How to install a Zone VI cold light on an Omega D2v?

[Bogdan Karasek]

hello,


A friend who was moving out of the city, closed down his darkroom and gave me his Omega D2v along with a lot of other darkroom stuff... JOBO, etc. Anyway, The D2v comes with the condensor head installed and a Zone VI coldlight head that is in a box. I already have a D2v with condensors. I will be enlarging my darkroom this summer, installing a long sink etc. I would like to make plans to install the D2v that I just received but with a cold light head. There's also a Durst 5x7. I searched the internet for an explanation on how to make the conversion, but I would like to see some pictures of a D2v with the cold light mounted. If anybody has that combination, I was wondering if they could take some pictures and post them. So much easier.

Thank you!

[Robert Langham]

Thumbscrew the whole head off the lift attachments and get it down to tabletop. Take off aluminum collar, remove the condenser glass and drop in the Zone VI light. On the top black metal part of the condenser head, where the light bulb and the mounting attachments are is where the Z VI wires will come out. Thats an easy take-off as well. Bulb and original wiring has to come out but it can't be more than a couple screws.

Before installing the Z VI plug it in to make sure it works. Give the diffusion glass or plastic a good look for dirt on the inside or smears on outside. Clean with lens tissue or something equally soft and abrasive free IF you see something.

Put the whole thing back on enlarger and you are set. The top will be open where you took off the bulb housing. May want to seal that up with foam core but keep in mind the Zone VI light still can generate a little heat. Might just leave it open. Bungie the wires out of the way or trail them back over the enlarger- they just can't hang up and put tension on the head if you are running it up and down the column a lot.

Bear in mind that many cold light heads, esp the Z VI, are cool-blue and print contrasty on multigrade papers. The color is so blue that it is hard to get much contrast response out of filters under the lens. They made a later model with a warmer head that is more filter-friendly.

I'd run a field-illumination test as well. The Zone VI is basically an Aristo with a couple of nice modifications. They barely cover a 4X5 neg. Run a whole sheet of paper in the easel, (with no negative carrier), at about Zone VI exposure and see how even it prints. Could be hotspots and dark corners. Probably better with roll film which just uses the center of the light source.

Nice to get stuff free!


The Dot at Shiprock.

[William Whitaker]

It's important to realize (if you don't, already) that a cold light source needs to sit close to the negative. In fact, in theory it is in contact with the negative, although that is not the case in practice. So make sure that your cold light is seated securely at the bottom of the condenser well and not situated higher up and away from the negative. Once you get the condensers removed and start putting it together, it should become more intuitive.

[Bogdan Karasek]

Thank you very much for the information. At least now I have a starting point., although if anyone can send me a picture, that would be appreciated.

[Mark Sampson]

It's easier than you think. The issue will be obtaining consistent light output; as you probably know, cold-lights vary output with temperature. You'll need a Z-VI stabilizer or one of the compensating timers in order to get consistent results without a great deal of frustration and wasted paper.

[dsphotog]

The coldlight head will have 2 cords one to the timer- controls the light,
the other is a heater to make the light output more consistent.
Let it warm-up about 10 min. before printing.
Don't leave the heater plugged in after your printing session!
I use a plug strip for the timer, heater, safelight, to turn everything off when not in use.

[dsphotog]

It's easier than you think. The issue will be obtaining consistent light output; as you probably know, cold-lights vary output with temperature. You'll need a Z-VI stabilizer or one of the compensating timers in order to get consistent results without a great deal of frustration and wasted paper.

As Mark mentioned, Zone VI had an optional compensating timer , it uses a photo sensor in the coldlight head to keep exposure even more consistent.
I've only used standard Tim-o-Lite timers, works just fine.

[Ginette]

hello,


A friend who was moving out of the city, closed down his darkroom and gave me his Omega D2v along with a lot of other darkroom stuff... JOBO, etc. Anyway, The D2v comes with the condensor head installed and a Zone VI coldlight head that is in a box. I already have a D2v with condensors. I will be enlarging my darkroom this summer, installing a long sink etc. I would like to make plans to install the D2v that I just received but with a cold light head. There's also a Durst 5x7. I searched the internet for an explanation on how to make the conversion, but I would like to see some pictures of a D2v with the cold light mounted. If anybody has that combination, I was wondering if they could take some pictures and post them. So much easier.

Thank you!

Hello Bogdan,

Good news for you.
If you need some info or accessories for the Durst 138 or the Zone VI cold light, just call me.
I have the head and the compensating timer (all their heads have a socket to take the timer) but look carefully in the equipment, your friend maybe have the ZoneVI metronome that can be plugged into the head.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

same set up as the op.. but I don't get it: does the heavy lamp sit directly on the thin diffuser glass? there is no apparent way to have it suspended above the glass. also, I have light leaking from below the diffuser, probably the whole assembly is not sitting flush with the film stage. thanks

[Drew Wiley]

It will be rather undersized in terms of illumination evenness. That has already been pointed out. One might argue that you will just need to corner burn some more. But with cold lights, the perimeter of the coils tends to be less predictable than the general grid. You always want cold lights distinctly oversized in relation to format size. The 5x7 Durst can actually be converted into an 8x10 enlarger, in which case you'd want at least a 12 x12 inch cold light.