Exploring options for adding ND to my light path

[M Carter]

The simplest, cheapest and fastest thing is to get a sheet of ND lighting gel and cut it to fit your filter holder. You don't have to go to a stage lighting store or anything, just order one from B&H, Amazon, etc. About $8 a sheet usually. Get a 1/2 ND, trim to fit, and you can stack as many sheets as you want. Treat and store them like your contrast filters. The sheets are about 18x24".

And the Ph11 the OP mentioned is a standard edison-base 110v frosted bulb, not a low-voltage light. It can be dimmed with a dimmer from the hardware store, or buy a "router speed control" from Harbor Freight/etc, but it will warm up the color temp of the bulb. I'd just use the ND and stop messing with "If I mix a 2.5 with #4..."

I did this all the time in the pre-film days, duping color slides to color sheet film with a cheap flash head taped into the condenser box to get daylight color (the lab said it was impossible to dupe onto Velvia... it wasn't.)

 

[AgX]

An inline dimmer would cause problems with the voltage control.

One would put the dimmer behind the voltage control.
(If the model of plug allows that.)

 

[BHuij]

My sheet of 1 stop ND gel arrived today. I'm going to cut the 2.5x2.5" filter size squares from it and stack as necessary. This seems like the best option. I can pop them into the filter drawer after focusing and they shouldn't affect my contrast or add dust to my optical path. And I have options anywhere from 1 stop darker to effectively as many as I ever need, just by stacking filters.

I'll let you guys know when I have had a chance to test it out in my next printing session.

 

[BHuij]

Thought I would share my results--

That .3 ND gel is magic. I stacked two squares of it to get 2 stops darker light and was able to print a rather thin negative at f/16 and about 15 seconds (plenty of time for dodging and burning), with fantastic results. As far as I can tell, the gels don't affect image quality or contrast at all, since they're between the light and the negative rather than between the negative and the print.

Thanks for everyone's help!