SPLIT GRADE PRINTING - BEST ENLARGER ?

Alan Sleator · Apr 24, 2008

Dear Fellow Apug users,

Any suggestions about which is the best enlarger to use for split grade printing ? Ideally, I'm after a model where I don't have to touch the head to change the grade settings, to avoid mis alignment during the two split grade exposures.

I've heard that the Zone VI enlarger is ideal - but where can I buy it ?

Best wishes,

Alan.

Nick Zentena · Apr 24, 2008

What format?

I've literally run into my enlarger and it didn't move. OTOH it out weighs me

I think some of the high tech colour enlargers have controls off the head.

OTOH you are likely worrying too much.

Deckled Edge · Apr 24, 2008

Alan Sleator said:
Dear Fellow Apug users,

Ideally, I'm after a model where I don't have to touch the head to change the grade settings, to avoid mis alignment during the two split grade exposures.

Alan.

The key here, is rigidity. You don't want the head to move under ANY circumstances, including changing filters.
I have successfully done split filtering for 20 years using my old D2. I bolted it to a wall and ran 3 cables with turnbuckles from the ceiling to fix the head in place. So long as the head is held rigidly, I don't think it matters what brand or model of enlarger you choose. Your choice should be ease of use, flexibility of negative size, type of filters, etc., not rigidity.

panastasia · Apr 24, 2008

Enlargers that don't need to be touched? I don't know of any. Do you mean mis-alignment of the filters? Or, are you referring to the mis-alignment of the projected image when using two different color filters due to the different wavelengths of the colors? If so, the laws of physics tell us we can't correct that.

Bruce Osgood · Apr 24, 2008

Look for a Color/Dichro head enlarger for your format. Simply dial in or out the filtration desired. If this causes misalignment then you've got the wrong enlarger or it needs some work.

phaedrus · Apr 24, 2008

I've never had any disalignment with the Ilford filter holder that is fixed under the lens and a trusty (heavy!) Durst 1100 enlarger. But then, you might be willing and able to spend a lot more money for a Heiland Splitgrade light source for your enlarger plus a Heiland controller. These are available for several models of enlarger. A friend of mine has one of these combined with a Beseler 4x5 enlarger and swears by it. I'm still getting by with manual splitgrade printing and two test strips per image.

TimVermont · Apr 24, 2008

I have the Zone VI model two, and yes, you are correct, you don't need to touch the head or chassis, just the control panel. It works great with the Heiland Splitgrade, which automates the process. Whatever enlarger you choose, wall mounting it is an improvement.

eclarke · Apr 24, 2008

For 4x5, the LPL VCCE is absolutely great, just turn the dial...EC

hal9000 · Apr 24, 2008

Anything with an Ilford 500 series head would be nice, or a Heiland splitgrade unit. Or low-budget: below the lens filters. Anything with a filter drawer will be hard not to move between exposures. For color heads or VC heads with knobs it really depends on the head - on some you will have to do lots of knob-turning to get from 0 to 5 (or to switch from high yellow to high magenta).

walter23 · Apr 24, 2008

Heh, weird, I've never even thought about that possibility. I've got a chromega dichroic head on a D6XL and I've never noticed any lack of sharpness from split grade printing. If you're that worried about it, a set of multigrade filters and a mount under the lens would probably be the best choice (though I've never used them so don't know how much force it takes to swap out filters). I like the convenience of my head, and I've done 16x20 split grade prints that are razor sharp.

Alan Sleator said:
Dear Fellow Apug users,

Any suggestions about which is the best enlarger to use for split grade printing ? Ideally, I'm after a model where I don't have to touch the head to change the grade settings, to avoid mis alignment during the two split grade exposures.

I've heard that the Zone VI enlarger is ideal - but where can I buy it ?

Best wishes,

Alan.

keeds · Apr 24, 2008

Ilford Multigrade Head with RH Design Stopclock 500 could not be simpler... No need to go anywhere near the enlarger

Alan Sleator · Apr 24, 2008

Ideally I'm after an enlarger where I can alter the colour/ grade from the base board, or from a separate control box without having to twiddle dials on the head itself. I know the Zone VI enlargers have this facility, but I have no idea where to buy them in the UK.

best wishes,

Alan.

Chuck_P · Apr 24, 2008

I have the LPL 4550 VCCE and it is ideal, a simple turn of the knob as stated earlier by someone else.

jeroldharter · Apr 25, 2008

I wish I had that enlarger also - i.e. one that had a control panel on the baseboard. Likewise, I would like to push 1 button for max magenta/blue and another button to toggle max magenta. I don't think such a thing exists, especially one that is currently in production.

