Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/13

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Aristo head on Focomat
From: Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 15:49:55 -0700

DonjR43198@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 08/13/1999 2:33:54 PM Central Daylight Time,
> FIGLIO4CAP@aol.com writes:
> 
> << I preferred the prints
>  from the stock Focomat over those form the straight diffusion head. The
>  Focomat illumination system is pretty wonderful.
>  Bob Figlio >>
> I,too, tend to favor the bulb and condenser systems over the cold light
> diffusion system since the negatives need be so much thinner and the negative
> contrast so much lower for condenser use.

I feel that the fact that a condenser system indicates a slightly thinner
negative is not really an advantage.
Underdeveloping a negative is not great for shadow or even mid tone separation.
Of course you are optimizing a negative for the condenser enlarger head that you
are using but I don't think it has to be by much and that the difference is not
really positive. Basically no big deal. I've bounced back and forth between
condensers and diffusion heads over 33.3 years and had to print the same negs on
both. I've had a cold light decade though.
Mark Rabiner