Spend the $5 and get a copy of the Z VI Workshop probably the best 5 bucks you’ll spend.
Spend the $5 and get a copy of the Z VI Workshop probably the best 5 bucks you’ll spend.
One thing though, if you've been printing on a cold light head enlarger, and switch to a condenser enlarger, your spotting skills will greatly improve! Let us know what you find.
When I bought my 5x7 Durst 25 years ago, the first thing I did was buy a cold light head for it. My Chromega F had an Aristo T-12 head, and every enlarger I've had since (DeVere 5108 & LPL 4x5) has had either a dichroic color head or a VCCE head!
Last edited by Luis-F-S; 18-Mar-2018 at 06:23.
I still have occasional dust issues with the diffusion head (haven't printed enough on the condenser to compare), which I take as just part of the process. I know some will lambaste me for this, but my issues with dust became almost non-existent once I ditched the over-hyped glass carrier. Negaflat for life!
I print with glass and have not had significant dust issues, but I do have an air compressor right next to the enlarger. When I get down to 6x6 or 135, I don't use glass, but glassless.
Hello Corran,
I think you will find the true differences between diffusion and condenser enlarger, with flat or contrasty negatives.
If the negative is optimally printable on filter grade between 1 and 4, I think there is no difference between the two enlargers, in terms of contrast. Just print for the desired contrast, not for equal filter grade.
Yes, condenser enlarger will produce more contrast(equivalent to extra grade, plus more dust) for the same negative compared with a diffusion enlarger, at the same grade of filters.
But, that does not mean much for negatives that require filtering from grade 1 to grade 4.
If you have a flat negative that requires printing on grade 4.5 or 5, it's the time for condenser enlarger.
If you have a contrasty negative that requires printing on grade 0 or 00, it's the time for diffuser enlarger.
Of course, the zone system process plus even the usual practice are to avoid producing that types of extreme negative.
But, it happen with new Developers/films or just because of mistakes.
My 2c, hope it add something.
Thanks.
The generosity of spirit in this forum is great, its warmly appreciated.
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I'm definitely not perfect when it comes to metering/developing, so I do have negatives that are underdeveloped/underexposed that would be helped by this - #5 filter sometimes doesn't quite do it. Also, it's important to consider graded papers. Last night I printed a negative I made a couple weekends ago on 6x9 to Ilford Galerie G2 8x10 paper, and I knew it would be just a tad flat on that paper with my usual diffusion enlarger. The condenser printed it beautifully though, and I didn't have any issues with dust after some careful loading of the negative (I have a bigger Rocket Blower by the enlarger to blow off negatives, and this time I needed to use my glass carrier to enlarge the whole frame of 6x9 to get the composition right). Here is the print on that Galerie paper:
So for me, this just gave me an easy and effective way of pushing the contrast up one grade on my graded paper, without resorting to other more difficult chemical techniques.
Very nice, Corran. Don't you just love Galerie?
Doremus
Wow! I don't think I've ever printed a negative that needed a #5 filter. I get upset if I have to dial in a G4. Most of my negatives print on G2-3. I don't usually produce under exposed/underdeveloped negatives, and if I do, those get chucked. Now I would try printing it with the cold light head and post the print you get.
Last edited by Luis-F-S; 18-Mar-2018 at 12:53.
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