I print Cibachrome routinely. I have a big JOBO ATL-2400. The Ciba P3 chemistry is only three steps. Develop, bleach, and fix. The chemistry is so stable that I mix 20 liters at a time and it sits in the tanks within my JOBO, with floating lids, for up to a year without degradation. I can walk in to my darkroom at any time, turn on the JOBO, put a transparency in my enlarger, and start printing. When the 20 liters runs out, it's easy to mix new P3 chemistry as it comes in liquid concentrates that mix 20 liters. Pour it in, add water, stir, done. The fix actually makes 25 liters so every fifth purchase of P3 chemistry, I don't have to buy the fix.
Even if the P3 chemistry stays in my processor long after is has gone bad, it doesn't gum-up anything. The way you know it's bad is that it won't process your paper. The chemistry doesn't go crazy, turn black, and gum-up stuff.
I hate RA4 chemistry!!!!! Where Ciba P3 chemistry will last, mixed, up to a year, RA4 chemistry under the exact same conditions (in my JOBO with floating lids) lasts only two weeks. Leave it in the machine for more than two weeks and you have a mess on your hands. The developer gums up the works. So when I want to print RA4, I have to mix chemistry for that session. So I try to mix only the amount I'll use. But because of test strips, I usually have to stop and mix chemistry mid printing session. So now I mix more than I really need. And when I'm finished printing color neg, I have to dump the remaining RA4 chemistry and meticulously clean that part of my processor. This is why I only very rarely print RA4. So for color, I shoot Velvia 50 and print Cibachrome.
For me, it's actually easier to print Ciba than B&W. For the most part, the chemistry is already mixed, all I do is print. I buy 20x24 and 11x14 Ciba paper. 20x24 paper cuts easily into 8x10 and 16x20 sizes. 11x14 is a bastard size and leaves scraps when cut out of 20x24. I use Ciba (Ilfochrome) CF.1k Low Contrast paper. It is fantastic stuff and precludes having to make contrast masks. I very rarely have to make a mask - maybe once a year.
Jim At 01:20 AM 5/21/2007 -0700, Charlie Thorsten wrote:
Wow you're bringing me back to my Type R printing days. What a beautiful process. The machine was a pain to keep clean and maintained (nine tanks versus four for RA4), but I loved the results. I have many of them still hanging on my walls! *sigh* But the great thing about B&W is I can do it occasionally as a hobby. Get out the trays a couple times a month, rinse them out afterwards, no problem. I don't have to worry about the R3 bleach-fix tanks building up sulfer anymore... AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Hehehehe...nevermind. :) -Charlie
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