Zone VI Comp Dev Timer

photobackpacker · Apr 29, 2005

I own one of these units and it is great for paper development. It has a film compensation mode. Have any of you who own one of these used it in the "film" mode?

MurrayMinchin · Apr 29, 2005

Hi Bruce,

That's funny! I own one too but only use it in "film" mode, never in "print" mode. (For prints I use an emergence area multiplied by a factor to find my development time, using the timers "real" time mode).

It works for my negatives just fine. It's the only timer I've used to tray develop my 4x5 negatives, so I can't make any comparisons with another method or timer. All I can say is that winter or summer (cooler - warmer darkroom), 1 negative or 6 negatives (fingers hardly in developer - fingers in all the time), my negatives are consistant.

I don't know what film - developer - dilution - temperature - agitation - time combination Zone VI used to get the time/temperature curves that they used for the timer...all I know is that it works for my Tri-X in HC-110.

Murray

Daniel Grenier · Apr 29, 2005

I use mine for both film and paper. For film, it is only a (temperature corrected) guide as I develop by inspection. For paper, I find it useful as my darkroom is very cold and the temp compensation capability is useful for me as I use 1 minute development times which would result in sizable variations if I used a straight timer in my cold dev.

Peter Schrager · Apr 29, 2005

Zone VI timer

The timer works darn well if you keep from the extremes. I like to develop my films at about 75 degrees in xtol 1:1 or in pyro at 2:2:100. For the xtol I just figured out my developing times. For pyro I develop by inspection. Same goes for the print mechanism. In the winter I use an in-water heater that goes in an oversized tray which keeps the dev. at a constant 72 degrees.I can then use the timer in the print mode or regular time mode as the temp is consitant it won't make a difference from print to print. I only started to do this after the timer broke the last time and Calumet informed me that they will no longer be servicing these timers. Overall my consistency has improved and I will be able to go anywhere in the world and develop my negatives by time and temperature with indentical results.
Regards, Peter

MurrayMinchin · Apr 29, 2005

peters said:
In the winter I use an in-water heater that goes in an oversized tray which keeps the dev. at a constant 72 degrees.
Peter

Please share!

Murray

msage · Apr 29, 2005

I also have the Zone VI timer and like it alot. But I thought it had a lifetime warranty. I guess it is not my lifetime.

Peter Schrager · Apr 29, 2005

Heater

Murray- I believe the heater was purchased from B+H and it is made by Arkay(?)
who make darkroom products. Cost should be under $100. It is totally submersible. At first I was reluctant to use it for the obvious reasons-shock! but then I said the hell with it and in the winter you just can't beat it. Even now here in New England if I'm working serious I plug it in and away I go!
I thought the Zone-VI equipment was lifetime also but when Mr. Picker sold the company Calumet shucked that idea first. Most of the stuff has held out quite well although I had to do some surgery to my washer after 20 years!
Regards, Peter

Neil Poulsen · May 29, 2005

I did some testing with this timer using the Ilford tables for HP5. For about a 13 minute development time, it was off by about 3 seconds for each degree difference from 68 deg. (My timer has minimum compensation at 68 deg.) I considered this to be quite good performance. I've also done some testing over multiple days and find that this timer enables very consistent development from one day to the next.

Has Calumet discontinued this timer? I don't see it on their webpage.

hortense · May 29, 2005

I purchased mine when Zone VI Studios first released it. It was repaired about 2-years ago by Calument (no charge).

BruceN · May 30, 2005

Actually, it's my understanding that the compensation curve is exactly the same for both "film" and "paper" modes. The only difference is that the display is much dimmer in the "film" mode. I use mine all the time, but I generally use it in "real time" mode. Since I generally keep my darkroom and chemicals at 68 degrees I hardly ever need to compensate.

Bruce

hortense · May 30, 2005

Bruce - According to supplementary information supplied by Fred in one of his Newsletters, the Print timer setting is for print developers and the Negative timer setting is for negative developers (the so called standard ones at the time). Respectively I've use Dektol (and for several years now D-73) and for negatives HC110, D-76, and Phenisol). The Chairman of the Harvard Physics Dept.(who later designed the circuitry) and Fred did a survey finding that all the print developers used in that day had the same curve - and the same was true for negative developers.

photobackpacker · May 30, 2005

Thats what I understand. I am told that the curve match for t-grain films is not a good one. Calumet quit making these because one of the components became scarce and the unit would have required a redesign.

BruceN · May 30, 2005

I stand corrected. The sparse paperwork supplied with mine only says that the display dims in the "film" mode.

Bruce N.

hortense · May 30, 2005

blaughn - That right; I forgot! When at one of John Sexton's workshops, he mentioned that T-grained film curve did not match the one programed into the timer.

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