Multicontrast filters for 8x10 printing

[Drew Wiley]

Since variable contrast papers have one emulsion which sees blue light and the other
green, a sharp-cutting blue 47 (or 47B) or green 58 (or 61) will cut off the other half
and work precisely with only one emulsion component. You can either use a filter turret
under the lens or just screw the filters onto the lens if your enlarger is stable. Only two
filters are ever needed, and camera filters will provide a much cleaner optical path than
Rosco filters, and hold up better. I use Tiffen filters, which certainly aren't my favorite
filters in the field, but work fine in this instance, provided they are routinely cleaned.
The blue filter is denser and will require a bit longer exposure than the green, but this
differs a little from paper to paper. I don't even think about it anymore since it has
become almost instinctive, and as I mentioned before, the result is the same as if I used one of the colorheads instead. For just two filters, the investment is negligible.
With my coldlight the printing speeds are very fast.

[ic-racer]

From a previous post these were the prices I estabilshed:

FOR FILTER DRAWER:
Roscoe 20x24" = $6 per filter

Ilford 12x12" = $20 per filter

Kodak acetate 12x14" filters = $80 per filter.

UNDER THE LENS FILTERS:

6x6" glass filter = $320 to $400 per filter

Round 86mm screw in filter for the Rodenstock 300mm/5.6 = $124 to $150 per filter

Kodak Wratten filter 4x4" = $50 to $100 per filter

Optiflex 4x4" = $35 per filter

Lee filter 4x4" = $20 per filter

Ilford 6x6" (Can really be used under the lens??) = $45 (whole set only?)

It would nice to have an affordable set of screw in filters, but at $300 and the thought of swapping them out, in the dark, 50 or so times in a printing session, that seemed to out-weight the potential benefit of an 'optical glass' light path, especially when the cheap Rosco filters are not even in the focused light path.

On a somewhat related note, I saw a 'new in box' 80mm enlarging lens with built in adjustable dichroic filters (blue and yellow) at a vintage photo shop the other day. That would have been great if it were a 300mm!

[Keith Pitman]

I looked in to that but the ones to fit my 300mm Rodenstock were quite expensive. Do you screw them into the lens or do you set them on a filter holder.

I also looked into two nice glass 6x6 filters, but again the price was almost more than the entire enlarger.

I have a 300mm Rodagon, also. I already had a Lee filter holder and an 82mm adapter ring. I got a step-down ring for the Rodagon, and use the Lee holder with the 6x6 Ilford filters cut down to 4x6. It works great for me.

[ic-racer]

I have a 300mm Rodagon, also. I already had a Lee filter holder and an 82mm adapter ring. I got a step-down ring for the Rodagon, and use the Lee holder with the 6x6 Ilford filters cut down to 4x6. It works great for me.

If it is the Lee filter holder I am thinking of, that looks like a nice holder. I based my filter holder design on that one.

I looked into buying that at B&H and they wanted $150 for the holder + $60 for the adapter and that was nearly the price of the Ilford 12x12 filter set.

[Keith Pitman]

If it is the Lee filter holder I am thinking of, that looks like a nice holder. I based my filter holder design on that one.

I looked into buying that at B&H and they wanted $150 for the holder + $60 for the adapter and that was nearly the price of the Ilford 12x12 filter set.

I already had the holder. Probably got it used on Ebay for much less, and still use it in the field too.