Cold & condenser heads

[Jack Fulton <jfulton@itsa.ucsf.edu>]

> Any experience/thoughts on using a condenser vs a cold head ?
> Art Chakalis

  Basically the print one can achieve will exhibit little difference IF
the negative is prepared for the enlarger.

  The 'cold head' is similar in nature to the diffusion head of a color
enlarger as the light is of 'softer' nature. I've generally explained to
students that cold light and diffusion heads throw light through a negative
similar to a fog. Whereas the condenser head has a hard rain.

  One tends to have less spotting problems w/the cold an diffusion heads.
However, it is the negative one makes that will 'fit' your enlarger. i.e.:
if you have a normal neg and it prints fine on a condenser head, the cold
head will make a softer print. Similarly, a nice neg for a cold head will
print with more contrast in the condenser head.

  Using that logic, the cold head person will make a neg created w/a bit
more development time and vice versa for the condenser head person.

Jack Fulton