jszokoli
Well-known
Pro-Mone / Cal,
When I try it I'll report...
Joe
When I try it I'll report...
Joe
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Joe,
Hurry-up. LOL.
I can see why in 4x5 the limited volume might be a factor/handicap, but certainly with smaller sheet sizes it will likely be moot. For 2x3 it would be hard to believe that uneven development would result, especially with less volume and mucho air in the tank.
Might I suggest that when developing 4x5 that you try and leave an air gap in the tank to help with circulating and agitating the developer. This piston of air might be just enough to avoid the "Pro-Mone Effect" of uneven development and streaking.
So now my reputation as a "Lazy Slacker" expands. How did I set Joe up as my unpaid consultant and independent lab to do my work for me? "I am a clever artist," I say. LOL.
Cal
stompyq
Well-known
It really doesn't annoy me. You'll deal with it not me. I've just gone down this path and wanted to give you some advice. But yeah, who knows. Maybe you'll get it to work. The Jobo was never inexpensive. They were going for $500 a few years ago (so 275 is a bargain). Patterson makes a nice 4x5 reel that fits the regular daylight tanks. Check that one out too.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Pro-Mone,
The JOBO's are rather elegant, but what a premium on their pricing. Kinda crazy.
I am loading up on darkroom gear. I have a Nikor rack/tray and 18 Nikor 120 reels for some serious medium format shooting. Perfect for dip and dunk.
I also have a lot of chemistry equipment and lab equipment, like a set of gram weights, a triple beam balance, ultrasonic cleaner, graduated cylinders, recycled brown gallon jugs that formally held alcohols... Not a problem to fill 3 1/2 gallon tanks.
One day I'll be making my own custom brews.
In storage is a complete darkroom that includes a Besseler 23C.
The mess I made creating negatives will take the rest of my life to print and edit. I kinda have an archive of the decade 2007-2017 in NYC.
Cal
stompyq
Well-known
The problem you'll run in to with the Nikon tanks (other than getting it to stop leaking) is artifacts from agitation. The Jobo solves this because you can just roll it on a counter top. I also think if you are planning on wet printing, diafine is severely limiting. I would expand and try other developers. Especially in 4x5 you can start exploring combinations that will not work with the smaller formats. Diafine is brilliant for scanning but not that great for anything else
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Pro-Mone,
I agree with you that Diafine is very agreeable with scanning. For wet printing on occassion Diafine does make brilliant negatives, especially under harsh high contrast lighting like night shooting, and summer shooting under bright intense sun.
It would be interesting to see your negatives that use Diafine as their developer. I have added density to mine via exposure, and lately I have been adding development to add back contrast and density. My idea is to make negatives that pretty much I could straight print. Pretty sure you would be surprise to see my negatives.
I have been using DDX and Rodinal 50:1 on slow speed films where grain does not get exaggerated like on high speed films. I'm liking liquid developers for convenience, but I still use Microphen.
I actually love the look of Kodak 5222 shot at 400 ISO dipped in Diafine. Kinda raw, edgy, and gritty with ideal contrast and mids. A voice of its own. Mucho better than Acros or Tri-X. For 135 I need no other film.
I have also been experimenting with FP4, Panchro 400, and Ferrania P30. The former two in 120 and with P30 with Alpha versions of 135. FP4 is available in 4x5, Panchro 400 should be released in 4x5 soon, and eventually P30 in 4x5 will also be available.
I've even been playing with Delta 400, Delta 3200, and Delta 100, but I think I like the retro style films better. Kinda funny that DDX at 8 minutes has this flexibility so I have this crazy idea of a mixed tank that has all these different films at different ISO's that exploit DDX at 8 minutes as the only overlapping commonality.
Been doing mucho experiments with Rollie 400S in 120 as test rolls with various developers. Not really a 400 ISO film, but more like 125-160 ISO. I'll be doing 15 foot rolls of 70mm to bring down costs so I can shoot my baby Linhof's like Leicas. Less than $3.00 a roll per 120 equiv.
I'm doing plenty of developers and films...
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Woah... something Cal finds pricey!!!
John,
Lately I've been just buying bargains because they were opportunities. The Linhof Tech IV with the 100 Planar was a $800.00 BIN from Israel.
The Nikor sheet film tank that Pro-Mone does not like was only $100.00 and actually was a low price.
The analog market is really full of bargains today, especially medium and larger formats. It seems a great opportunity for me.
Crazy that I can buy a stainless steel Nikor rack with 18 120 Nikor reels for $50.00 and free shipping.
Buying this stuff at these low prices is a no-brainer for me. I'm loading up and preparing...
Cal
jszokoli
Well-known
Well Cal, it kind does suck. I kind of looked it over and decided that as the top and bottom of the 'reel' are closed that inversion alone might not do the trick so I tried sort of spinning the tank while inverting. Well I got uneven development with a kind of bubbly look on what had been the top of the negatives.
The only positive was the stupid thing gave me a laugh when it kind of 'ejected' the negatives from the reel when I went to wash them...
Joe
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Joe,
Hope you did not loose anything good.
It' okay as a conversation piece.
For 4x5 I have dip and dunk taks with the capacity of up to 8x10. I have kodak film holders.
Cal