Lab-Box: A new type of Rondinax

This looks really interesting, I'll keep an eye out for this on Kickstarter.

I'm not sure what they mean by "The first multi-format, daylight-loading film developing tank" though, as that's surely what all the current tanks are? Unless they mean that you don't need a changing bag or something crazy like that
 
Cool. Another dev tank to sit on the shelf that is more sophisticated than the other ones :)

You don't need a changing bag for the rondinax 35mm as you feed the film leader on then wind it on. The kent one is the same. Once it's attached then you shut it up so the film can be wound in darkness in the tank and you can have your choice of lighting outside of the tank.
 
I think that the others are only 35mm or 120... I may be wrong about that though.
 
I'd love to see how they separate the paper from the film for 120.

I don't think that from an engineering point of view that this would be difficult, however I am a shiny-ar*ed clerk so what do I know. :D
 
I don't think that from an engineering point of view that this would be difficult, however I am a shiny-ar*ed clerk so what do I know. :D

I don't think it will be that simple, there is quite a lot of paper to begin with so the user can't clip something to separate them at the beginning, there is also quite a lot of paper to deal with after you've got them apart and you'd need to get that paper out before you start adding chemicals so that's another potential point of light entry.
 
Erm...the main difficulty I could see would be the tape holding the film and backing paper together at the end of the roll once it's spooled onto the developing reel. It's a pretty strong bond but if they were separated at the right angle I guess it would come away reasonably well. I'd imagine that the 120 version has two clips, one attaches to the backing paper and one to the film so they are pulled either onto different reels or the backing paper could actually be fed straight out of the unit through a sealed strip like on a 35mm canister and removed before the development starts?

The site doesn't really give any technical details about the unit so I guess we'll have to wait and see the Kickstarter.
 
Interesting idea! I didn't know about the Rondinax Tank before I read this thread either, so you learn something new every day! I'm sure it will be pricey, but I'm interested to see how they get the paper off 120 film too, so I signed up.
 
I'd imagine that the 120 version has two clips, one attaches to the backing paper and one to the fil

Obviously just speculation but I'd be very nervous unrolling a 120 cartridge as far as the top of the actual film. I await the technical details.
 
Obviously just speculation but I'd be very nervous unrolling a 120 cartridge as far as the top of the actual film. I await the technical details.

I do this for every roll of 120 that I develop. I unroll it just enough that the tip of the film is showing so that I can snip the corners off to make it easier to get on the spool. Obviously the very end of the film comes out totally black but I've never had any problems as long as you keep the roll tight and only expose the first couple of mm.
 
I do this for every roll of 120 that I develop. I unroll it just enough that the tip of the film is showing so that I can snip the corners off to make it easier to get on the spool. Obviously the very end of the film comes out totally black but I've never had any problems as long as you keep the roll tight and only expose the first couple of mm.

Interesting. I've always done 120 fully in the dark bag, I stopped clipping the edges pretty early on too though. I personally don't find it any easier so decided to remove the risk to my fingers and the dark tent.
 
The bulk of the 'extra' backing paper is at the start of the roll so once it's fully wound on to the other reel when you finish shooting I don't think there' that much extra is there? Either way, so long as the backing paper can be fed through the separate slot I guess it doesn't matter how much there is as it's kept away from the film in the tank.
 
With the original Agfa Rondinax 60 daylight developing tank, the backing paper is fed through a slit to the outside. When the tank sealed, you pull the backing paper and this feeds the film into a light proof cassette inside the tank. The paper remains outside.
 
You don't need a changing bag for the rondinax 35mm as you feed the film leader on then wind it on. The kent one is the same. Once it's attached then you shut it up so the film can be wound in darkness in the tank and you can have your choice of lighting outside of the tank.

Oh, I didn't know this. I'm much more excited about the idea now :D
 
You don't need a changing bag for the rondinax 35mm as you feed the film leader on then wind it on. The kent one is the same. Once it's attached then you shut it up so the film can be wound in darkness in the tank and you can have your choice of lighting outside of the tank.

