Safelight Poll

G-Whiz · May 19, 2007

Just picked up 2 of those 5x7 Premier Safelights (one above the enlarger & one above the developing trays; but couldn't see either one work area to clearly. So I put them side-by-side to see if two of them would work better together; helps a little but still not good enough.

Without killing my wallet, which safelights illuminate the best without fogging up the prints?

Loose Gravel · May 19, 2007

Probably red ones. I have a couple of the Kodak 10x12 safelights with red filters and they are pretty bright and don't fog anything.

I've been thinking about changing all my safelights over to red LED bulbs. Has anyone done this? What size is best?

ben-s · May 19, 2007

I use safelight sleeved flourescent tubes.
They're pleasantly bright, and I've never had a problem with fogged paper, although if you're handling film in there, there might be enough residual glow to fog fast stuff.

My guess is: for b&w paper and ortho film, flourescents are great, but if you use colour materials or pan film, get something that extinguishes instantly like an LED system.

Mike Kennedy · May 19, 2007

Mine is a simple setup.I use 2 Kodak Jr. bulbs in old Kodak beehive holders. One over my trays, one near my enlargers.

Charles Webb · May 19, 2007

I still use and love Thomas, for what I do they are just fine!
They are often listed on ebay for nearly nothing when compared with their original price.

Charlie...............................

resummerfield · May 19, 2007

I think the Thomas safe light is the brightest one available, yet does not seem to fog paper. I mask about 75% of the opening, and it still is brighter than two Kodak beehives with 15w lamps.

reub2000 · May 19, 2007

Loose Gravel said:
Probably red ones. I have a couple of the Kodak 10x12 safelights with red filters and they are pretty bright and don't fog anything.

I've been thinking about changing all my safelights over to red LED bulbs. Has anyone done this? What size is best?

Red is harsher on the eyes than amber.

Lee L · May 19, 2007

If you search APUG for "led safelight" you get 68 threads (as of today) with pretty exhaustive coverage of the issues and plenty of user reports and ideas.

I found that one Thomas fogged Kodak Poly RC II and III paper in under 2 minutes in a huge darkroom with 12 ft high dark ceilings unless the vanes were completely closed. The Thomas draws 35 Watts (+ ballast) and an Edison based amber LED lamp I use from superbrightleds.com draws 3 watts with plenty of output for my 13' x 8' darkroom bounced off a light yellow ceiling. What with global warming and carbon emissions, the LED is a much more sound approach than heating up an incandescent element and then filtering 90+ percent of its output. Admittedly that's not a lot in terms of absolute savings given the amount of time a safelight is typically run in a hobby setup, but every bit adds up. From the vendor mentioned, a red or amber LED bulb is $10. A replacement Thomas lamp runs from about $40 to $90. The LED lasts about 50,000 hours and the Thomas lamp 19,000 hours.

Lee

Flotsam · May 19, 2007

I've never liked printing under Red safelights because they create a contrasty visual environment. I prefer Amber because they are closer to a natural contrast. Prints are easier to judge while they are in the developer.

fschifano · May 20, 2007

My setup is similar to that which Mike Kennedy described in an earlier post. Yes, red is somewhat harsher on the eye than the amber colored OC safelights, but I don't find it to be too much of a problem. There is at least one paper on the market today that requires a red safelight and I'll probably get around to using it one day. I'm ready for it. I've also found that I can rig a red safelight much closer to my processing trays without fear of fogging my prints. In my darkroom that's a good thing, because it's pretty tight in there. Not too many places I can hang a safelight far enough away from my immediate work area and still get a reasonable amount of illumination. Thomas Sodium vapor and jacketed flourescent tubes are out of the question for me. I like to switch off all safelights when focusing and composing. That's easily done with incandescent or LED light sources - not so convenient with flourescent tubes and sodium vapor lamps.

Monophoto · May 20, 2007

I have a 5x7 safelight above my enlarger. It is directed toward the (white) ceiling so that the reflected light provides more even illumination for the enlarging area. Yes, it's dim, but its adequate.

I have a homemade safelight at the wet side. It consists of a 5" Kodak safelight filter attached to a 2-pound coffee can with a porcelain base holding a small bulb inside. This is mounted on the wall at the fixer end of the sink, and pointed toward the developer end to rake light across the entire wet area.

Nick Zentena · May 20, 2007

G-Whiz said:
Just picked up 2 of those 5x7 Premier Safelights (one above the enlarger & one above the developing trays; but couldn't see either one work area to clearly. So I put them side-by-side to see if two of them would work better together; helps a little but still not good enough.

How long did you wait to adjust? The 5x7 premiers aren't noon day bright but I've never had trouble doing what needs doing in the darkroom. Mine have the red filter which would be darker then the amber.

Ole · May 20, 2007

I've got two 8x10" Ilford safelights. Either one gives enough light to illuminate my entire darkroom more than I need, so I have different fiters in them.

harri129 · May 20, 2007

LEDs work and they are pretty cheap. My current red led safelight are very bright (cannot remember the led brand, about 50 super bright wide angle leds, about couple watts worth power I guess).

