Variable Contrast Printing with Dichroic Color Heads

[johnastovall]

I just got an Omega/Saunders/LPL 6700 Dichroic enlarger. My plan is to use it for B&W printing. I've found a very good article on doing this.

"Calibrating Dichroic Color Heads for Variable Contrast Black and White Printing"


"I need Chemicals!!"

[KJ Smith]

Stovall,

If you have not been to the Ilford Site , go and read. It has all sorts of great info including conversions for Vari-contrast.

Kevin

[billbunton]

Of course, the ultimate way to do this is with the Beseler-Minolta 45A color head. I still have mine, and some spare tubes, just no enlarger to use it on :-)

[dminton]

No, the ultimate way is using 4 or 5 "+5" Kodak Polymax filters stacked on each other because you accidentally shot FP4 at ISO 3200.

"Why is my film clear? Oh holy crap..."

[Big Dog]

I've always thought the Butzi article to be "over-thinking" it a bit. There are all kinds of charts of dicroic equivelents for the standard contrast filters. Ilford papers include the chart in every pack of paper, for instance. In any event, these are just "starting points". One still has to fine-tune the filtration just like the exposure and other variables for each print. If 5M is grade x and 30M is grade y, some negs just need 10M, ya know ...

But, maybe this is just me. As always, YMMV.

[venchka]

We haven't even mentioned split printing yet.

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by Big Dog

I've always thought the Butzi article to be "over-thinking" it a bit. There are all kinds of charts of dicroic equivelents for the standard contrast filters. Ilford papers include the chart in every pack of paper, for instance. In any event, these are just "starting points". One still has to fine-tune the filtration just like the exposure and other variables for each print. If 5M is grade x and 30M is grade y, some negs just need 10M, ya know ...

But, maybe this is just me. As always, YMMV.

I've always like 'over-thinking.' It just brings out the super-pocket protector, six color pen, slide rule totting Geek in me.

johnastovall added 2 Minutes and 42 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by KJ Smith

Stovall,

If you have not been to the Ilford Site , go and read. It has all sorts of great info including conversions for Vari-contrast.

Kevin

Thanks, I had missed this. Great stuff. I've got to start both a new set of book marks and get more ink for my printer and start a new section in my old darkroom ring binder...

[Valerie]

I almost did.... seemed like a nice way to hijack this thread!

Took a workshop in split grade printing a few years ago and have done it ever since. I only need to remember 2 filtration settings! 199Y and 199M !(I think that's right... )

Originally Posted by venchka

We haven't even mentioned split printing yet.

[Big Dog]

Originally Posted by venchka

We haven't even mentioned split printing yet.

Yeah, well ...

I took the same workshop as Valerie (only a year earlier) and I still don't believe in it.

But seriously, folks, I think the OP was simply asking how to use a dichroic head in place of filters for variable contrast paper. Split grade is a technique that can be done with a dicro, or with filters, or with a dedicated VC head, or magic spells ...

[johnastovall]

Yep, I'm trying to sort out VC paper in my Agfa graded paper mind. Decided a dicron head was the way to go. I've read a bit about split grade looks like fun. But this maybe the simpler thing for my printing needs. If I would just get a camera for it.