Sparrow
Veteran
plastic, because I'm cheap, folk give them away, they are easier to use and I have a dishwasher if they start sticking.
and they survive being dropped on the floor unlike the metal ones which never work again and are for making life more complicated
and they survive being dropped on the floor unlike the metal ones which never work again and are for making life more complicated
RandyB
Member
Either type will serve you well IF you learn the quirks of each. I have both, but for the past 39 years I've used the Paterson plastic and Jobo plastic in the last 10 years. One thing to keep in mind is developer volume of the tank. You can buy 8 oz SS tanks that will process 1 roll of 35mm film well but only if you are using full strength developer. If you dilute your dev 1:1, 1:3 or greater you won't have enough base dev to properly develop the film in a small tank. I've been using highly dilute dev's for years and have found that a 3 reel Paterson tank that holds 1000cc of chemistry works very well. You can use a larger SS tank for the same technique but they do take longer to fill and empty. The longer fill/empty times with the dilute dev in the larger SS tanks will not be a big factor in the development of the film, it's just an anoyance compared to the quicker fill/empty times of the plastic tanks.
SS does conduct heat/cold whereas plastic doesn't in the time span of development. If you agitate every 30sec./1min with SS you can raise the dev temp a few degrees just from the heat in your hands so you have to learn adjustments in you technique.
Where SS does shine is in processing color film, E6, C41. you don't dilute the chemicals past stock dilution and you do have a smaller quanity, 16oz/32oz to work with. Here the conduction is a plus in maintaning the elevated temps that you will be working with.
So, the short answer is to get each type, learn each type and process lots of film. Be happy.
SS does conduct heat/cold whereas plastic doesn't in the time span of development. If you agitate every 30sec./1min with SS you can raise the dev temp a few degrees just from the heat in your hands so you have to learn adjustments in you technique.
Where SS does shine is in processing color film, E6, C41. you don't dilute the chemicals past stock dilution and you do have a smaller quanity, 16oz/32oz to work with. Here the conduction is a plus in maintaning the elevated temps that you will be working with.
So, the short answer is to get each type, learn each type and process lots of film. Be happy.