Re: [Leica] Enlarger alignment

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

><Snip> 
> If you haven't bought the Zig Align yet, I'd urge you to check out the
> Parallel by Versalab alignment tool.  It is  easy and quick to use and VERY
> accurate.  I think it's a great idea to check your enlarger periodicaly- it
> only takes a few minutes to correct any problem, and it does make a
> difference in your prints.
> 
> Richard Wasserman

Thanks Richard!
I have some printouts on the Parallel right here. But it seems dependent on ones
trust that that laser beam is aligned correctly in the box.
Price wise I don't know if there is a significant difference or not.
But so far the Zig align lady sounded nicer on the phone, returned my call
immediately. 
The inside info on the design of both units are of course the main issue, the
sceamatics The Zig people have a new advanced design now as well but for $300,
maybe it's a laser beam. Two optical glass mirrors, one with a hole in it sounds
like an elegant solution if that's the idea. Perhaps somebody like Ctein has
done a comparison I would think darkroom people would want to know comparative
alignment systems as a first priority. That's where I'm at! I'd like to be able
to print wide open like Ralph Gibson!! No uniform tight grain pattern in all
four corners I trash the print. From what I can gather from I forgot where the
Warm is two stops slower than the regular Multigrade and the cool is one stop
slower. I'm almost at what feels like a practical limit making 8x10's with an
Aristo VC head and Nikkor lenses, an 80 5.6 usually for 35mm. I'd like to feel
also just as comfortable making 11x14s.
Mark Rabiner