I started using film again a couple of months ago. Since then, I have had to send my film to a specialty lab for processing. That process was quite expensive. It took two weeks to receive the negatives back. Only then was I able to see any results. This wasn’t working for me, but I was at a loss as to how to solve it. I researched developing tanks for manual developing. I had used a JOBO in the past, so I was suspicious
I stumbled upon a tool that is solving that issue: the Stearman SP-645 4×5” sheet film developing tank. At first, I wasn’t impressed at all. It looked too simple to really process sheet film well. So, I did some research. I found several people had used it. They had success developing with it. So, I decided to take the plunge and see for myself
Stearman SP-645 4×5” Sheet Film Processing Tank
Looks are deceiving with this system! I developed two negatives last night, and before dawn today I processed the remaining four sheets of film. The results were far better than I had expected. This is a daylight developing tank. Once you load the film in the dark, you can complete the rest of the processing in the light.
Den, 11/24/2025 40min Exposure Developed ID-11 In Stearman tank
I am very happy with the results from the Ilford Delta 100 film developed in ID-11 developer. I’m getting a rich tonal range that I am happy with. So, I feel like I’m off to a good start with processing film in the SP-645 Stearman developing tank system.
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