Re: Film and Processing

["Gary Todoroff" <datamaster@humboldt1.com>]

> Gary Todoroff wrote: 
> > As an analogy, after working with Focomat IIc's at KameraBild in
Stockholm
> > back in 1967, I was never really pleased with my prints until I finally
got
> > my own Focomat Ic with Focotar 50mm f4.5. I knew there was always more
in
> > the negative than the cheaper enlargers were able to put on the print.

 Donal Philby  wrote: 

> Gary,
> 
> I rember back in journalism school many years ago having a Leica IIC (I
> think, the multiformat version) and I would make prints even from my
> early attempts at correct exposure, usually too little.
> 
> On the AOL board a while ago, a gentleman suggested that the newer V35,
> even with the BW module, was just not great, that it was a diffusion
> enlarger designed for color and marginal for BW.  He said only the
> Focomat I or II were good enough.  
> 
> I love the idea of the metering system and the newness of the V35, but
> wonder if any LUGgers have opinions (and can you imagine otherwise???)
> about two systems for BW.
> 
> Donal Philby
> San Diego

To keep this thread going, two things I don't like about the V35 compared
to the Ic:
	1. With the neg carrier, there are <two> glass surfaces to keep clean. The
Ic only required the bottom of the condenser to be cleaned (and not much
dust floated <up>).
	2. The height adjustment uses a screw thread to compensate for easel
height. Just backlash alone on the threads is enough to make accuracy
suffer. With the Ic, there are two holes that accept a metal pin which is
the vertical "stop" for height adjustment. You make your easel height match
the distance between the holes and then focus is perfect, whether using
baseboard or easel. 

So far, I'm not sure if my admittedly subjective bias toward the Ic is just
because I liked the old IIc so much. While I have both the Ic and V35, I
really should do some quantitative side-by-side comparisons. 

One other feeling I get with the V35 is that the image is not very bright,
even wide open with the Focotar f/2.8 40mm. Do halogen bulbs get dim with
age? Mine is a used enlarger with the bulb that came with it.

Please note that all of the above is pretty subtle nit-picking. Both
enlargers are incredible machines, but I would sure like to hear anyone
else's opinions.

Thanks!

Gary Todoroff
Eureka, CA