Who wants to go shoping for me? :D

Alright, im looking to set up small dark room for developing only.

I will be developing 35,120,4x5... should be all B&W.

if you can make a list a set on www.bhphotovideo.com i would be extreamly greatfull.

I was mostly looking at JOBO but honestly they started confusing me.

just go to ilford's site and find the pdf file that will list the basic stuff that you will need. with list in hand the rest is easy.

Dear FootNote,

While I love to spend other people's money, it seems odd to me that someone looking to develop 4x5 would have trouble making up such a list. What gives?

Neal Wydra

Neal,

Well im looking at.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25557-REG/Jobo_J2523_2_Reel_Tank_with_Cog.html

In the description, it says "All 2500 series tanks come with either a cog gear or magnet attached (this tank has a cog gear). The reason is that these tanks are too large for inversion (hand) processing and as such should be used with a Jobo processor."

Does this mean i cant develop film without buying something else to go along with it?

If you are just getting into it, do your sheet film in a tray, and get a small inversion tank for the roll film. No need for anything fancy. Just my advice to keep it simple.

You can perfectly well use the 2500 series tank for inversion processing, I've done 4x5 that way in mine, and it works well. The downside is that it uses quite a lot of chemistry, they used to print the capacity right on the side for inversion use, but IDK if the tanks are still printed that way.
It holds 1200 ml or so for inversion use.
You might want to reserve the 2521 for 4x5 and get a smaller tank, Jobo, or otherwise, to use for smaller formats.
I understand that you can also use a Beseler or similar motor base, using the tank on its side with rotation it can work with 270 ml, as stated in the description. I happen to have a Jobo processor, so that's generally the way I work with it, but doing so isn't essential in the way that B&H implies. You would want the magnet type though, if inversion is your plan, as that one comes with a lid that has a cap, as illustrated in this link http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25558-REG/Jobo_J2521_2_Reel_Tank_with_Magnet.html. The magnet part isn't meaningful for you if you aren't using it in a Jobo processor.

David makes a good point, if you're just starting out, and only processing a few sheets at a time, tray processing works well. It does require that you have a darkroom, or a room that can be made completely dark for the duration of the processing time, however.

No, you can use 2500 series tanks for hand inversion, on a manual roller base, on a Jobo (magnet drive for those units without the lift accessory, cog drive for the lift accessory) or on a Uniroller or similar non-Jobo electric roller base. Unless you are going to use a Jobo with a lift accessory, you should be using the magnet base tanks with the snap on lid like this :

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25558-REG/Jobo_J2521_2_Reel_Tank_with_Magnet.html

But in a way, "Does this mean i cant develop film without buying something else to go along with it?" is true because besides the tank you need the appropriate reel for holding the film.

For the 2500 series tanks, this is the reel for roll film:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25522-REG/Jobo_J2502_Adjustable_Reel_for_35mm.html

And for sheet film, this is the reel :
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25534-REG/Jobo_J2509N_4x5_Sheet_Film_Reel.html

And I think you also need to get the plastic core for the tank, probably doesn't come with one. You need the correct length. I believe the tank link I gave above is a "two reel" tank meaning it will hold 2 35mm configured reels (one 120/220 configured or one 4x5 reel). But I didn't see the core right off. There used to be tank "kits" where you could get a 2500 series tank and reel set (4x5 or the roll film type) and plastic core as a package deal. Call B&H or Freestyle Photo and ask about a kit.

On the other hand, if you are planning on only doing inversion or stand processing and not using a roller base then you might be better off (financially) getting a less expensive tank like a Patterson or Hewes for the roll film and doing your 4x5 in trays. Less of an investment.

FootNote said:

Neal,

Well im looking at.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/25557-REG/Jobo_J2523_2_Reel_Tank_with_Cog.html

In the description, it says "All 2500 series tanks come with either a cog gear or magnet attached (this tank has a cog gear). The reason is that these tanks are too large for inversion (hand) processing and as such should be used with a Jobo processor."

Does this mean i cant develop film without buying something else to go along with it?

Click to expand...

