Zone VI Cold Light and V54 Tube

[D. Meriwether]

I have had an Aristo V54 - high power, that I bought directly from Aristo. Seems like cost for the HP was about $120. Easy call from a net search, very good advice on the phone, less expensive, simple replacement installation. I use Elite Fine Art and calibrated actual contrast levels with step wedge enlargements and BTZS software. Actual varies from filter numbers, but once you have the real contrast range, the results are really good. (For example a #3.5 filter yields 2.5, #1 yields .5). I do have a stabilizing timer and I keep the light plugged in to stay constant temperature.

[RichardRitter]

The cold lights Calumet sells are on the blue side, which if printed on VC paper would give you a grade 4, print. By taking yellow CC filters you can change the contrast of the light I. E. 40cc of yellow is around grade 2 ?., 10 cc yellow grade 3 ?. and 80 cc a grade 1. Different papers will give different results.

[neil poulsen]

Are you using below the lens filters? It sounds like it. Or, can the filters be changed without disturbing the negative?

If so, in those cases where the difference in two successive contrast filters is wide, expose using both filters. That is, take part of the exposure with one filter, replace, and the remainder of the exposure with the other filter. You can get every contrast between the two filter.

[Mark Sampson]

Jerry, I can recognize the problem now. 10+ years of practice have made what might be called a "work-around" standard practice for me. Or perhaps I've tailored my negative-making to the lightsource I have. Most of my 4x5 negs print with a #1 Kodak filter on EK's Polymax Fine-Art. Perhaps I'll call Aristo about changing the tube in my lamphead. It was a little different when the good papers (Elite, Brilliant, Seagull, etc. ) were graded and blue- sensitive. Then the (blue) cold-light and 2-developer method made sense.. although more work... and I'm allergic to the low-contrast developers... Now with the good VC papers available, life is easier that way. And I like the new papers. Beautiful prints are easier to get than ever before. Perhaps I've become a better printer, or make better negatives, or maybe the papers really are better. In any case, I have lots of negs to print, and I'm looking forward to it.