Is any one printing with a Zone VI enlarger?

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I'm planning to change my enlarger. The Zone VI with the variable contrast head sounds good. Anyone with first had knowledge?

-- Ron McElroy (RRRRMc@aol.com), August 24, 1997

Answers

Zone VI

I too have been considering the Zone VI enlarger. A review of it will hit the news stands with the September/October issue of 'View Camera" magazine. It is quite favorable. The only drawback I can ascertain is that with small format negatives (35mm and 2 1/4 square), one will have rather long exposure times due to the fact that only a small portion of the lightsource is being used to illuminate a relatively small area in proportion to the light source.

I would be interested in others continuing this thread as well.

-- Gary Grenell (71174.2455@compuserve.com), September 06, 1997.


Zone VI

Though I've yet to print, I just finished aligning my 5 day old ZVI enlarger. It is a beast! If you'd like specifics on it, feel free to email me, or post. I'll post, if there's interest, once I've had a chance to print. First impressions are excellent build and awsome precise focusing (compared to my old Bogen, anyway. I'll be mostly printing with 35mm and 22 1/4 right now, so I'll be able to comment on times, too. An 8x10 from 35 w/ an 80mm lens looks to be 1/2 up the column, and dim. BTW, the 35mm carrier is full frame.

-- Kermit Burroughs (kermitb@richmond.infi.net), September 08, 1997.

Zone VI enlargers

I (and I beleive others) am interested in any details on the use of the ZVI. Are you suing a VC head?

-- Ron McElroy (rrrrmc@aol.com), September 09, 1997.

ZONE VI Enlarger

Yes, I do have the VC head. The rest of the enlarger, is, an enlarger. The baseboard is hanging off my counter by 8 inches, but it doesn't budge. I'm trying to get use to the head, as I write. Its, different. The one problem with it is that the head goes out of stabilization. I assume this has to do with the flo tubes needing to be a certain temp and what not. Problem is, if you split filter print, you have to wait for alternating tubes to stabilize. Don't know if other heads are this way. Tonight, I'm printing the way I was shown how, but I think that may be out the window. Basically, I was shown to print with max hard, then max sharp. Makes your exposure times REAL long. That doesn't bother me too much, but it is strange. There is no filter conversion for the controls, IOW, you aren't told 2 hard +3 soft = grade 2.5. This is good and bad and I can see its going to take a lot of experimentation.

-- Kermit Burroughs (kermitb@richmond.infi.net), September 09, 1997.

Zone VI enlarger w/VC head

I have owned and loved my Zone VI VC enlarger for 3 years. Last year I upgraded the original Type I head for the much improved solid-state VC head. My comments will assume that everyone has the new head First of all, printing 35mm with a 5x7 lamphead presents no loss of light! The negative size determines how much light gets through, not the original size of the light source. Like having a bigger window let's in more daylight. High school level physics. This is why we need f2.8 lenses for 35mm and a 5.6 will work fine for 4x5! While the projected image may appear dim, the paper sees it just fine! The two florescent tubes are precisely matched in spectrum to modern VC papers. (I most strongly recommend Ilford MG VI!) The 'focus' switch on the control box turns both lamps on very bright for focusing. I've not had any trouble with this. As for the head dropping out of 'stabilization,: this occurs if you leave the lamp head off for a few minutes, just turn on the 'focus' switch for a couple of seconds first. However, when split contrast printing, use the green (soft) light first to lay down your zone VIII. (Make full size test strips, not little useles torn paper ones.) Then, expose an entire print for the proper soft time and make test strips (on the same print!) to determine the proper time for black (d-max.) Then simply combine the two. Zone VI Studios chose not to be so presumptious as to mark the controller for paper grades. Every manufacturer's paper is different! Make the tests using your chosen paper and write the settings down. Both controls in the same position yeilds about 1/4 grade below grade 2 on Ilford VC FB. By the way, my Zone VI enlarger came with an intruction manual, which I read. A good idea for everyone.

-- Michael D Fraser (mdfraser@earthlink.net), September 10, 1997.


ZVI Enlarger

For people following: I called ZoneVI today, and was advised what Michael said, turn the focus on to stabilize the head. Still a pain, but worth it. Will try printing more tonight. Went over my dilemma with exposure times, and had it confirmed that my times should be going up, however my negative is a bit, uh, bulletproof. IT did print easier on the old enlarger, but I'll not be stopped!!

Really, I do love it so far.

-- Kermit Burroughs (kermitb@richmond.infi.net), September 10, 1997.


Zone VI/VC enlarger

Kermit: Sounds like you are coming from a CONDENSER enlarger. Please don't confuse printing FASTER with printing EASIER! Once you get used to the Zone VI, you'll never want to use anything else. Your prints will improve remarkably. Here's another clue: Ilford Delta 100 developed in PMK. See my posting in the film section.

-- Michael D Fraser (mdfraser@earthlink.net), September 10, 1997.

Zone VI/VC Enlarger

I've been using a dichro head. Unfortunatly, I started with a tough negative. I hit one good print tonght, but, alas, didn't write down the settings. I'm going to move to an easier neg to try and getuse to the enlarger. BTW, how do you align yours? Miine's close, but doesn't seem sharp. That pencil thing was a joke. I've been using levels and have gotten close. Any suggestions appreciated. I told Zone VI to make one since SaltHill is gone. I do love the enlarger, I'm just on that learning curve. Have thought about PMK, but have realized that I need to get controlled and systematic in what I do before experimenting any more. I'll get there. Thanks!

-- Kermit Burroughs (kermitb@richmond.infi.net), September 10, 1997.

Zone VI Enlarger Head

For anyone following this discussion who hasn't already purchased the Zone VI head but is interested in a variable contrast head of some sort, check out the Zristo 45VCL - it is very similar to the Zone VI head but doesn't present the difficulties that the persons participating in this discussion seem to have been having. It costs about $1,000. It is best used with the Metrolux timer. I don't work for Aristo and am not knocking the Zone VI head - I've never used it. However, I had no difficulties at all with the Aristo head out of the box and some of the people participating in this discussion seem to have had some initial difficulties with the Zone VI head so I thought I would at least let other persons know that there is an alternative out there for your consideration. BTW, don't believe all that stuff in the Zone VI catalogs written by Fred Picker about how the Zone VI head is the only one that provides independent blue and green controls - the Ariso head does the same. I think that at the time the catalog was first written the statements may have been true but Fred (and now Calumet) somehow has just never gotten around to correcting them. Finally, I have to comment on all the discussion concerning "split filter" printing. There was an article in Camera and Darkroom Techniques (now Photo Techniques) in late 1994 I believe by Phil Davis, in which Mr. Davis pretty well eliminated any thought that split filter printing provided any advantage over simply making a single print with blue and green mixed. Using different contrasts from the basic print to change local contrast is fine but if you are making your basic print by first printing with blue (or green) and then making a second exposure with green (or blue), I think (or at least Phil Davis thinks and his article was pretty persuasive) that you're probably just wasting time and paper (for the tests).

-- Brian Ellis (bellis@satie.arts.usf.edu), February 07, 1998.

I am the unfortunate owner of a Zone VI VC head. I bought it because it sounded nice on the catalog ; but the comments on this head was "marketing stuff". After owning the not very well stabilized 1st version of the head, I got the 2nd version, not very much improved. The head is very slow, compared to Aristo VC head (about 150% slower). Buy a Aristo VC head : better and cheaper.

-- Philippe Bachelier (phbach@infonie.fr), February 19, 1998.


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