Grade 1 paper

[Magoo79]

Hello, I'm trying to find some grade 1 paper. I would like to use vc paper, but my instructor thinks that my cold light head might be giving my prints to much contrast. when printing in the schools darkroom, the prints would come out fine. I'm printing at home, and with grade 2 paper my prints have alot of contrast because my subjects were usually in very contrasty situations. We think I might be able to solve some of my slight issues by going to a grade 1 paper. I have checked b&H, Adorama and central camera and can't seem to find any grade 1 paper. Does anyone know of where I can get grade 1 paper in the united states?

Thanks,

Mike.

 

[Vaughn]

It would probably be easier to lower the contrast by using Kodak Selectol-Soft as your paper developer. But then finding some selectol-soft might be a chore also! But there might be some formulas out there if your lab has the raw materials.

Grade 1 papers can be hard to work with. The next thing to think about future negatives is reducing the contrast in the film's development.

Vaughn

 

[Magoo79]

I just picked up some selectol-soft developer I was going to try. I normally don't have any issues when I use my grade 2 paper. It is just in downtown chicago with all the tall buildings the Homeless and shadows and bright sun, some of the skin tones were too contrasty. I would like to got my color head to work so I don't have to worry about my cold light head. But I will definitely try the selectol-soft developer.

Mike.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Is there any grade 1 paper being manufactured anymore? Efke Emaks G2 is a bit softer than other G2 papers, and together with a low contrast developer like Selectol Soft or Beers, you could bring the contrast down further.

Are you using VC filters at home? You can use them with a cold light head if you have filters that go under the lens, or if you've got the sort of head that presses down on the neg carrier, like an Omega D series enlarger, you can put a 6" filter between the head and the negative carrier.

If you have an older cold light head, one thing that people have done to cut down the contrast for VC papers is to add a 30Y filter between the tube and the diffuser. Aristo could also upgrade the bulb to a V54, which works better with VC papers.

 

[Magoo79]

I'm using a 45mxt with if I remember right a zone cold light head. I have been using an ilford filter set and the filters fit under all my lenses except for my zoom, but I only play with the zoom lenses. I will try to look for a yellow filter set that fits under my lenses, but I haven't seen any yet.

Mike.

 

[Vaughn]

Are you familar with using the two-bath developing method with Selectol-soft and Dektol? You might be since you already bought some.

Basically start in the Selectol-soft and finish in the Dektol...how you devide the time between the two will determine the final contrast. You won't drag the Grade 2 all the way down to a Grade 1, but you'll get at least halfway there.

Vaughn

PS...And if it just the highlights that are too bright, flashing is another technique that might work for you.

 

[R W Penn]

What do you mean by zoom lens? Do you have vc Ilford darkroom filters they go to grade 1-.???

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

If you put the yellow filter between the bulb and the diffuser inside the light head, you can cut down a lighting gel or a 6x6" gel filter. It's outside the image path, so it doesn't have to be optically perfect.

 

[Magoo79]

Thanks for the suggestion,

Mike.

 

[titrisol]

Rev Sidney Flack suggested me to use a GREEN filter with VC paper for this kind of problems. Exposure times are quite long but gives you ultra-soft prints

If you put the yellow filter between the bulb and the diffuser inside the light head, you can cut down a lighting gel or a 6x6" gel filter. It's outside the image path, so it doesn't have to be optically perfect.

 

[Bob F.]

Ilfospeed in RC is made in grade-1 but I don't know of any fibre papers.

I'm a little confused tho'... If using graded paper, the colour of light used is surely irrelevant?

Using VC paper, the colour of the light is important but then you just use different filtration to get the contrast you want. From what I read, cold-light heads can give reduced contrast range but Aristo suggest a CC40Y filter in that case when using the W45 lamp.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Ilfospeed in RC is made in grade-1 but I don't know of any fibre papers.

I'm a little confused tho'... If using graded paper, the colour of light used is surely irrelevant?

Yes, my suggestion was to stick with VC and filter the light source, if there was no reasonable graded option.

Of course, if the problem is that VC is too contrasty with the unfiltered cold light source, grade 1 graded paper might not be necessary. If the negs print well on VC grade 2 in a condenser enlarger at school, then they should print well with the cold light head on or around grade 2 with graded paper at home, because the graded paper isn't affected by the cast of the cold light source. Diffuse light usually produces a different effect than condensed light, so you might want more contrast with the cold light head, and grade 3 graded paper might be better, but you can experiment and see what works.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

How about Amidol and water bath? Works great with Fotokemika Emaks and their grade 2 paper is already probably a bit softer than most other grade 2 papers. Should get you down to almost grade 1.

- Thomas

 

[Simon R Galley]

Actually we start at grade 00 on multigrade filters, which should take out about most contrast anyone could put in a neg! then 0 then 0.5 then grade 1...

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited

 

[Rich Ullsmith]

Hello Mike. David pretty much hit it on the head with the color correction filter. The Zone VI lamp unfiltered will bring a grade 2-2 1/2 neg up to a grade 5 (or thereabouts). With graded papers, the color correction simply extends time under the enlarger.

I use a Kodak CCY40, which is basically a light yellow filter, between bulb and diffuser like David said. Probably any light yellow gel will work. Just need to remove some of the blue for your VC papers.