Analysers

Graham.b · Mar 21, 2008

Hello all, how many of you use them, i wont say i get through shed loads of paper getting to the final print, but you could use one neg and come away with many a variant.
Analyser pro does not seem to bad a price if it works or the Zone one.
Any thoughts please, i am adding to my dark room and thought i would try and make it more efficient.

Regards Graham

Ian Grant · Mar 21, 2008

Is this for Colour or B&W.

The Durst Analysers are brilliant for colour negative work, once calibrated to your system and choice of paper & chemicals they are virtually spot on for RA-4 printing.

For B&W it's not really necessary, in the past I used Phillips timer analyser which was quite good at telling you the exposure & grade of paper, I can't tell the model off-hand as I'm a few thousand miles from my darkroom. I'll be using it next week, but only as a timer, I find it far easier to use test strips, and can generally judge the contrast & dodging & burning just from the negative.

I do have an Ilford EM10 that can occasionally be useful and is far cheaper than anything more sophisticated.

Would an analyser make you more efficient ? Maybe if you're not that experienced at printing but they certainly aren't necessary.

Ian

Graham.b · Mar 21, 2008

Morning Ian, well it is here. Thankyou for your reply, in one it was/i was hoping to use it for both, i am going to give colour ago again.
Been a long time, i had a colour paper on the board. I do the B/W prints as you have said test strips so on.
Looks like i will carry on the way i have all ways done it. But i will look into the Durst for the colour. Got some old AGFA colour need chemicals
and in the dark.
As you have said if not experienced, well i have had about 20 years or so but all ways room to get the most out of your knowledge, and with the
help of like minded people as your good self.

Graham

Dave Miller · Mar 21, 2008

Like Ian I don't use an analyser, but then I can't even operate an EM10, so I stick with test strips. However I know of those that do use them (all using the RH model) and are very pleased with them, generally claiming to get a usable print at their first attempt. So one may suit you, or it may not. If it does you may save a lot of time and paper.
I wonder if there is anyone within travelling distance of you that may be willing to demonstrate theirs to you, and may respond to this thread?

Graham.b · Mar 21, 2008

Morning Dave, you hit the nail on the head, paper and time. Not that time is of importance, well in the i am not making money at it.
The thought was as i have put so badly was you get the print which you like, some one else likes it to, so you say, you can have that
one, or, i will make you one, and as you are well aware it never looks that, just so.
I wondered if the Analyser would take the guess work out of it. I do write notes burn times and pull dodge, f stops, but it just misses the
point.
Thankyou by the way.

Regards Graham

Blighty · Mar 21, 2008

I use the RH Designs Zonemaster coupled to their stopclock Pro. Out of the box, the unit is pretty well calibratred for MGIV Rc (and other papers), but a certain amount of fine-tuning may be necessary to get the calibration spot on. They do save paper on test-strips and it's relatively easy to arrive at a perfectly acceptable print first time. As we all know, there's a world of difference between an acceptable print and a perfect print, and getting the best out of these particular analysers requires some skill in interpreting the readings although it's not as hard as it may sound. As a means to arriving at a basic print from which to make all your adjustments (dodging, burning etc.) they're excellent. Regards, Blights.

GeorgesGiralt · Mar 21, 2008

Hi !
I own use and recommend the Analyser Pro from RH-Designs.
Imagine you have a difficult negative. Imagine that you can get a more than decent print just by measuring the parts of the images that are of paramount importance for you.
But then, you see that you've used RC paper because you thought that this print was impossible to do and such not worth the baryta paper you use for display or sale.
Imagine that by switching the Analyser paper channel, you are able to reproduce THIS print just by matching the led zone you got with the RC to the FB paper ! This, alone, is a reason to buy. Some search on APUG will gave you many more single reason to buy one.
For me, this is the best piece of gear I own !
I do not hold RH Designs share but I should have bought some ;-)

Nick Zentena · Mar 21, 2008

For color I love the Colorstar 3000. But like anything else you need to learn how to use it and that's a lot easier if you already know how to print colour. But once you've gotten used to it the thing makes colour almost too easy.

For B&W I like doing spilt filter test prints.

Ian Grant · Mar 21, 2008

Nick Zentena said:
For B&W I like doing spilt filter test prints.

They always say you never stop learning

Is it critical how you spill the filters onto the paper though Nick, or do the spilt filters work regardless........

How do you do your split filter test prints ?

Ian

Nick Zentena · Mar 21, 2008

Pick a language. Any language. I can't spell in it -)

Analysers

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