[pure-silver] Re: No More Below the Lens Polymax Filter Kits?
- From: Tim Daneliuk <tundra@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:49:03 -0600
Jean-David Beyer wrote:
> 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
It must have - I just checked to make sure, and there is definitely a
socket on the top of the head.
> 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).
I have not observed any of these problems. Then again, other than
contact sheets, I split print *everything*. Doing so eliminates
a lot of this kind of variability. So, my head may have some or
all of the problems you cite, I just don't run into it.
>>
>> 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.
More like *different* skills, I'd say. In any case, I am not terribly
interested in the equipment and far more so in the resultant prints.
--
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Tim Daneliuk tundra@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PGP Key: http://www.tundraware.com/PGP/
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