Zone VI variable contrast head test

MVNelson · Dec 8, 2006

the zone VI head sucks in two ways. After doing a color analysis its quite clear noe that the blue light is basically one intensity and apperently maxed until you set the blue light at max then it is actually a tad less intense. This makes the system useless. If it were that the blue light would max at max I could learn to use it as a split exposure head. The sad thing is that it was sent back to me from calumet after weeks and $20o+ bill in this condition. I don't believe who ever repaired before believes in quality control! The good news is that I reinstated my 45A head and repeated the paper test and you wouldn't believe the precision of the gradation and exposure control. I just wanted to get back to a more conventional printing technique rather than using the strobing of the 45A head. I will call Calumet but I am not hopeful.
Miles (of disappointment)

MurrayMinchin · Dec 8, 2006

Put black masking tape over the hard lights 'Max' setting, so it doesn't taunt you with lost possibilities. That's what I did to the soft lights top end as well...did I mention I'm looking for a new light source

Murray

MVNelson · Dec 8, 2006

MurrayMinchin said:
Put black masking tape over the hard lights 'Max' setting, so it doesn't taunt you with lost possibilities. That's what I did to the soft lights top end as well...did I mention I'm looking for a new light source

Murray

I think you and I and a lot of other users of this head have been trying to make do this system that really was not well manufacter from a QA and consistency standard.

Miles

Allen Friday · Dec 8, 2006

Miles,

It sounds like the head is not working the way it should. I must have gotten lucky with mine, in that it works as advertised and was pretty easy to calabrate to the different contrast settings.

It seems to me that Calumet should stand behind the servicing it just did and if you send it to them again, it shouldn't cost you anything to get it fixed correctly this time.

MVNelson · Dec 8, 2006

Well there is a shimmer of hope. After a lenghty pow-wow with the folks @ Calumet They agreed to accept the head back for repair. I have packed it up to go back to chicago. I am sure it will be weeks again. Oh well. My step tablet study of Forte VC FB using the 45A head I just finished produced smoothest Grade 0 to grade 4 curve. I could get Grade 5 but I would never use it. I need to get of of the orange room(d.r. painted deep orange) this weekend to get some air and to satisfy my hungry eye! equipment failures are sooooo frustrating to me and the Zone VI head thing has fried me !

Miles (of relief)

michael9793 · Dec 11, 2006

I'm sure Fred Picker is turning in his grave. Calumet is about money not quality, and everything Fred Picker stood for is gone, Once he was dead so died the quality. He believed in every unit being tested and never sending out a unit unless it was perfect. That is why it was so hard for him to keep up with the backorders. But once you got a something from him weather it was a paper washer or lightmeter or enlarger head it was always perfect.
Once my Zone VI head goes so goes the enlarger and off to something eles. I won't trust Calumet to repair it right.

MJA

MVNelson · Dec 11, 2006

I spoke to him once and I agree with you .

john_s · Dec 17, 2006

michael9793 said:
I'm sure Fred Picker is turning in his grave. Calumet is about money not quality, and everything Fred Picker stood for is gone, Once he was dead so died the quality..............MJA

The basic issue is that if a product is well designed, problems will be very minimal. I was a Very Good Customer of Zone_VI in Fred's days, and I thought I was buying the Very Best there was. Some have turned out to be superb, some very useable once one understood the foibles, and, although I hestitate to criticize the departed, some were badly designed. The VC 2-tube head was one of them. I have one of the very first VC heads for 4x5, and it's inscrutible, and has been replaced. It was just too hard to pin down. Anyone want one, fine condition, compensating timer et al?

Neil Poulsen · Dec 26, 2006

john_s said:
It was just too hard to pin down. Anyone want one, fine condition, compensating timer et al?

Did you ever try split printing with this head, turning on only one light at a time, and still using your compensating timer?

My biggest gripe with Fred Picker is that he sold the Type I enlarger as a 5x7. It was originally designed as an oversized 4x5 and was never intended as a 5x7. Nor did it have the coverage to print 5x7.

One problem with the Type I is that it's no longer possible to get new bulbs for it. For this reason, I bought a Type II when one came up on ebay for an outstanding price.

MVNelson · Jan 1, 2007

I am eagerly waiting for mine to be returned from Calumet...2 weeks and counting.

john_s · Jan 1, 2007

Neil Poulsen said:
Did you ever try split printing with this head, turning on only one light at a time, and still using your compensating timer?

No, I didnt, but it probably would have worked much better.

MVNelson · Jan 19, 2007

4 1/2 weeks and haven't heard one word from Calumet about my enlarger. Think I better call...... Unfortunately this is what I expected.

Miles

MVNelson · Feb 3, 2007

Well an update for anyone interested. I hadn't heard from the Calumet folks about my ZNVI head so I called yesterday. Coincidentally they "had just completed work on it" and it will be shipped toady. Jeff the repairman said that in fact the green light was not calibrated which he says it put back in specs. They did not charge me for the 2 or so hours to work on it. I await its return. Except for the long wait things seem to be looking up....
Miles

Peter Schrager · Feb 7, 2007

litehead

Good to hear that Calumet is still fixing these things!!
Best, Peter

MVNelson · Feb 12, 2007

Well, my zone VI head is back ! Of course now I have gotten so comfortable again with my Beseler/Minolta45A(strobes) particulary with printing stained negatives on VC paper. The ZVI will go on this weekend and I will hammer out a BTZS paper test to check it out....here's hoping...

Miles

mikebarger · May 25, 2008

Hey, what ever happened here?

I'm thinking of buying one of these heads for my D2.

Mike

Zone VI variable contrast head test

Membership Council

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency