Looking for some advice on Cibachrome printing. Is a diffuser enlarger really necessary to prevent contrast problems, or will a condenser head work? Any advice would be extremely helpful. Thanks

-- tyson fisher (lowflyingfish@hotmail.com), September 21, 1999

Answers

A condenser head works perfectly well. There are quite often contrast problems because of the high contrast of the original diapositive, but I think this is more or less the case with all types of enlargers. I'm handling the problem with unsharp masking, which I think is the only way. With my 4"x5" diapositive size it's easy, but I suppose it's a bit more tricky with 35 mm film. If somebody has any better ideas than to control the contrast of the print with unsharp masking it would be nice to know. Contrast control of the original diapositive is an other but also interesting story. Martin Glader

-- Martin Glader (martin.glader@mesvac.fi), September 21, 1999.

Even if you go for the masking way I wouldn't recommend using a condenser head. Four film surfaces, glass carrier and a condenser head to expose every little dust that cannot be spotted from a glossy ciba print! With a diffuser there is less problem with contrast and dust. If you still have contrast problems, try Ilfochrome Low Contrast CF1k material. This works with the process P-3 (there will be a color cross-over with P-30) though I think it is not sold in small kits.

For lowering contrast in slides, pull processing in E-6 with a first developer time of 5 minutes will produce good results with most films with a very little and acceptable colorshift to yellow. For the same price you'll have a broader exposure latitud, and, IMHO a much more beautiful tonal scale. The drawback is loosing half of the film speed and that film custom processing is more costly.

-- Jan Eerala (jan.eerala@itameri.net), September 23, 1999.

Oh! Just realized this is the B&W forum. Are you going to make B&W cibas? It works fine, but because ciba is a color reversal material you have to make a positive film, a contact neg from your neg. This can be done using either panchromatic, or easier, orthocromatic film. Expose and develop the film to a moderate contrast, maybe little less than a "normal" camera film, depending on your personal preferences.

When making the ciba enlargement, you have to be very critical with color filtration and processing consistency, every little deviation will occur in the print as a color tint. But a succeeded B&W print is very, very fine with the deep rich blacks of ciba.

-- Jan .... (jan.eerala@itameri.net), September 23, 1999.

Have you tried Agfa's "SCALA" Black and White slide film . It is wonderful to shoot, and when printed on ciba paper shows true blacks and whites. What a beautiful film! To bad that there are only a few labs able to develope it.

-- Dianne Horvath (highlight.canada@home.com), January 03, 2000.