Does anyone have any experience with Aristo VC Coldlight heads? I am considering one for my Omega E-4 (5x7) and wanted to know how well they work with Ilford VC filters or whether I would be better off home-building a hot light diffusion head. Right now I use the ancient ring light head and graded papers but, the papers are getting increasingly difficult to find.

Thanks for your input.

-- Kevin Kemner (kkemner@tate&snyder.com), May 13, 2000

Answers

I use an aristo head in an Omega D-3 with VC papers. I have one of the older tubes that doesn't have the right green/blue balance for the VC papers so I had to add a light green filter (CC30G?). It's not that the filters didn't work, rather, the grades didn't correspond correctly. Now it works pretty much the same as the standard condensor head. I also made a filter tray that fits between the head and the carrier to make it easier to swap filters.

Aristo has a new tube that is balanced correctly for VC papers. I think they comment on it on their website.

Use the search function to look for "aristo" & "coldlight" in this BB to get additional info.

-- Duane K (dkucheran@creo.com), May 16, 2000.

Not the Aristo, but the Zone VI.

The Zone VI worked fine with any VC paper I used, but the image was dim and I had a lot of trouble focusing and composing. Some of this ist that eye is not that sensitive to the light color (blue & geen) and some of the problem is that the Zone VI is a 5x7 head, so you waste a little light printing 4x5, and a lot of light when you print MF, and most of the light when you print 35mm. I switched to Saunders/LPL diffussion and can now see what I am doing.

-- Charlie Strack (charlie_strack@sti.com), May 19, 2000.

I don't know the Artisto heads but I am familiar with the Zone VI ones and have used it in an ancient Omega for years.The advantage to these ones is the sensor that monitors the light output and stabilizes it if you use the Zone IV timer with it. This combo has worked great for me since I don't have to worry about light drift as the head cools down or heats up and I can go back to do a print and duplicate it by using the same settings plus the tubes are good for something like 10,000 hours and you don't need to be concerned with a bulb dimming over time.If this sounds like an ad for Zone IV, it isn't,it is just that these tools have simplified and eliminated some variables in my darkroom and saved me time. I use an old set of Ilford filters that are almost all different shades of yellow and since the filters are above the negative wear and tear is not a big factor.

-- Stephen Mitchell (mitmad@telus.net), June 08, 2000.