John P
______________________________________
there is no "never" - just long periods of "not yet".
there is no "always" - just long periods of "so far".
Ken Norton <image66@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>..........
> I have quite a stash of exposed 'chromes that need to be processed and I'm
> thinking that it just might be time for me to go ahead and invest in an E6
> processor. I need to beable to process 35mm and 120/220. Sheet film
would
> be nice, but not necessary. Is there a decent processor in the under
$1500
> USD realm that would be foolproof enough for this dude who hardly ever
> follows instructions and figures that close is good enough when it comes
to
> temperatures/times etc? I want to beable to load the drums as instructed
> and then pop them into the machine and walk away (so to speak). Ability
to
> do push processing is crucial. Ok, I figure that I will probably need to
> watch a clock and push a button or two, but I want as many "human factors"
> minimized or eliminated as possible.
I think a Jobo will more than satisfy your E-6 requirements, Ken. Even the
entry level CPE-2 holds temp steady +/1 0.1 degree C. The other two models,
CPA and CPP are simply larger and slightly more feature loaded brethern to
the CPE. The *key* accessory on the Jobo is the lift. Without it, filling
and draining the processing drum is a serious pain, clumsy and error prone.
All but the CPP are less than $1500 new (B&H prices). Jobo also has a
couple of fully automated "load and walk away" models, but the price of
poker jumps a bunch for that. I see Jobos available used all the time, so
it's likely you can find a good deal.
I've done the aquarium heaters in a dish pan or cooler. It kinda sorta
most-of-the-time just about works. What it is not is convienent or
repeatable. In fact it's a pain. If it's all you can muster, sure. Tis
better than nothing at all.
The actual processing with a Jobo is semi-automatic, but fairly mindless.
You just have to pay attention to the timer. Fill, wait the alloted time,
drain, fill, wait, drain.... The temp control is so good and repeatable.
As long as you stick to one process temp (I do C-41 and RA-4, two different
temps) the "fiddle factor" is zero. Turn it on, wait two hours to get nice
and stable and process all day long. I've even turned it on the night
before and walked in first thing in the morning good to go. The standard
film processing tank and reels are all plastic but load easily and clean
well. The 35mm reel adjusts to hold 120 films and you can mix formats
simply. With different tank and extension modules you can process as few as
one or up to 8 rolls at a time. No wasted chemicals.
>
> This winter I'd like to have a contractor finish the rest of the basement
> and build me a ultra-cool darkroom. Karen has consented to losing a huge
> chunk of basement for the darkroom so I'm looking at a room about 12x15
> with a built in printwashing table and also a floating tray table. (A
> floating tray table, which goes by several different names, is a table
> which holds several inches of water temperature maintained with the
> chemical trays floating in it). The table will be large enough to handle
> 16x20 and 20x24 prints. Unless I come across one for sale, I'll have it
> built out of wood and fiberglass. I get the idea that it will stay with
> the house. Unless I get really crazy, the darkroom will be specifically
> for B&W. I'll leave the color stuff to digital printing.
Looks like you have the floating table well figured out. Yes, B&W is great
and has a magic all its own but don't be so stodgy about printing color;
it's not all that difficult with the Jobo. Once you have temp control for
films, print processing is a snap. If processing throughput (for
profitibility) is an issue, sure, use a lab. For personal printing, a home
color darkroom is quite a pleasure. Your only incremental expense is for
the drums specific to the desired print size. Jobo stuff is pricey
tho......
>
> Lastly, I'm going to be getting a new Mac with all the latest/greatest
> graphical/image/web development gizmos and will need a slide/negative
> scanner. The Nikon Coolscan 2000 is a wonderful widget, but are there any
> equivelent units that also scan up to 6x7 negs/trannies? I really want to
> drift over to medium format nearly exclusively and I'd like a scanner that
> supports it. I know of a huge drumscanner system for sale, but I have a
> hard time justifying losing half of the basement to keep it.
Hhehehehe....I see from a follow-up post you've discovered the *huge* leap
in scanner prices from 35mm to 120 and 4x5. Makes ya swallow hard, huh?
The guys on the astro list like the Polaroid scanners, mostly for their wide
dynamic range (D=3.4) and user interface software. The Nikon unit has been
getting bashed quite a bit for all the bells and whistles, at the expense of
direct control. I encourage you to look at the new HP unit, the S-20. Nice
little scanner and substantially less expensive than competing units. For
Web work it is more than enough. If large size prints (>11x14) are the
principle output, then I doubt it is the right tool for the job.
In the "for what it's worth" column, when you're looking for ventilation
fans, find the quietest ones you can. And put in more than enough to change
the air volume at least once every five minutes. My fan is too small and
far too loud. The drone of the fan is one of those background noises that
gets on my nerves after a few hours; I end up turning it off and putting up
with the smells, then running it when I take a break to vent the room.
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