Pop Quiz!

[tgtaylor]

A darkroom junkie's delight:

I just finished printing an Acros negative developed in WD2D+ on Oriental double weight glossy VC fiber paper in Dektol 2:1. If the exposure was 9 seconds with a #00 filter followed by a 12 second exposure with a #5 filter, what was the resulting contrast grade?

Thomas

[redshift]

Just right!

[bob carnie]

depends on the lighting ratio of the original scene , as well your development process and agitation which dictates the contrast of the negative.

Until these variables as well as flare is considered you are giving us an incomplete story.

[Robert Bowring]

Something between 00 and 5.

[tgtaylor]

depends on the lighting ratio of the original scene , as well your development process and agitation which dictates the contrast of the negative.

Until these variables as well as flare is considered you are giving us an incomplete story.

Consider it to be an "average" daylight exposure with a full range of tones with "normal" development and agitation at 68F.

Thomas

[Brian Ellis]

My understanding from attending a couple of the late Phil Davis' workshops:

VC paper usually contains three different types of emulsion, some more sensitive to green than blue, some more sensitive to blue than green, and one approximately equally sensitive to both. Contrary to popular belief of some people who do split printing, these emulsions aren't in "layers" and there is no emulsion that is solely sensitive to green or blue. So we'd need to know more about your paper than we do.

We'd also need to know more about your light source. If you're using a VC head the exposure increase isn't linear, i.e. the number shown on the head doesn't correspond with grades. Your grade 5 might really be a 4, your grade 00 might really be a 1.I don't know about condensers, I never used them.

So without doing some testing there's no way I know of to answer your question. Phil Davis was kind enough to do the testing for me. I don't remember exactly what he did but it showed which number on my Aristo VC head corresponded to which grade of paper.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Grade 2. But since you printed on Oriental VC, grade 2.5

[tgtaylor]

My understanding from attending a couple of the late Phil Davis' workshops:

VC paper usually contains three different types of emulsion, some more sensitive to green than blue, some more sensitive to blue than green, and one approximately equally sensitive to both. Contrary to popular belief of some people who do split printing, these emulsions aren't in "layers" and there is no emulsion that is solely sensitive to green or blue. So we'd need to know more about your paper than we do.

We'd also need to know more about your light source. If you're using a VC head the exposure increase isn't linear, i.e. the number shown on the head doesn't correspond with grades. Your grade 5 might really be a 4, your grade 00 might really be a 1.I don't know about condensers, I never used them.

So without doing some testing there's no way I know of to answer your question. Phil Davis was kind enough to do the testing for me. I don't remember exactly what he did but it showed which number on my Aristo VC head corresponded to which grade of paper.

Ah...Forgot to mention that I used a Beseler 45S Color head in very good condition.

Grade 2. But since you printed on Oriental VC, grade 2.5

Andrew, can you elaborate on how you determined that?

Thomas

[tgtaylor]

Forgot to mention: The filtration was 200Y and 200M.

Thomas

[bob carnie]

Thomas

When I use equal 0 and equal 5 in terms of timer hits ,(10 seconds 0 , 10 second 5) I am working with a fairly long range negative and would equate the resulting mixture to be about a grade 1-1 1/2 filter setting if I was only using a single filter, or about a grade 1 1/2 graded paper.

I think that you may be confusing the function/ability of split printing and placing tones. By elaborating here you may see what I am getting at, as well the underlining{IMO} truth/beauty of split printing which eludes a large amount of printers here and on APUG.



For the record , I use a low filter and a 5 filter, I establish a time and I hit the timer exactly the same for the low filter and the 5 to start out my testing with a full sheet of paper, I do not encourage test strips but prefer the outflanking method of finding my first test density .

What I have found is the more times I hit the 5 time the flatter the negative scene.
so I reverse engineer my thought process and do the following


equal hits of timer = 1:1 contrast ratio , that is usually a result of a long scale negative
2 hits of 5 and one hit of the lower filter= 1:2 contrast ratio
3 hits of 5 and one hit of the lower filter = 1:3 contrast ratio
4 -5 hits of 5 and one hit of the lower filter =1:5 contrast ratio, that is the result of a short scale negative.

I think contrast ratio of the filter hits, is akin lighting ratio of the original scene, which IMO is the most important photographic consideration when making images and the basis of
the need for zone system thinking.

With this method I can set the timer once and concentrate on the contrast ratio, which btw is viewed and determined in the developer , we do not need to turn on the light for this... The end density is viewed with lights on.
With an aggressive dodging and burning attitude one never needs to change the timer , other than make lighter or darker prints.


The hits of the filters can determine the contrast range of the print.
I seem to be making 2-3 hits of the 5 filter these days.
Since we are adapting the filtration to maximize tonality I think your perception of an single end filter is wrong as I am not trying to hit a magic single filtration, but rather use the low and high filters to put information where I think it is needed.... I hope my explanation makes sense to some printers here.