Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/05/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]This question comes up in rec.photo.darkroom quite frequently. The consensus there is that, Fred Picker's claims to the contrary, the Zone System can be applied successfully and a print of identical tonality produced with either light source. The condenser enlarger will produce a more contrasty print from the same negative than a cold light enlarger, but if you calibrate your film speed rating and development time to your enlarger correctly then you will be able to produce a negative that will be able to print as you like it. Condenser enlargers will accentuate scratches and dust on the film more than diffusion enlargers (both fluorescent (cold) and tungsten), so if your negatives get dusty you'll see it more dramatically. This is more or less a summary of opinion from rec.photo.darkroom. I've only ever used a diffusion enlarger with a tungsten light source, so I can't provide any corroborating personal experience. -Charlie Charles E. Dunlap Earth Sciences Dept. University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95064