Contrast on Omega D2

[ula_mv]

Hello all.

Finally got my darkroom set up and have run through it a few times. I have a few negatives that I'd really like to push the contrast on, and there's only so much I've been able to do with burning and dodging on longer exposure time. I was wondering if there are any techniques or equipment you all know about that can help with this. I have a few filters at my disposal (they came with the condenser) but I'm not sure how to use them to best effect. I know they can change grain quality, but otherwise I don't have any working knowledge of them.

Specs: Omega D2 enlarger, 35mm negatives, Wollensak 75mm enlarging lens, clayton chemistry, various ilford papers.

I would also appreciate guidance in terms of condenser heads. I don't really know much about them except that using the wrong size can result in vignetting, but my prints haven't had that issue so I've been ignoring that particular blindspot.

I am a total neophyte when it comes to having my own darkroom. Any and all advice outside of getting a new enlarger would be very appreciated. Just please be aware that I'm on a tiny budget for any adjustments.

 

[tkamiya]

Hi,

I have Omega D2 with a variable head. I use Ilford under-the-lens filter with it.

With this I can make awfully contrasty prints if I go beyond grade 3 or 3.5. So pushing contrast isn't a good way to go with most images. I think, in order for any of us to give any meaningful advise, we'd need to see your image. Can you take a quick shot of your image and upload?

As to condenser, yes, you can have wrong size. What do you have? Variable type? Fixed type? and if fixed type, which one? (take it off and see how large the lens is inside). With 35mm lens though, you can NOT have vignette. You just waste light if you have the wrong size. Typically, condenser is determined by your lens, not the negative size directly.

Can you take an image of your enlarger setup and upload, too?

Congratulations on setting up a darkroom.

 

[Paul Howell]

Hello all.

Finally got my darkroom set up and have run through it a few times. I have a few negatives that I'd really like to push the contrast on, and there's only so much I've been able to do with burning and dodging on longer exposure time. I was wondering if there are any techniques or equipment you all know about that can help with this. I have a few filters at my disposal (they came with the condenser) but I'm not sure how to use them to best effect. I know they can change grain quality, but otherwise I don't have any working knowledge of them.

Specs: Omega D2 enlarger, 35mm negatives, Wollensak 75mm enlarging lens, clayton chemistry, various ilford papers.

I would also appreciate guidance in terms of condenser heads. I don't really know much about them except that using the wrong size can result in vignetting, but my prints haven't had that issue so I've been ignoring that particular blindspot.

I am a total neophyte when it comes to having my own darkroom. Any and all advice outside of getting a new enlarger would be very appreciated. Just please be aware that I'm on a tiny budget for any adjustments.

A 50mm lens is normal for 35mm, so making larger than 8X10 means you need to crank the head to the top of the column. Most people think grade 2 is normal, with a set of vc filters you can print up to grade 4. Wollensak made two level of lens, a 3 element and a 4 element set, the 4 elements Raptiars are very good, as good as many 5 element lens. Do you have the variable condenser head or the fixed condense head?

I would think about getting a good 50mm 2.8 lens, Nikon, Fuji, and Minolta made very good 50mm lens.

 

[ic-racer]

For more contrast use a paper with a higher number. Make sure you lens is clean and clear and make sure no stray light comes around the edges of the negative when projecting.
This is a link to an Omega manual which should answer a lot of your questions: http://www.jollinger.com/photo/cam-coll/manuals/enlargers/omega/D2 Condenser and Dichro.pdf

 

[John Koehrer]

The filters that you have should be numbered 1-5 and will fit in the lamp housing(6") or beneath the lens(~2").
#1 is the least contrast and #5 is the most.

 

[Rick Jones]

Contrast control with your Omega enlarger is primarily with graded papers or variable contrast (VC) papers. The VC papers are handy because a single box allows you to vary contrast from low to very high using colored filters. The newer Ilford filter sets come with 12 numbered 00 to 5 with half grades in between. If you have a filter drawer you would use 6" VC filters. On older Omega's w/o the drawer you would use mounted filters below the lens. VC paper is available in fiber based or RC (resin coated). The RC papers are quick to process and dry perfectly flat so become a good choice to begin with. Incidentally, the filters will not change the "grain quality" although the higher numbered filters creating higher contrast can make the films grain structure more pronounced (grainier looking).

 

[Neal]

Dear ula_mv,

My second enlarger was a D2.

Condensers: The condenser with the smallest diameter lens is meant for 35mm. It will give you the most light and the shortest exposures. The larger ones will work with smaller formats but give you longer exposure times.

Filters: You can use below the lens contrast filters. There is an included fixture that attaches to the enlarging lens. I used to use these and simply placed them on top of the negative carrier. The 6" size will work for 4x5 but they can be purchased as small as 3" which will work fine for 35mm. These can be used if you give color printing a try It's really not as hard as it seems and doing it at least once is good experience. They can double as smaller steps for black and white work. I suggest taking a negative you consider good and making the best print you can using each contrast filter (assuming VC paper ;-) ).

The best suggestion I have for you is to buy a big box of inexpensive 5x7 variable contrast RC paper. You can make a lot of prints gaining valuable experience for very little money.


Good luck,

Neal Wydra