The Beseler Universal color head would be good and the Calumet LED head for Zone VI enlargers would be great. But I don't hear of many people using either of these.

I wish some handy person here (RH Designs?) would make a universal 4x5 LED head with a baseboard control module expressly for split grade printing.

Nick Zentena · Apr 25, 2008

Doesn't Heilands LED head and controller do that? For the price it better do it all.

resummerfield · Apr 25, 2008

jeroldharter said:
....I would like to push 1 button for max magenta/blue and another button to toggle max magenta.....

I think Aristo makes the VCL series with a remote controller that does allow one-button control of max blue and green. I've seen them in operation, but I don't own one and never printed with one.

lee · Apr 25, 2008

aristo makes a 4500 VCL head that is a two color (violet blue and green) cold light head that has a controller box that I have sitting on a shelf that does exactly what you are asking about. Draw back is that it is not cheap. I have mine timed with a MetroluxII timer. This has probe that is attached to the blue tube and allows for the timer to speed up or slow down with power fluctuations. I have my head sitting on an Omega D2v and once I put the neg in the light path and focus it, I don't have to touch the enlarger again until I am ready to change that negative.

lee\c

magic823 · Apr 25, 2008

ZBE Oriental Cold Light Head. Not made anymore, but there was just one up on ebay. ZBE is still in business and will repair them. They're pretty cool heads.

Bob Carnie · Apr 25, 2008

I would not hold my breath with service from ZBE..
I owned and oriental cold head, lasted two year, ZBE refused to fix, I foolishly bought a Starlight head from them that went wonky two years after purchase and when I asked for it to be fixed was told that I needed a service contract to fix and stand in line behind the people who purchased a chromira.
Basically both heads though brilliant in design and usage*no argument there* were thrown in the garbage, way before their time.

magic823 said:
ZBE Oriental Cold Light Head. Not made anymore, but there was just one up on ebay. ZBE is still in business and will repair them. They're pretty cool heads.

edtbjon · Apr 26, 2008

Another vote for the Ilford 500 system with an optional RH Design controller attached. Then you can use the enlarger of your choise. While a few enlargers does have a "remote" control for changing the contrast grade, none was really constructed with split grade printing in mind. (I.e. a change of contrast grade implies a new print, not continued exposure on the same print. This calls for a very stable construction of the enlarger, which privious posters have pointed out.)
My choise is a Leitz Focomat IIc. I havn't got an adapter for matching an Ilford 500 to my Durst 138s/139 yet, so for that one I use filters under the lens instead. Now, none of these items apart from the RH Design Stopclock have been manufactured for many years, but they are readily available on the used market. Enlargers from Leitz or Durst are built to last at least for a lifetime or two of daily use.

//Björn

Curt · Apr 26, 2008

I have a Universal head without a controller so I removed the three light units with dichro filters and the MR16 wire harness and will be making a new light box next week. The box won't be the 5x5 Beseler type but a 5x7 styrofoam lined box. The wiring harness will run to a box on the wall or baseboard, remote, and have slide controls. It will be plugged into my Sola CVA, constant voltage unit. Each bulb in the original unit was 250 watts so that's what I am using, except they are not 83 volts but 120 volt bulbs of the same color temperature.

jeroldharter · Apr 26, 2008

Curt said:
I have a Universal head without a controller so I removed the three light units with dichro filters and the MR16 wire harness and will be making a new light box next week. The box won't be the 5x5 Beseler type but a 5x7 styrofoam lined box. The wiring harness will run to a box on the wall or baseboard, remote, and have slide controls. It will be plugged into my Sola CVA, constant voltage unit. Each bulb in the original unit was 250 watts so that's what I am using, except they are not 83 volts but 120 volt bulbs of the same color temperature.

Do you need a color controller?

Curt · Apr 26, 2008

Jerold, do you mean the controller for the head or a color analyser? I don't need either actually.

Curt

jeroldharter · Apr 26, 2008

Curt said:
Jerold, do you mean the controller for the head or a color analyser? I don't need either actually.

Curt

I meant the color controller for the Beseler Universal light source, the one you are talking about with 3 bulbs. I have a spare.

Curt · Apr 26, 2008

I see, no the unit is no longer connectable to the controller. I tried to find one for over a year but never had any luck. I'm using the bulb mounts with the dichro filters in a head that will be larger than the Beseler head. I received the bulbs yesterday and plan to build the light box next week.

You might want to keep the controller, Beseler told me they were very hard to find and difficult to repair. For my unit I bought three extra bulbs so I'll have spares for a while. I'm making an external cooling fan also. If I knew that LED's, white color corrected light, would be bright enough and dimmable, I would consider them. I just don't have the time to experiment with the optoelectronics.

Curt

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