Pink or Magenta Cast with T-max, new Tri-X, and other films (not blue or green cast)
Any of you folks use these and can offer some insight and experience?
To put it bluntly - I hate chemical development but do not trust my B&W sheets to a lab. I'm hoping the tubes are a better alternatives to my Jobo tank.
Guy I tried the tubes with a 4x5 sheet. They are ok but I did not like the idea that the developer cannot get to the back of the sheet and remove the antihalation dyes. They do produce very nice and even negatives if you are willing to work with them. I saw no advantage on using them, you still have to sit there and rotate the tubes, might as well do the tray thing. If you are planning on buying the kit, I would go with the Jobo expert drums on a beseler motor base. Good luck
I use Unicolor print drums on a motorized base. They have small ribs so the developer can get to both shides of the film. Development is even and controllable. The only catch is, they don't make them anymore so you have to buy them used.
Like you I hate developing film and have been using BTZS tubes for several years. I was at first concerned about the antihalation layer not being removed and having to open the tube in subdued light to pour away the dev and introduce stop bath and to date I have bever had any problems with either. My negatives are evenly developed, the system is felxible in that I can develop 6 sheets of film together that require different development times and remove the individual tube at the predetermined time because I mark the development time on the space provided on the tube. The system is also inexpensive to tun because it uses so little developer.
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Thanks folks!
One more question, and tell me if this is inappropriate for this forum - would the antihalation layer create any issues when scanning the neg?
Guy
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C'mon Guy we are anti digital we just want not to have to discuss it at every turn..
If you leave the antihalition dye you probably will have to play with the color curves if you scan in color. I imagine if you scan in B&W you would probably see some added density which that in itself might not be a bad thing.
I use the BTZS tubes (Homemade versions) sucsessfully and remove the anti-halation dyes (which are not always evident) by soaking all negatives in Kodak Hypo-reducing Agent for 2-3 mins after fixing which is advised by Phil Davis in his book. This seems to do the trick for me
Phill
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So it doesn't matter then that one side of the film is always against the tube? That's really surprising as I would've thought that both sides of the negative need to be exposed to developer. What side is supposed to be to the interior/the side that gets the developer?
Pink or Magenta Cast with T-max, new Tri-X, and other films (not blue or green cast) 
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