hi, Aristo's VCL8100 is just too rich for my blood. i am planing to build a cold light head then convert to my 8x10 camera. i did some research about cold light head in this sit. it seems cold light head will have difficulty to change different grade on VC paper. Can i still do it with VC filter? if not, is there any solution? Or Halogen light source will be a better way to go?

Is there any particular light tube for cold light head?

-- Jeff Liao (jliao66@aol.com), December 26, 2001

Answers

Nothing compairs to the VCL 8100+the Metrolux timer. But Ariso also makes a lamp called V54 I think it is their new standard lamp and you can buy that as a replacement for all their older heads.This V54 has a color comparable to a tungsen lamp so you can use normal filters to adjust grades from 0 to 5-6.So finde a used 8x10 head and replace the lamp with a V54 if it has not got one alredy ( or start saving for the VCL8100)

-- Gudmundur Ingólfsson (imynd@simnet.is), December 26, 2001.

I'm using an old cold light head on an ancient Elwood 8x10, with VC papers. You have to get a green gel (cheap) to cover the cold light to get it to the propoer color, then use VC filters as usual. As I recall I bought #15 green gel sheets from Abbey Camera --- Aristo advised me to try one or two thicknesses of that.

Of course my exposure times are in the many minutes range.

-- Sandy Sorlien (sand44@mindspring.com), December 26, 2001.

Cold light was a nice technology 4 decades ago- it has been way surpassed by indirect diffused light sources ever since. If you don't care about drifting print times, difficult to order tubes, and slow print times, and dim projections that are hard to focus go with flouresent cold light. Otherwise diffused chambered high intensity halogen gives you fast print times, easy to focus image projections, consistant and quick start up exposures, and light bulbs that most good camera stores carry.- Aristos are expensive and they do not cover the max neg size they are rated ( a 4x5 head will cover 6x9 great but you will see fall off with 4x5)

-- Jack nadelle (bi080@lafn.org), December 30, 2001.