enlarging meter question

[vann webb]

Anyone ever use one of these. If so, what was your experience with it. The manufacturer claims that it takes a lot of the guesswork out of printing, really speeds things along, wastes less paper, blah, blah, blah. I've never used an exposure meter for my b&w printing, but was curious as to whether they really help or not. I am a recovering gadget fanatic, so I'm naturally a little suspicious of electronic widgets that are supposed to revolutionize my process. LOL. IF it really did do all the things that they say it will, I'd probably plunk down the 100 bucks and bank it in paper savings. Thanks.

http://www.darkroomautomation.com/em.htm

[Nick_3536]

For colour I use a colorstar. Once you learn how to use it then it really saves time etc. In a way it also teaches you how to read negatives so you need it less the more you use it. No idea how well that one works.

[panchro-press]

Back in the '60's I tried a couple of B&W enlarging exposure meters and haven't touched one since. They measure the contrast ratio and tell you paper contrast and exposure time.
It's the same sort of things used in printing machines to-day.

Ever seen a machine-made print that could equal one of yours?

Dave

[domenico Foschi]

I think meters are a deterrent to see the potential of an image.
Test strips are important because it can give you hard evidence of how tones are going to look at different exposures so that you might want to burn or dodge areas that appeal to you away from the basic exposure.

[John O'Connell]

I just got mine out again, actually, because I'm going to use it for making enlarged negatives from slides.

For paper, I never felt that it helped much, because I'm always changing papers and developers. If you're absolutely consistent with that stuff, it might help.

[Brian Ellis]

I think meters are a deterrent to see the potential of an image.
Test strips are important because it can give you hard evidence of how tones are going to look at different exposures so that you might want to burn or dodge areas that appeal to you away from the basic exposure.

I agree with Domenico. It's not unusual to get an idea for a print from a test strip that you never would have thought of if you hadn't seen the strip (though I didn't actually use a literal "strip," I used a full sheet of paper). Even if you don't want to make test strips, if you do much darkroom work it won't take long before you'll be able to judge a pretty good initial exposure time and contrast just from looking at the negative. And your first print is only going to be a proof anyhow (at least it should be, I can't imagine making the best possible print on the first try).

[Ralph Barker]

Although I still do striped test prints to determine dodging/burning, I use an RH Designs Zone Master II enlarging meter extensively. They are a little pricey, but well worth it in my view, because they store response curves for up to 8 different papers. Once the meter is calibrated, the first print is close to dead on, excluding any dodging/burning that might be desirable.

http://www.rhdesigns.co.uk/

[Nick_3536]

This thread is sort of like a discussion on Sunny/16. You don't need a meter in either case with enough of a background in figuring out exposure etc. But a meter should can speed things up. May not matter if you're only making a few prints a day but if you're trying to banging out a bunch of prints in a short time frame any help is good help.

[nolindan]

Anyone ever use ...
http://www.darkroomautomation.com/em.htm Darkroom Automation Enlarging meter

[Dis]claimer ... I am the President, Chief Dog Walker and Short-Order Cook at Darkroom Automation.

Some user comments on Darkroom Automation products are available on APUG.

http://www.apug.org/forums/forum41/43978-enlarging-meter.html

The Enlarging Meter comes with a 30-day, no-questions, money-back satisfaction guarantee.

[Jim Jones]

I've used a variety of older enlarging meters. Even after years of guessing exposures, the meters saved time and paper. I set them to measure an area close to flesh tone in the negative and made a single reading. It's easier to guess the contrast than the exposure in thin or dense negatives. Since the first exposure rarely makes an ideal print, extreme accuracy isn't necessary. I prefer to always expose at detented lens apertures, and to vary the time. This facilitates recording the exposure for later printing. Some meters, like the neat Ilford EM-10, use set times and varied apertures.

[Doug Howk]

Since I don't have consistent negatives, any help is appreciated. I use an Ilford EM10 exposure meter when doing a run of test proofs, then can fine-tune the individual negs/prints later. Its low tech but still helps.

[vann webb]

Thank you for all of your responses. They have been very helpful.