Ilford EM10

[pluto]

Hi,

just bought, but I'm not able to use it.
Is there someone that could kindly explain me how?

Thanks for ever,
Joseph

 

[Jerevan]

Have a search in the archives here, and it'll turn up some threads I think.

 

[Vaughn]

Info here, but in English:

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/aboutus/page.asp?n=115

 

[Rick Jones]

Vaughn, that link can be confusing because of a typo under USE 3. While the instructions read "adjust the calibration knob until the green LED is lit" what they meant to say was - adjust the aperture ring on your enlarging lens until the LED is lit. The link just below those instructions EM10 EXPOSURE MONITOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION corrects that hiccup.

 

[Vaughn]

Thanks, Rick -- I tried to link directly to the PDF but failed -- I did not read the instructions as I have never used one of those beasties.

 

[doughowk]

Not sure if I'm using it correctly. Once I get a good print, I then place the probe end of EM10 on a shadow area with detail, and adjust the knob till it turns green. As long as I'm using same paper, I can determine the proper exposure setting for other negatives by adjusting aperture till light turns green.

 

[markbarendt]

Hi,

just bought, but I'm not able to use it.
Is there someone that could kindly explain me how?

Thanks for ever,
Joseph

One way here.

To get a baseline start with a negative that you have already printed well.

Set up the timer and enlarger exactly as you would to reprint that negative; height, f stop, everything.

Measure and note the setting for a specific tone, like black. You can use other tones like skin too.

Now you have 2 of the 3 major variables defined, a baseline for print time and paper sensitivity. The aperture is the wild card.

When you switch negatives or change enlarger height you measure the same tone, say black point, with the EM10 set at the number you measured above and then adjust aperture until you get green. That new aperture at the "old" time and "old" EM10 setting should put your new print close.

It is paper specific so if you change paper you need to set a new baseline. Contrast also plays a role.

 

[Leigh B]

Not sure if I'm using it correctly. Once I get a good print, I then place the probe end of EM10 on a shadow area with detail, and adjust the knob till it turns green. As long as I'm using same paper, I can determine the proper exposure setting for other negatives by adjusting aperture till light turns green.

That's correct.


- Leigh

 

[Neal]

Dear Joseph,

Purchase a transmission step wedge along with a little testing of your favorite papers and you can use it to zero in quite quickly on exposure and contrast. You will still need to fine tune for anything other than a basic print, but it's quite a useful tool once you play with it.

Neal Wydra

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

You can use either a shadow area or a highlight for determining exposure; you may want to have reference knob settings for each as some images have interest in the highlights and some have their interest in the shadows.

You can use the meter to find a negative's contrast by first zeroing the lens' aperture on the shadows and then turning the EM-10 knob for the highlights. You can then use the highlight reading to determine, at a first try, a paper grade for the negative.

A step tablet can be a great help with an EM-10: printing the wedge will give you the paper's range; taking readings of each step will let you relate knob reading with the resulting grey tone on the print. You can make a rough calibration for your meter by zeroing the meter with the lens one stop down from full open and then noting the knob settings as you zero the meter as you stop the lens down. Don't start at full open - full open is always optimistic and an "f2.8" lens may actually be f3.3 when wide open.

EM-10's are not calibrated and one person's knob reading -> density chart won't necessarily work with your meter.

The Darkroom Automation meter manual may aid you in using your EM-10.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I'd always been told shadows are NOT the preferred target, because after a point, black is black, and it is very easy to have a wide range of exposures deliver maximum black - ie anything beyond a certain threshold will still deliver DMax in a shadow area, but the lowest possible exposure to deliver DMax may render an area you want middle gray somewhere between Zone V and Zone VII. Same with a highlight - if a highlight is blown out, you may still be getting paper white in that highlight when you've pushed a middle-gray skin tone down into Zone II.5. Better to pick an area with medium density as the target. Then if you've done a good job exposing and processing your film, you'll be less likely to be fooled.

 

[markbarendt]

I'd always been told shadows are NOT the preferred target, because after a point, black is black, and it is very easy to have a wide range of exposures deliver maximum black - ie anything beyond a certain threshold will still deliver DMax in a shadow area, but the lowest possible exposure to deliver DMax may render an area you want middle gray somewhere between Zone V and Zone VII. Same with a highlight - if a highlight is blown out, you may still be getting paper white in that highlight when you've pushed a middle-gray skin tone down into Zone II.5. Better to pick an area with medium density as the target. Then if you've done a good job exposing and processing your film, you'll be less likely to be fooled.

My preferred target is a known skin tone.