Re: [Leica] Re: Re: making contact prints

["Dan Post" <dpost@triad.rr.com>]

Jim-
This can be minimized. I always did contacts- when I did them, by using the
enlarger as as much of a 'point source' as possible- I put the head as high
as possible, and used as small an aperture as possible. The same physical
principles you find in the Callier effect work outside the enlarger.
With the head too close, and with a wide open aperture, you can get
significant scattering of light in the layer of plastic, no matter how thin,
and the image can be severely degraded.
Using a more 'point source' type of light as I described, the light seems
more collimated, and the negative, even with the thin layer of plastic,
casts, literally, a more sharply defined shadow on the paper, and makes for
sharper, more easily evaluated contacts. Try it - it works.
Just raised the head as high as possible, and stop down the lens, and your
contacts will be noticably better.
Dan ( Wondering what a 16x20 inkjet print would cost....!) Post
- ----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>; LUG
<leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2000 7:48 AM
Subject: [Leica] Re: Re: making contact prints


> >on 21/4/00 12:35 AM, Jim Brick at jimbrick@photoaccess.com wrote:
> >
> >> His solution was to make 16x20 proof sheets.
>
> At 09:45 AM 4/21/00 +0100, Johnny Deadman wrote:
> >Joe's Basement will do this for you in London... I've had it done a few
> >times. The only problem is the sheets are so damn big. For looking at
35mm
> >contacts casually I like those light-gathering loupes... for up close I
use
> >either a linen tester or a reversed 50mm lens.
> >
> >Johnny Deadman
>
> The problem is that most contact sheets are made while the negatives are
in
> a plastic sleeve. There is a layer of plastic between the neg and the
paper
> which is OK for general viewing of the contact sheet, but critical viewing
> is compromised.
>
> From what I see with my own contact sheets, a linen tester would be
> useless. The plastic layer visibly degrades the print.
>
> Jim