Split printing in a D2V

I recently switched from a Beseler 23c to an Omega D2V and I'm going through the adaptation process. I am really going to miss the heck out of being able to swing the lens to focus on a tilted easle for perspective control and it was pretty easy to change MG filters for split-filter printing without jostling the head.
I use acetate MG filters in a filter holder up in the condenser housing. Can anyone share their methods for changing filters in a D2V for split-printing?

Neal,

I always used the Kodak filters under the lens and never have seen a problem with doing it that way. I now use an Aristo VCL4500 cold light on the D2v and I can change the lamp color with a flip of the switch. Good luck to you.

lee\c

You could just switch filters in the condensor box or use them under the lens. One method I've heard of is to mount a 0 and 5 filter on a T-shaped handle and hold them under the lens, but that takes up a hand you could use for dodging.

Omega made a tilting neg stage for Scheimpflug adjustments with a tilted easel. They come up on eBay occasionally. I've got one.

Neal-

I use Ilford filters, and I just move them in and out from the area behind the door, above the condensor lenses, as necessary. I lay the filter on top of the condensor lenses (unless I've got the top lens in the top slot, in which case I lay the filter between the condensor lenses). Wherever it's easiest to get to the filters, that's where they go. You can open and close the door at the top condensor lens on the D2V without moving the rest of the enlarger if you just use a light hand. I've had no problem with this whatsoever. Have you tried to just pull one filter out and throw another one it? It should work pretty easily, unless your filters are large enough that they'll move something when you take them out. Let me know if I'm not being clear...changing filters on the D2V has never caused me any trouble.

Be well.
Dave

I've never done it so I'm speaking from utter ignorance but putting a piece of plastic under a fine six element lens has always troubled me. Opening the condenser door to change filters seems likely move something too. I'm going to have to think on this.

David, that tilting carrier sounds interesting. I've been tilting my easle to correct lines in shots of architecture with 35mm fairly regularly lately.

So far, I've been hand holding filters under the lens, but as pointed out above, that's incompatible with dodging and burning (and I haven't yet been able to reliably change filters on top of the negative carrier without at least intermittently getting double images). The condenser box is out; I have a cold light in there. I suppose I'll have to make a frame to hold the acetate filter on the existing under-lens mounting point -- though being unable to move the filter during exposure will mean I have to find a way to keep the naked acetates clean and unscratched. Good news is, using Lee lighting filters means I can make eight dozen 3x3 inch under-lens filters, in each of two colors, for about $15 plus gas for a round trip to Winston-Salem, about a half hour drive.

Perhaps I've gotten lucky in not moving the enlarger head, but I do know that you don't have to open the door to the condensor lenses completely to swap out the filter. The door opens smoothly enough for most of its swing; it's only in the last bit of travel that the door really throws itself open (at least on my D2V), so if I hold the door open with one hand without opening it all of the way, swap the filters, and close the door lightly, I avoid the double-image issue. In fact, that's how I've done it since I got my D2V (something told me that the "ka-thunk" that happens in the last bit of travel for the door would be problematic, so I just avoided opening the door fully from day one), and I've never had a double image problem.

Making a set of under-the-lens filters shouldn't be too difficult if you want to go that way. Someone, somewhere (don't you just hate sentences that start that way) did a series of experiments that showed that there was no measurable image degradation with filters that were used under the lens as long as the filters were in good shape. There are filter holders made for the Omega enlargers specifically to hold filters under the lens, and as Donald points out, making a set of under-the-lens filter should be reasonably inexpensive.

But play with the door on your condensor head a bit and see if yours works the way mine does. If so, then a light touch will allow you to swap out the filters without too much worry, as long as you don't let the door swing fully open on its own. This has been my chosen way of working with the D2V, and I've yet to have a problem with swapping out filters causing a shift in the image on the paper.

Best of luck Neal...the D2V really is an amazingly long-lived peice of equipment capable of amazing results.

I agree with Mongo, the filter drawer is very easy to flip open and close without moving the enlarger.
I brace the top for stability and use glass carriers for the neg stage. I think I would really have to hit the head to make it move.

One point, I put the filters below the condensor glass rather than on top, I found that the filters fade faster closer to the heat of the bulb.

I use 250 w bulbs in all my omegas *not recommended* but it gives me more light for the better sweet spot apeture and 8-20 second main exposure time I am always looking for.

Flotsam said:

IDavid, that tilting carrier sounds interesting. I've been tilting my easle to correct lines in shots of architecture with 35mm fairly regularly lately.

Click to expand...

I just got it out, and it's called the Omega Distortion Correction Attachment, Cat. No. 7439. One thing is that it uses its own neg carriers which are different from the regular Omega neg carriers. I have a 4x5", and I guess I can mask it down for smaller formats, but I've occasionally seen smaller neg carriers for it. It can rotate the neg 360 degrees and tilt on the horizontal axis with the neg in any orientation. I think it might be really handy to use with one of those Zig-Align easel alignment tools, if I were really using it often.

David A. Goldfarb said:

I just got it out, and it's called the Omega Distortion Correction Attachment, Cat. No. 7439. One thing is that it uses its own neg carriers which are different from the regular Omega neg carriers.

Click to expand...

That is interesting but odd. I wonder why they didn't just come up with a swinging lens board and leave neg stage alone?

Bob Carnie said:

I use 250 w bulbs in all my omegas *not recommended* but it gives me more light for the better sweet spot apeture and 8-20 second main exposure time I am always looking for.

Click to expand...

I'd love to get more light out of my D2V. What is a ph211? 75 watts? 250 sounds like a big jump but it would be interesting to put a dimmer on it and undervolt the bulb to get just the light level that you prefer and maybe reduce the heat a little. I have the heat-absorbing glass to protect my filters. What bulbs are you using?

Hi Neil
The bulbs I am using are.... General Electric PH213 250W 115-125v USA

I never plan to go back from these bulbs, downside is that they burn out faster . I buy a case at a time and are readily available.

I know you will appreciate the extra power when making enlargements.

bob