Ken,
I've been doing some research on the issues you raise, including the
excellent
"Variable Contrast Printing" book, and all the methods, it seems, have
compromises. Anyway, I guess the (severely scratched) Apo Rodagon
enlarging lens
is good, I have never seen the focus shift. If I haven't seen it in this
test image (to test the 90/2.0 Macro, this is a 5x7in print)
http://www.deviantart.com/download/134659807/Fossil_by_philosomatographer.jpg
see crop here:
http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs48/f/2009/236/c/1/Fossil_Crop_by_philosomatographer.jpg
then I'm not going to see it anywhere, even if it's there. The crop
(done optically)
was equivalent to producing a 20x30 print or so, enlarger head way up
by the
roof. Split print, with half at full yellow, half at full magenta.
I am using a Omega Dichroic II head, and I have been very happy with
the pure black shadows i've been able to obtain with the full magenta
setting (as part of my split printing routine), it's a lot more intense
and contrasty than what the Ilford filters have been able to give me in
the past (admittedly, this was also on a different enlarger with a
different
fixed lens, and it was an above-the-lens 6x6cm filter set.)
I will revisit the below-the-lens filter set idea once I am able to
lay my
hands on a set (not so common over here in ZA) and do a proper
comparison.
But up to now, I have been surprised at the high contrast I have been
able to
get with full magenta. Much more than my filter set. Unless I've been
using an
old / faded filter set :-)
Either way, I am in a routine which I first need to perfect for a couple
of months, before slowly changing one variable at a time. It's taken me
almost a year to get here, and I am now able to get a print I am
genuinely happy
with within about 15 minutes of starting - only two small test strips
(different areas),
and in more than half of the prints the first full print is 80% as
good as what I wanted.
Then, depending on the image, I of course need to make further prints
with dodging /
burning.
I am busy working on my first print "series" - a set of 20 or so small
prints from a
"one hour, one roll" kind of project (inspired by yours, sort of) -
which I will
accompany with an article on the subject matter, as well as my
experiences of using
an OM-1 and a couple of lenses as a street camera.
It was during a recent business trip that I spent an hour in the worst
part of a
big coastal city (Durban, in Kwazulu-Natal) just watching it (and
capturing it) waking
up. The light was beautiful.
It's a lot of work, about 2 weeks to make all the images in my spare
time, and they're
not perfect, but such projects are great to force ones self technique
and discipline.
take care,
Dawid
On 28 Sep 2009, at 4:25 PM, Ken Norton wrote:
>>
>> I have settled (for now) on doing all my prints as split-grade prints
>> using my colour head, which seems to provide
>> a contrast range geater than the standard filters I've been suing,
>> even if fiddling with C,M,Y adjustment wheels get
>> annoying. But it's like I have an imaginary grade 6 and 7 also with
>> the super-rich Magenta this head delivers, and
>> split-grade generally relies on an overlay of two extreme contrast
>> grades (well, my style does, anyway - not sure if
>> it's always "right").
>>
>>
> You will want to convert to using Ilford Multigrade filters. The
> colour
> head is unable to give you a solid Grade V. The under-lens filters
> are. It
> is also MUCH quicker to slip in the 00 and V filters in the holder
> than it
> is to spin the adjustment wheels. Another reason to switch over to
> the
> under-lens filters is focus-shift. Even with the better lens optics
> you
> will have a slight focus shift between your two grades. I like the
> colour
> head for the type of light (diffusion), but the wheel spinning gets
> old in a
> hurry.
>
>
>
>> When I ever do go digital in a big way again (maybe a couple of
>> years,
>> and when I have the $$$) it will be difficult to
>> choose a system that comes close to the OM system, that's for sure.
>> Four Thirds is out for me. Canon / Nikon is so
>> huge (bodies, lenses). Pentax etc. are a bit misguided IMHO, and poor
>> on cool lenses / accessories. Hmm....
>>
>> Nope, nothing compares to the OM system for the moment.
>>
>
> I'm with you there. I'm very much in the hunt for a new digital and
> there
> is only ONE camera on the market right now that interests me in the
> least
> and it's not going to happen any time soon. So, it is an ugly state
> I'm in
> knowing that nothing I buy is going to satisfy me.
>
> AG
> --
> _________________________________________________________________
> Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
> Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
> Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
>
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|
