I started with the suggested settings in the manual for color negative film, and it only took me three exposures to zero in on the proper density and color balance. It didn't take me long to get the hang of it. I had a very good time printing today with the 45A. I rarely use the ringaround or analyzer these days, but they are nice if you print on a lot of different papers or with different film emulsions. I am going to start printing at 5.6 with a new enlarging lens I have, that will double the life of the tubes vs f/8. I have at least 600-700 8x10s on my current used set, printing at f/8. Focus tube sputtering is normal, it's cycling many times a second.
Skip, good choice.ĭo you have the manuals for this head? If not, I can post a zip file of all of them. That said, i don't used the 45A for B&W so it does not get that much use. I bought a few and have a complete spare head with controller just in case but i have yet to burn out a tube so i think they last quite well. Spare tubes are hard to find now, there's usually some on the auction site but they are not cheap. It usually takes only one sheet to make a small adjustment if needed.
I think i made 5 or 6 prints to get it correct but when you find the correct settings you will see that there is little need to make much adjustments if you stick with the same color negative film. Instead i just made some test prints and made corrections from there. What's a good technique that doesn't consume a lot of paper? 4) Any other practical tips to get the most out of the 45a? I never bothered using the color analyzer or the ring-around, so i can't help with that. 3) How do you print a ring-around using the ring-around feature on the controller? If I had a Saunders PR810 easel, I would try to make eight of the nine ring-around exposures as wallet-sized prints on a single sheet of 8x10. If I decide that I like this head for color work, I will get some spares (watch for more cheap heads to scavange tubes from, most likely). The focus tube works too, but it is sputtering in a way that may indicate that it is near the end of its useful life. 23C-III Dichro Colorhead 23C-III Dichro Colorhead features 0-200cc of continuously variable, fade free, dichroic filters for Yellow, Magenta.Ģ) What is the typical life of a focus tube or an exposure tube when used for 35mm enlargements to 8x10? The exposure tubes must still be in usable condition because the exposure dry runs I did completed in about 7 seconds with none of the channels lagging behind the others, and no error codes on the controller. What are the proper conditions or technique for getting a color analyzer reading?Ī catalog of User Guides and Owner's Manuals for Beseler enlargers and darkroom products available from KHB Photografix.
I've got a negative in the holder and enarged to 8x10 size on the easel. It displays _E for the R, G, B values at all apertures. I have a few starter questions: 1) I can't get the color analyzer to work. I'm going to clean the color filters and inspect the exposure tubes tomorrow, then try some printing. It's clean and it appears to be in good condition.Įverything I tested on the controller and the head with the exception of the color analyzer seemed to function as described in the manual.