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#1
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Amber safe lights
A question arose in discussion with one of our members the other day over the use of the Paterson / Photex globe amber safe lights, I think they were marketed as suitable for variable contrast papers and able to give a brighter light than the red version. I think I remember reading that they were withdrawn because they were found to be unsuitable, allegedly fogging some papers rather too quickly.
Has anyone else experience of them? Is anyone using them in their darkroom? |
#2
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I have an amber dome for my Photax but haven't used it for years. I bought the specifically variable contrast dome which is a sort of brownish colour, and that works fine - at least with Ilford and Agfa papers. I also have the cylindrical Paterson one with a red filter and that is also OK.
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#3
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I have some very bright amber LEDs at work. They are used for the indicator in the TVR rear light cluster which we make the flexible circuit for.
I'm going to try these out as a safelight one day. I also have the red LEDs from the same cluster. I should try those too. Steve. |
#4
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I've had problems (fogging) in the past with amber safelights with Fote's Polywarmtone paper and Bergger's WT/VC paper. Thus I only use red these days.
All I can say is test them thoroughly with the various papers you use.
__________________
"To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which will never be seen again" Ralph Waldo Emerson. Timespresent Arenaphotographers |
#5
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Can't address these specific units but amber (~ 590nm) is quite close to the end of many VC papers sensitivity (usually around 525-550nm from looking at manufacturers' data sheets). This implies that any amber safelight had better be quite narrow-band and as such, not emit much light below it's nominal wavelength. I have doubts how effective coloured plastic will be at this...
Amber LEDs do quite well however and I can get amber light that appears much more pleasant than the usual red or red/orange. Exactly how much this is helped by the fact that our eyes are more sensitive to colour as you go away from red and towards green I'm not sure, but I suspect it is quite significant. |
#6
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A question - just for clarification. I am presuming that the Ilford 902 isn't amber? I have one and very good it is too with MG paper but to tell the truth I don't know how I'd describe the colour of it when illuminated. The glass looks brown when it's off but a kind of "amberish" when lit. All I can say with confidence is that it isn't red.
That's one of the problems on the internet. We can see what the other describes. One man's amber is another man's ....... pentaxuser |
#7
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#8
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Ilford's definitions: -
902 Light Brown 904 Dark Brown 906 Dark Red 907 Dark Green 908 Very dark Green 914 Sepia 915 Light Red 916 Dark Green Ilford recommend the 902 for most Ilford paper including Multigrade. Adox recommends the use of a Dark Red safelight for their VarioClassic Paper.
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Cheers, Barry |
#9
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