cmedin
Well-known
Anybody here try stand developing 4x5 in Rodinal, say 1:200 or higher? If so, were you happy with the results?
Stand developing 4x5
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feenej
Well-known
I had good results with 120 film, HP5. I don't even know what a 4x5 tank looks like, actually. Do you develop that one sheet at a time?
cmedin
Well-known
The one I have holds 4 sheets. It's a drum and has two sets of slots on opposing sides where you slide in the negs, separated by stoppers to keep them from sliding over each other. It wold need probably half a gallon to fill, which is why I'd need some serious dilution of the developer to avoid it costing a fortune to do stand development. 🙂
feenej
Well-known
Sounds really cool. I wish my enlarger took 4x5; I might buy a Ukranian 4x5 camera.
cmedin
Well-known
You can get the Omega D-series for next to nothing these days. I have a D2 which handles everything up to 4x5 and while it's a giant clunky beast it works wonderfully. 🙂
You can always contact print too, 4x5 contact prints are small but have real beauty to them.
You can always contact print too, 4x5 contact prints are small but have real beauty to them.
feenej
Well-known
I'll ask my brother if he has a 4x5 I could try out. He's a collector.
drewbarb
picnic like it's 1999
I develop 4x5 in open tanks with single and multi sheet hangers. You can get tanks and hangers new, but I buy them on eBay. Last year I paid around $12 for a lot of 35 or so single sheet stainless steel hangers. These things are selling cheap these days. B&H sells Yankee open tanks new for $15 or so. (Enter code YATU on their webpage). You need a darkroom that is truly pitch dark, and you really need to have someone who's done it walk you through it the first time to help you establish your movement routine and show you how to agitate correctly, but with some experience it's a piece of cake to sit in the dark and run film.
The Yankee tanks hold about a half gallon of solution, and can handle up to a dozen sheets at a time. I tend to run 10 or 11 sheets at a go with no crowding problems. Much nicer to get ten or eleven sheets than 4, but it does require a DARKroom. I change the chemistry after 3 or 4 runs with most developers; Rodinal has to be changed sooner. I have not tried stand development with this set-up, however- I'd rather not sit in the dark with film for an hour.
I'll second the recomendation for Omega D series enlargers. They are great. The newer D5, D5500, and D6 chassis especially are simple, tough, and dead easy to keep aligned properly. D5's can be had cheaply if you look around; the D2's are great, too, if slightly more fussy.
4x5 is a great format- contact prints from it do look great. I shoot 35mm as a carry around note-taking camera, and for shots that need speed and serendipity. The 4x5 is my "real" camera. Sometimes I re-visit things I grabbed with the Leica, to work those ideas more thoroughly. I sold my medium format gear. For me, it's big or small.
The Yankee tanks hold about a half gallon of solution, and can handle up to a dozen sheets at a time. I tend to run 10 or 11 sheets at a go with no crowding problems. Much nicer to get ten or eleven sheets than 4, but it does require a DARKroom. I change the chemistry after 3 or 4 runs with most developers; Rodinal has to be changed sooner. I have not tried stand development with this set-up, however- I'd rather not sit in the dark with film for an hour.
I'll second the recomendation for Omega D series enlargers. They are great. The newer D5, D5500, and D6 chassis especially are simple, tough, and dead easy to keep aligned properly. D5's can be had cheaply if you look around; the D2's are great, too, if slightly more fussy.
4x5 is a great format- contact prints from it do look great. I shoot 35mm as a carry around note-taking camera, and for shots that need speed and serendipity. The 4x5 is my "real" camera. Sometimes I re-visit things I grabbed with the Leica, to work those ideas more thoroughly. I sold my medium format gear. For me, it's big or small.
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