They fog some papers in less than 5mins if unfiltered. Less sensitive papers such as Multigrade IV RC was ok for half an hour without any filtering. I've noticed that Luxeon 1W amber/orange red leds too have some yellow and orange if unfiltered. (Tested those for the secondary light I'm adding)

A thin piece of red plastic helps enough and I've seen no fogging in half an hour even in the more sensitive papers at 1m distance. Haven't tested longer times.

removed account4 · May 20, 2007

i use a monster bulb ( i think that is what it is called )
it is just a big safelight bulb,
it is in the far corner of my room and mounted on a light fixture on
the wall.

it isn't perfect, but it seems to work without fogging.

john

David Brown · May 20, 2007

jnanian said:
i use a monster bulb ( i think that is what it is called )
it is just a big safelight bulb,

http://porters.com/Merchant2/mercha...Code=221167&Category_Code=D1J&Product_Count=4

Is this what you've got, John?

I've seen these called "fireball". I think Delta 1 may also (or did) market these.

When I had a darkroom in an earlier job, I had two of these. I could almost read a newspaper, but it didn't seem to fog the paper. I would definitely do a test, though - these things are bright!

For the record, I currently use two Kodak "beehives" with OC filters in my rather small darkroom. (7x9ft)

removed account4 · May 20, 2007

hi david

yes! that is it

i have it in the corner of the room, it is bright,
and seems to work well

i did paper fog tests and it didn't seem to give me trouble.

john

David Brown said:
http://porters.com/Merchant2/mercha...Code=221167&Category_Code=D1J&Product_Count=4

Is this what you've got, John?

I've seen these called "fireball". I think Delta 1 may also (or did) market these.

When I had a darkroom in an earlier job, I had two of these. I could almost read a newspaper, but it didn't seem to fog the paper. I would definitely do a test, though - these things are bright!

For the record, I currently use two Kodak "beehives" with OC filters in my rather small darkroom. (7x9ft)

menglert · May 20, 2007

I use red LEDs, a couple small ones, and that seems to do well. Have some yellow/amber, but haven't tested them yet. You can usually find them on the Bay for a few dollars a piece.

Phillip P. Dimor · May 23, 2007

I've used a mix over the years.
I like Nuarc red bublites. These are cheap on ebay. I bought three for thirty. The kodak bullet lights are nice but the filters can be expensive. The big kodak 10x12 or 8x10 model D or C is nice but still expensive.
I use the Nuarc ones and red screw-in LED's. The LED's are very bright and illuminate a wide area but I still like a mix of regular and LED's.

Plus, red is safe for a lot of materials..

jeroldharter · May 23, 2007

I have a Thomas safelight which is extremely bright. Unfortunately, it fogs my paper. If I reduce the light output, it defeats the purpose. Also, it makes an annoying buzzing sound.

I have some of the red multi-led bulbs which are OK but the light is harsh.

I have a Jobo Maxilux which is much dimmer than I had hoped.

In the end, I use an 8x10 Premier safelight with an amber filter. No fogging. Bright enough light. I have a long darkroom so I have the Premier near the ceiling on the far end and use the Jobo Maxilux in the far corner near the sink. Also, I use a Jobo Minilux for changing filtration on the enlarger head, looking for dodging tools, etc.

Rolleijoe · May 28, 2007

I use the Jumbo Delta safelights with no problems, have about 7 or 8 of them all around the darkroom, but will be changing some to the Delta Jrs, as I'm getting a bit of fogging. Their warrany is beyond excellent, 5 year free replacement, and even when I was in HI, they complied no questions asked.

I highly recommend them. They last for years.

Uncle Bill · May 28, 2007

I use a Yankee safelight that just screws into the light socket in the ceiling, I have dark brown/orange filter to go with it. At some point I am going to need a red filter that will fit in if I want to print with Efke Paper.

Bill

Freneticist · May 28, 2007

I have two 5X7 Premier lites. One with an OC, one with #1 Red. And an OA sitting by the side. The amber filters do give out more light, and I have never had a problem with paper-fog. However, I found the hard way that the OC and the OA both fogged my lith films and aerial films beyond use, hence the red. I loaded two 8X10 holders, five 5X7 holders and four 4X5 holders, only to find every last one of them trashed. So, no matta the medium, test a single piece first under whatever light setup you choose to use.

dancqu · Jun 2, 2007

Uncle Bill said:
At some point I am going to need a red filter that
will fit in if I want to print with Efke Paper. Bill

Perhaps not. I've lately been working with Slavich Graded.
They say red but it's coming out clean using old fashioned
yellow/orange. I found out that yellow/orange filters have
been dropped for all Graded papers. So, IIRC, the 1A light
red recommendations. The yellow/orange, if you can use
it will really brighten up a darkroom. Dan

Adrian Twiss · Jun 25, 2007

2 10x8 Ilford safelights over the enlarger one with 902 (amber) and one with a 906 (dark red). The dark red is for Forte Polygrade and Adox papers. Over my wet bench I have a Durst Labolux in amber (with the power turned down) and a 10x8 Kodak with another 906 filter in it.

Works for me.

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