Cue umpteen redundant changing bags going for peanuts in the classifieds:D
 
Interestingly, if you click on 120 on their web site, you get a different tank appearance (additional knob) than if you click on 135. So much for multi-format?

As some know, I use a Rondinax 35. I use a somewhat slower wind technique than illustrated in that video (post 20): two part winds 1 second apart, then wait for 2 seconds, repeat. Even so, I occasionally get developer drag effects on the final negative. One I developed this week from the Magpie mine had two darker towers against a mid-grey sky; immediately above the towers (in the positive) the sky is noticeably lighter... my first mental image of how this might have happened is clearly wrong when I think about it more carefully, so I'm a bit bemused.
 
The left side of the unit is a separate part which I'd assume is interchanged depending on the type of film you're developing. Looking at the video of the original Rondinax 60, you will need to wind on a 120 film to get the paper backing to eject initially whereas with 35mm you just attach the film direct to the loading mechanism without needing to remove a backing paper, which would explain the additional knob for 120.
 
I just got the email too! €79 is a bit steep for a daylight tank... interesting design, though.
 
Hmmm. €108 including delivery for the two module option (135 and 120). I'm interested but that does seem expensive. 10% covered in the first few minutes, though!

EDIT: Nick, what you have done??? You tell TP/F&C about this and next minute their web site's crashed!!!
 
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To think I already have 3 daylight tanks which I don't use and nearly decided to get one of these. I need help!
 
It's a good idea, has a proven market (rising interest in film photography), launching their KickStarter at the right time (Kodak announcing relaunch of Ektachrome so it's in the news) but I guess I'm not in the target market because as far as I can see, it only replaces the changing bag stage of what I do now plus I can only process one roll at a time.

Wish I'd thought of it though. Good luck to 'em. :)
 
I think I'll make do with the under-stairs cloakroom and my second-hand Paterson System 4 tank! I'm just waiting till the weather gets better and I move back to 100 ISO Acros instead of XP2 before I have a go at home developing B&W film again. Roll on spring. :)
 
Hmmm. €108 including delivery for the two module option (135 and 120). I'm interested but that does seem expensive. 10% covered in the first few minutes, though!

I just got the email too! €79 is a bit steep for a daylight tank... interesting design, though.

Doesn't look too expensive when the last two Rondinax 60's have sold on the well known auction site for £245 & £261 respectively.
 
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Doesn't look too expensive when the last two Rondinax 60's have sold on the well known auction site for £245 & £261 respectively.

Given the type of thing it is and the development that has gone into it, I think it is a reasonable price. However, as Dean says, you can only do one at a time and it's a rare thing indeed for me to only have one film to dev. I might still get one though, could be useful at times.
 
The 35mm versions normally make £50-£60 and the 120 versions, being much rarer, go fo silly money.
 
Eeek! Maybe it IS worth it... though I don't shoot any 120 at the mo...
 
Second hand Paterson System 4 tank to take 35mm or 120 can be had for around £10-15 or less (just make sure it's got the grey sealing ring round the top of the tank body!), and a changing bag for around £25. The difference would buy quite a lot of Agfa Vista or another old camera. To be honest, I think I'd want to wait and find out how well it works on 120 first before parting with over £100 too?
 
That is true, we all know that a secondhand standard developing tank and changing bag can be had for a fraction of the cost, however you're comparing apples with oranges, the Lab-Box has to be judged against the Rondinax as it's pretty much the only similar option out there and as such is pretty good value for money imho.
 
Agreed, it's not the same type of tank, but the end result should be the same, so I think the cost is relevant when considering options for home developing. I like the concept and it seems to be nicely designed, but I'd want to be fully confident that it works well on 120 before I bought one.

If you watch the 'How It Works' video (around the 1:59 to 2:00 mins mark), unless I'm mistaken, there seems to be a bit of a crease/pucker starting to appear on the 120 film as it loads onto the spool? It only shows this for a moment at the end of that particular 'loading scene', so I can't tell if it's just a momentary thing that would sort itself out as the winding continues? Have a look and see what you think.
 
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