As a newbie to darkroom, and as I see quite a few other people setting up darkrooms for the first time, I thought it might be worth passing on my experience (for the benefit of other newbies) with the RH Designs Analyser Pro that I splashed out on in a mad moment. In short, a superb device.
I am still only just learning the subtleties of printing, and my attempts at dodging and burning are still quite crude. However, the analyser pro gets the first print very close to perfect (for me anyway) and avoids the need for test strips most of the time.
Obviously you can read up all the instructions on the RH website, but in a nutshell to use the analyser you take a measurement in a highlight, a measurement in a shadow, tweak the time and contrast on the meter so the LEDs line up with the tones you want for these readings and that's it. (there is a little strip of grey scale from near black to near white mounted on the unit with corresponding LEDs that move depending on the time/contrast set) The meter shows the contrast setting/grade you need and the time. All you have to do is adjust the enlarger filters to the indicated contrast setting and press the print button.
As the analyser pro allows you also to take intermediate tone readings and position them on the grey scale to the desired setting, its easy to calculate a dodge/burn, and the analyser automatically calculates the time split needed. i.e. adjust the time down to get the tones you want for the area you are going to dodge; print; add the extra exposure time (measured in fractions of a stop) needed for the remaining areas, mask the area to dodge, and hold the print button and the meter automatically exposes the unmasked areas for the differential time. Neat.
As it comes all pre-set for Ilford MGIV and standard grade filters you don't even need to calibrate to get started. I have also now calibrated some old (pre-ilford) kentmere paper - it takes a little time and you have to read the procedure several times to understand it, but my calibration settings now work spot on for this paper as well.
Bottom line is I am consistently getting prints I am very pleased with straight away, first time, with minimal paper wastage (except when I forget to re-engage the filters, stop down the lens again etc, but this is not the fault of the analyser!!).
If you are, like me, a newcomer to darkroom, my recommendation is to put an analyser pro on the shopping list over and above pretty much everything else. Even though it cost more than the rest of my darkroom gear combined, I would definitely replace it if I had to.
I am still only just learning the subtleties of printing, and my attempts at dodging and burning are still quite crude. However, the analyser pro gets the first print very close to perfect (for me anyway) and avoids the need for test strips most of the time.
Obviously you can read up all the instructions on the RH website, but in a nutshell to use the analyser you take a measurement in a highlight, a measurement in a shadow, tweak the time and contrast on the meter so the LEDs line up with the tones you want for these readings and that's it. (there is a little strip of grey scale from near black to near white mounted on the unit with corresponding LEDs that move depending on the time/contrast set) The meter shows the contrast setting/grade you need and the time. All you have to do is adjust the enlarger filters to the indicated contrast setting and press the print button.
As the analyser pro allows you also to take intermediate tone readings and position them on the grey scale to the desired setting, its easy to calculate a dodge/burn, and the analyser automatically calculates the time split needed. i.e. adjust the time down to get the tones you want for the area you are going to dodge; print; add the extra exposure time (measured in fractions of a stop) needed for the remaining areas, mask the area to dodge, and hold the print button and the meter automatically exposes the unmasked areas for the differential time. Neat.
As it comes all pre-set for Ilford MGIV and standard grade filters you don't even need to calibrate to get started. I have also now calibrated some old (pre-ilford) kentmere paper - it takes a little time and you have to read the procedure several times to understand it, but my calibration settings now work spot on for this paper as well.
Bottom line is I am consistently getting prints I am very pleased with straight away, first time, with minimal paper wastage (except when I forget to re-engage the filters, stop down the lens again etc, but this is not the fault of the analyser!!).
If you are, like me, a newcomer to darkroom, my recommendation is to put an analyser pro on the shopping list over and above pretty much everything else. Even though it cost more than the rest of my darkroom gear combined, I would definitely replace it if I had to.
