of 1 1/2. An incentive to get better at metering!! Further out, then the hundreds you save from the 1500 will pay for a pro-lab to do the extra push or pull.

The bigger ATL machines go for less money here in the UK, since too bulky for the majority of potential users. Whereas the 1000 and 1500 are dear on rare occasions they appear.