[pure-silver] Re: No More Below the Lens Polymax Filter Kits?
- From: Jean-David Beyer <jeandavid8@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:40:59 -0500
Tim Daneliuk wrote:
Steven Kershaw wrote:
John,
I too have been looking at ZONE VI enlargers. Care to share your "reasons"
for not recommending them with me as well? You can do so off list, my email
is listed below
Thanks
Steven
stevendidit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have used a ZoneVI VC head on my ancient push-up Omega D2 for years.
(I bought mine within a few years of the head being introduced.)
I am *very* happy with this head and have printed some beautiful
stuff with it. That said, some observations are in order:
1) It does have fairly low light output. At most magnifications
this isn't a big deal. I like plenty of time to dodge and burn
while I split print anyway. However, at high magnifications and
especially with slow papers, you can start to get into paper
reciprocity failure. I have some 16x20s that take up to 100sec
of exposure for part of the printing recipe. It doesn't
happen that often that I consider it much of a burden. Moreover,
I use top of the line Schneider enlarging lenses that are tack
sharp even at f/8 ot f/5.6 so I overcome some this by opening
up the lens.
2) The head output does vary as it warms up. For this reason, I turn it
on 30-45 min before I want to use it and check the light output with
a Luna-Pro on the easel as I go. Once warmed up, the head does not
appear to drift appreciably.
3) There is a plug in the head to take the ZVI compensating time that
measures actual light output and compensates for it.
Not on my unit; the design must have changed from time-to-time. It should
not need one as the two tubes (green and blue) have the electronics of the
compensating timer built in to stabilize them. The green one does not seem
to have enough gain, so it does not stabilize no matter how long the unit is
turned on. It will stabilize if you turn that green tube on for a few
minutes, but it cools off very fast, so if you expose a print and process
it, the green tube will have cooled off enough that it is no longer
stibilized. The warming you get when composing and focusing the next print
is not enough to warm it up enough to regulate. I find this very annoying. I
suspect, but do not know, that the unit does not have a
hermostatically-controlled heater in it. Also, I do not believe that the
photocells that observe the light output from the tubes are filtered; When I
vary one tube's brightness, the light output from the other changes (slightly).
Is it the best head known to mankind? I have no idea. I have learned
the quirks of this head and gotten really good results and it has
served me faithfully for the better part of a decade now. It is -
pardon the expression - light years better than anything Adams,
Weston, Aget, Brassai, et al had at their disposal and they managed to
make a good print or two. IOW - IMHO - buy the tool you can
get/afford, learn to use it until you have mastery over the device and
don't worry about equipment as much as printmaking. YMMV.
"Poor tools require better skills." Marcel Duchamp.
--
.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642.
/V\ PGP-Key: 9A2FC99A Registered Machine 241939.
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