super chromega dichro help!

[xcapekey]

hi all...i've just gotten into LF. i picked up an enlarger today and am running it through its paces. first of all, i've only ever used a condensor head. the one i just bought is a omega d5xl with the super chromega 2 dichro head with controller/timer. having never used a dichro head before i don't know if it's working properly or not.

when the light shuts off, it does a quick fade, but isn't the quick ON/OFF action i'm use to with my old beseler 23c. is this natural? or is there something wrong with my light source? if so, is it a bulb problem or something with the circuits?

also, i downloaded the PDF file off of the ilford site to find the filter equivalents with the dichro head but they seem really soft. does anyone have any good source to find filter equivalents? or is this just the nature of a diffuse light source? any help would be much appreciated.

x

[Wayne Firth]

Sounds like it is working properly. The fade is the nature of the halogen lamps. There are no hard and fast rules about filter conversion values for printing black and white. Adjust magenta mainly to increase contrast. More magenta equals more contrast. Yellow will decrease contrast. Use one or the other but not both at one time since that makes red. The values are relative may vary depending on brand of paper. Practice will give you a sense of the right numbers for your individual circumstances.

[John D Gerndt]

X,

Note too that printing filters fade with time. You'll have to do the testing to get the values of use to you.