Those of you that have used infra-red viewers in the darkroom, can you please tell me:
Will black & white or colour film be fogged if you are cutting it down and observing with the viewer?
Will black & white film be fogged if observed infraredly while it's developing?
Thank you!
When I was 16 I thought my father the stupidest man in the world; when I reached 21, I was astounded by how much he had learned in just 5 years!
-appropriated from Mark Twain
B&W film and paper: no and no
Last edited by Ken Lee; 15-Nov-2010 at 12:27.
I can tell you from very sad experience that these will NOT work with any color film or paper.
I have had great luck with my ATN Viper with color and b&w film.
No fogging what so ever. I do however cover the infra red emitter with a cloth doubled over a few time and secured with a rubber band.
This cuts down on the IR light emitted from the ATN. What probably will fog the film more then the IR light emitter is the eye piece.
Its very bright and does not seat well to the eye. Light leaks like a sieve around it and can definitely fog film.
I angle the whole unit down a bit and smoosh it to my face. Seems to work fine without fogging anything so far.
Make sure to test, test and then test again for your specific darkroom and eye shape.
I pretty much only use the ATN now for loading 12x20 film.
Its just too uncomfortable for me to use it to cut film and if you knock it away from your face, the eye piece could fog color film and maybe B&W.
The big problem with it is the focusing, eye piece and headgear. Its not designed for closeup work, its not auto focus and definitely not designed for people who wear glasses.
Everytime you move you have to refocus or just accept the out of focus image. Also the headgear is designed for a larger (normal) head. Mine is too small
Ive learned to live with it for loading 12x20 film but for cutting, its easier sometimes to use a few guides in the dark.
Ian,
If you leave the cover over the light multiplier you will get drastically better depth of field.
I use my ATN Viper with Tmax 400 and have yet to notice any fogging. I only use it for DBI. I can load/unload film in the dark.
I love mine - use it for film loading and developing, but I have only used it with b/w materials. I wear glasses, but when I use the viper, I adjust it so I can use it without glasses and have not had a problem with light spilling from the eyepiece. It is important that the headgear is adjusted correctly, the one that came with my unit has a number of straps that need to be tight. It has a "pinhole" in the lens cap that I use for more depth of field and when I get it in focus for working at arms length, I have no problems with it. I have never had a fogging issue with the built in IR light, but you can block it off and use another IR source. There are some very cheap IR flashlights that you could use. I have one and tried it once, but prefer to just use the headgear as is. It makes loading & unloading film holders so easy, it would be one of the last things I would part with.
John, Thanks for the tip, i have tried that but i sometimes have trouble seeing with the cap on.
Im using it more to just give me a general idea where everything is and so i don’t jam my knees into anything.
I also have a small head, yah i know let the jokes fly
My head is too small and I ran out of velcro on all of the straps!! It makes it hard for me to keep the ATN on my head but it works…somehow!
But its fantastic and for the price, you cant beat it!
I was curious awhile back and took advice from Ken Lee. At this point, I consider it well worth the money. The optics are not great but you can see good enough to handle film. I use it for loading film holders, loading film reels, loading Jobo drums (not necessary but I think it is cool to see in the dark). I use TMY with no fogging.
I will try the lens cap idea for better depth of field. I was a sucker for the brighter image without the lens cap but the depth of field is quite thin in that case. I plan to use it when traveling also - loading film holders in darkened bathrooms is much easier than with a changing tent but it helps to see the unfamiliar surroundings.
Btw, one other fantastic use for the ATN is finding light leaks in your darkroom.
One of my darkrooms is in my boiler room and boy did it leak like a sieve.
I used put the ATN on and spent a few hours sealing every little leak with metal tape and dark bags.
Just for that it was worth every penny!
I thought I didn't need anything else. But now I see I gotta get one of these.
Maybe it will keep me from developing my film in the stop bath.
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