Photokina CPP3 review posted

[CatLABS]

I just came back from photokina, where i met with Jobo officials, and reps from many other companies.
I had an opprrotunity to check out and play with the new Jobo CPP3 and have lengthy discussions with the engineers and designers of the new machine.
I will be updating more about photokina news
Here are some of my experiences (and a few photos):

The Jobo booth at photokina was a bustling hub of interest for the many film users who visited Photokina this year. Jobo is amongst the few companies offering analog photographic film products who were represented in the show, and is one of the only companies in the world currently offering a unique film processing system that is suitable for both home and low volume users as well as major top end photo labs offering industry standard film processing.

For the first time at the show, Jobo has publicly shown the very much anticipated new film processor - the CPP3. This machine is the first new film processor design in many years and one of very few currently available film processing machine. The Jobo CPP3, along with the Jobo tank system is a stand alone system, that encompases the ability to process any analog photographic media from BW roll film, to 20X24 inch sheets of RA4 paper or ULF in practically any format and process available.

The new system is fully backwards compatible with all existing Jobo drums, reels and many other components, such as the lift. Our hands on testing and experience with the new machine was incredible. The machine boasts an 'ATL' like control panel, with a huge, blue glowing multi tasking LCD panel.
The new machine includes several improvements, the chief one being a built in fully programmable process timer, similar in operation to the well established Jobo timer 8\16. The timer and display offers an audible and visual alert for the user as process stages progress, and also helps start stop the main rotation motor as needed.

With 32 channels (which come pre programmed with some popular processes, but that are fully user programmable) the possibilities are endless. A suggested foot switch, similar to the one used on the Jobo timers, and on many enlargers will allow the user two free hands is being discussed by R&D folks at Jobo.

The new machine also has a newly designed thermostat control, which like the timer control is extremely programmable and flexible and offers the user control not seen before. Motor speed control is also fully controllable via the electronic interface, Jobo say they are working on a way to combine the motor speed setting control with appropriate process\format user input, that might be integrated into the timer channel programming.

Many of our customers are asking about the motor in the new unit - the motor is a newer version of the ATL motor, stronger then ever before, supported by stronger board components, making is suitable for use with any of the Jobo drums, and especially for Jobo Expert drums (3000 series drums). The stronger motors insures a longer life span, better reliability and a larger max capacity (Pyro users will be happy to know that even though there is no official number from Jobo we suspect it to be much more then the 1200ml max of the past allowing for larger loads of stock solution per square inch in the drums)

As before, a cold water inlet solenoid will take care of over heating by introducing cold water into the trough.

The all black finish of the machine looks sleek and clean. The materials are more robust the ever before.

Check out the blog for more info, and more updates that will be posted soon.

CatLABS of JP
Darkroom service and resources
www.catlabs.info
http://processorparts.blogspot.com

[Rafal Lukawiecki]

Thank you for posting, very interesting. Did you have a chance to find out if the build quality of the gear/bearings has been changed and improved? I am asking with regards to longevity and reliability of the mechanism, especially when used with Expert drums.

[CatLABS]

Yes - i had a lengthy conversation with the Jobo engineer directly responsible for the machines internal design. The new motor and supporting DC boards are all new, and much stronger then the previous versions - all specifically designed to meet the heavier loads of Expert drums, as well as provide much better reliability and longevity in general.

[Wolfeye]

Any word on what this might cost? I'm a small time user, I hand-develop only 100 or so rolls of color film a year, but it'd be nice to have a reliable, consistent, and inexpensive machine do it all for me.

[CatLABS]

The official MSRP at the moment is 2000GPB in the UK\Europe (subtract VAT and ad SHIPPING) and you can get an idea of what the US price might be. At the moment Jobo is still working on the 115V machine, and we will update as soon as there is any news on that.

[pentaxuser]

we will update as soon as there is any news on that.

In the context of the thread does "we" indicate a connection with Jobo. If not is "we" a group or company. It might of course be the "royal we"

Our Queen uses the word we when really referring to herself

pentaxuser

[CatLABS]

Me, like the big lobowski (him being the royal we), use "WE" to indicate that CatLABS is a company. I myself have no queen... but i think i have heard her majesty use this form of language.

As noted about the thread - the implied connection to Jobo suggested in this thread is in fact, well, a fact. We (CatLABS) source parts, and supply service to Jobo machines and users through our direct connection to Jobo in Germany.

[polyglot]

Blue-glowing control panel, huh? Is it just me or does that mean it's no good for use in a darkroom for processing prints? That would be pretty sad as that constitutes about half the use on my CPP2. I tape over the LED temperature display when processing RA4 but suspect that usability of the CPP3 would be much more-impacted by covering its display.

Can you at least turn the backlight off and still read the LCD in good light?

[CatLABS]

Polygot - one of the MANY user controls on the new machine is the ability to control the light intensity of the back light, i think there are ten settings, from ultra bright all the way down to no back light at all. Did i say this machine is amazing yet?

[frotog]

Sounds pretty slick, what with all the blue lights (used to be red) and the thing that goes beep (I'd probably turn it off). Oh, and how could I forget the programming of the sequence so I don't have to manually switch off the motor between baths?

I bought my cpp-2 new back in the mid-nineties from calumet. I think I paid close to $1,300 for it. Sure, it has its wonky bits, like the lame, under-built lift handle... But its been almost twenty years and I've yet to replace circuitry or motors (I have a post 24xxxx serial number which evidently means it has the strong motor) and I routinely use my jobo with more than a litre of chem. The machine is robust! So much so that I wonder who will be buying the cpp3? Even with the ridiculous prices people are putting on used machines and replacement parts on the market, paying another $1,600 for the dubious upgrades of the cpp3 just does not make sense. Serious color photographers know that jobo results can't compete with what they get from their pro-lab. Most b/w film users who are deep enough into their hobby already have their jobos. So they must be counting on the lomo-wielding 20-something hipsters who've recently embraced film as a kind of lifestyle affectation.
All you lomophiles prize evenly developed film, right?

Probably not a good bet.