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  #1  
Old 20th April 2011, 09:21 PM
VickiB VickiB is offline
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Default Analyser Pro for Ilford 500 enlarger

Pavel and I received our Analyser Pro a little over a week ago. We have watched the instructional videos and have made several attempts to use the new equipment, with varying results.

Pavel initially got several very good results with his medium format negatives. The main problem he encountered was that the lamp seems to be burning with unaccustomed intensity since installing the Analyser Pro, and his exposure times are extremely short--in the 5-second range even at f/22. The lamp is getting so hot, in fact, that some of his negatives started developing bubbles and buckling from the heat.

My problems were quite different. Using two separate 35mm negatives, I have taken the required readings--highlight first, then shadow--and then adjusted the time and the contrast to give me the desired results. When I print with the times obtained, the exposure is clearly far too short; that is, the resulting print is so light it almost can't be seen. Frankly, I have tried only the two negatives because I didn't want to waste any more paper! After increasing the exposure time quite arbitrarily, I was finally able to achieve an acceptable result with an 8x10 print, but when I tried the same negative on 11x14, I was back to the drawing board with an almost invisible print. I used the same contrast grade on the 11x14 (3.8), and the readings on the gray scale seemed in line with those on the smaller print.

We were both using Ilford RC glossy paper for all the prints, which is Paper 1 on the Analyser Pro, hoping for predictable results.

I realize that my two scenarios don't include a clear question. However, if anyone has experience with this equipment, I would appreciate any advice you can provide to help us use something that we really believe would enhance our darkroom experience exponentially (and decrease our budget for test strips by the same factor ).

Thanks for any ideas you can provide.

Best regards,
Vicki
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Old 21st April 2011, 07:25 AM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Vicki, I have had an Analyser/pro for several years and pretty well from the box it has given me perfect or near perfect print exposures with a variety of papers that I have used it with including MGIV, as far as I can tell from what you say you are doing everything correctly, so perhaps an Email to RH might be on the cards, if anything is wrong I am sure Richard will be able to sort it out for you, the only other thing I can think of is a problem with your Multigrade 5oo head, so perhaps it might be worth checking everything out, The Analyser is a wonderful piece of kit and worth every penny, and I have had very little problems with mine, and RH backup is second to none,Richard
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Old 21st April 2011, 08:02 AM
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RH Designs RH Designs is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VickiB View Post
The lamp is getting so hot, in fact, that some of his negatives started developing bubbles and buckling from the heat.
Vicki -

Is the fan running normally? That's the first thing to sort out because if it isn't the head will overheat. Negs should certainly not buckle if the cooling system is working correctly.

Questions regarding exposure and metering are best addressed to Chris Woodhouse at the email address in the user manual or on his web site; as the designer he's the only one who really knows how it works .
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Old 21st April 2011, 08:15 AM
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B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
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Vicki,
I have a Analyser Pro 500 working my De Vere 203 fitted with the Ilford 500 head for quite a few years now and have never experienced any problems.

I would check these items:

1/ Is the cooling fan working.
2/ You mention the 'lamp' (bulb?) there should be two.
3/ Check you are using the correct lamps / bulbs for the head.
4/ It is possible the calibration is incorrect for the paper in use - possibly way out by the sound of it.

When you find the answer do let us know.

Best of luck,

Neil.
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Old 21st April 2011, 10:03 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VickiB View Post
I have taken the required readings--highlight first, then shadow--and then adjusted the time and the contrast to give me the desired results.
Hi Vicki,

I have been using the Analyser Pro for a number of years but not the 500 model. I have looked at the manual for the 500 model online and wonder if you are taking the readings in the correct order. You should measure the shadow first (clearest part of the negative) then the highlight (densest part of the negative), not as you are saying above. I think it is on Page 11 of the manual, Making Your First Print. Try it and see if it gives you a 'better' reading.

Sorry but can't help with the overheating problem as I don't have that system.

Bill
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Old 21st April 2011, 10:55 AM
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RH Designs RH Designs is offline
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It doesn't actually matter which reading you take first, but if you take the shadow first then the log.D reading for the highlight and subsequent readings make more sense. All Analysers and ZoneMasters (except the very earliest) place the first reading as a highlight because until you take another measurement they know no better, and have to place it somewhere!
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Old 21st April 2011, 01:00 PM
PavelDerka PavelDerka is offline
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To chime in a little late (I've been away at a conference) the Analyzer works perfectly - 90 percent of the time. In the bit of time I've had to use it it has been marvelous except for two issues, which we are still trying to figure out as it makes most sense that we are missing something obvious.

The analyzer as best as I can tell works as expected except for certain negatives. I printed fine for a while and then came to a negative that no matter what I did I could not get sensible readings and the results showed that the readings were off the map. A grey patch would show half way down the scale and print at the top of the scale. Switch negatives ... and back to perfect. So far two negatives have done that and I'm scratching my head. I don't consider that a major issue because I am sure that when we figure out what we are doing wrong we are going to laugh and marvel at something obvious we aren't seeing.

The other issue is serious for us. The bulbs are running so bright and hot that I have to rush to use it because approximately 60 seconds of the light being on the negative is scalloped from the heat and one could actually burn themselves from the black plate under the lightbox. My times with the correct lightbox for 6x7 range in the 2 to 4 seconds at F 22! These are negatives that normally print at ~ 16-24 seconds or so at F11 on the condenser and printed fast but not this fast on the ilford 500 before.

I can thing of several possibilities. I wonder if perhaps the transformer is acting funny or could it perhaps be that the analyzer is making the enlarger happy and shining brighter?

I need to run some more methodical tests now that I will have a bit of time, but was hoping perhaps that there was one of those obvious lapses going on that beginners often make that some of you may spot.

The fan is running btw - constantly, it does not turn off after three minutes.

Could one solution be to change bulbs from the 300watt to 150 watt each and re-calibrate for the paper?

In any case I will email Chris Woodhouse and let you know how this turn out. I can tell you we both love what the Analyzer is doing. The 500 is a great enlarger but I hope to soon be able to afford a zonemaster for my stopclock equipped Omega D2. It is not as sophisticated of course as the 500H but I can see it lasting throughout my daughters lifetime, should that little daydream work out. Sometimes simple is the best. A bit like film itself.
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Old 21st April 2011, 01:52 PM
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B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
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Pavel,

The Ilford 500H is a very powerful head and of course was designed for professional use where many repeats of the same image would have been the norm and short exposure times were desireable. This is especially so when making small prints such as 10x8 or less. Also if the negative is on the thin side this compounds the problem. Most of us using these heads are aware of this and adjust the density of our negatives to suit. I even use a 63mm enlarging lens with 35mm work on my De Vere 203 + 500H to get more height on the column with smaller prints.

If the negs in question are on the thin side and you are making small prints maybe this is the problem ? It would certainly explain the very short exposure times with the 500 H.

Neil.
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Old 21st April 2011, 01:56 PM
Dave miller Dave miller is offline
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It sound like the lamps are receiving too high a voltage which would cause the overheating and high brightness problem. If that is happening then this same effect will seriously shorten the life of the lamps.
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Old 21st April 2011, 08:09 PM
Ed Moss Ed Moss is offline
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If it's none of the above I've placed a piece of lee ND filter under the diffuser box, I can send you a piece if you want to try as it came in a large sheet which I'll probably not use.
It's helped increase my exposure times.
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