The 2500 series tanks were specifically designed for use with jobo rotary processors. If you want to do hand processing using inversion then the 1500 series tanks are better. Except however in the case of 4x5 because there is no 1500 series tank for 4x5. So if you want to do 4x5 by hand with inversion, then the tank to get for that is the 2521 and the 2509N 4x5 reel. You do not need the magnet base for it and it should have the lid top and not the cog lid.

For 35mm and 120 you need the 1520 tank with two reels. Again no magnet and with a lid not a cog.
If you are on a tight budget the you could just get the 2521 and use it for 35mm, 120mm and 4x5, but it will cost more in the long run because its wasteful of chemistry (it requires much more volume than 1500 series tanks when hand processing).

On the other hand, if you are getting a jobo rotary processor, then the 2523 (two reel ) or 2553 (five reel) tank with cog lid and no magnet is the one to go for on processors with a lift. Either of these tanks will do 35mm, 120 and 4x5 with the correct reels.

Processors without the lift require magnet base in which case the 2521 or 2551 tanks without a cog are the ones to go for.


see this page for details:

Dead Link Removed

Dear FootNote,

If you are going to do a lot of film developing, a Jobo rotary processor is just the thing. Not a cheap way in, but you can really crank out a lot of film with consistent technique. Check out the CPE2+.

If you really are just starting out, consider a Jobo 2521 tank, a 2509N reel for 4x5, 2 2502 reels for 35mm and 120/220 (the tank will hold only one reel for 120/220 film), and a Jobo 1509 roller base. You can load the 4x5 reels by hand to save some money, but I do like the 2502 film guide and 2508 loading base for convenience.

I hope this helps.

Neal Wydra

Neal said:

Dear FootNote,

If you are going to do a lot of film developing, a Jobo rotary processor is just the thing. Not a cheap way in, but you can really crank out a lot of film with consistent technique. Check out the CPE2+.

If you really are just starting out, consider a Jobo 2521 tank, a 2509N reel for 4x5, 2 2502 reels for 35mm and 120/220 (the tank will hold only one reel for 120/220 film), and a Jobo 1509 roller base. You can load the 4x5 reels by hand to save some money, but I do like the 2502 film guide and 2508 loading base for convenience.

I hope this helps.

Neal Wydra

Click to expand...

I would add that try to find yourself a motorized rollerbase (about $25, used) and forget about the manual roller base (1509)

Or if you absolutely want the base, I have one brand new never used

Marc

Thermometer, graduated cylinder, a couple of trays, 3 bottles for developer/stop/fix, a wire and clips for hanging, and a cheap ebay unicolor base & light-safe processing drums for your chosen film sizes are all you really need. Get a spiral tank for your 35mm & 120 films, and an 8x10 PRINT drum for your 4x5 sheet film, and you're set.

And plastic negative sleeves.

Neal said:

Dear FootNote,

If you are going to do a lot of film developing, a Jobo rotary processor is just the thing. Not a cheap way in, but you can really crank out a lot of film with consistent technique. Check out the CPE2+.

If you really are just starting out, consider a Jobo 2521 tank, a 2509N reel for 4x5, 2 2502 reels for 35mm and 120/220 (the tank will hold only one reel for 120/220 film), and a Jobo 1509 roller base. You can load the 4x5 reels by hand to save some money, but I do like the 2502 film guide and 2508 loading base for convenience.

I hope this helps.

Neal Wydra

Click to expand...

Thanks Neal,

This is actually what i ended up going with.

Now my question is what do i need to buy so i can do two 120 reels at once? Or will it be big enough alone for it?

Dear FootNote,

You can put two rolls of 120 on one reel. When you get the reels you will see a little red tab. You pop it up and load the first roll. You then pop it down and load the second roll. The tab keeps the rolls separate. (Dead Link Removed)

For more than one 120 reel, you will need a larger tank. The 255X tanks accept 3 reels set for 120 film.

I think you will really like your setup. Keep an eye out for a CPE2+. They can often be had cheaply on ebay when they don't come with a lift.

Neal Wydra