Hi Paul,
I experienced the same shock as you when I discovered, after 25
years away from darkroom work, that graded, fiber-based paper was
pretty much a thing of the past. I struggled with the reality of
the situation, and tried several brands of graded paper, none of
which offered the brilliance that I was seeking. I was not thrilled
with the Forte that I tried, so, IMO, you're not missing much.
Finally, just this week, I broke down and bought a box of Ilford's
VC paper, MGIV Deluxe. I wanted to try the Cooltone but the store
didn't have any in stock. I'm quite pleased with the results thus
far, although I'm only making 5x7 proof prints.
I'm using a Dichro head on the Beseler 23C-II, but one day I may try
using the Omega D2V, just to see the difference between prints made
with two different light sources. The Dichro head seems to give
brilliant results and nice even illumination. I think the light
source for a cold light head is similar to the light source for the
Dichro.
Tom noted that by using filters, such as you're doing, you're
limited to ½-grade contrast steps. I don't know how much of a
limitation that is, but being able to use fractions of a grade with
the Dichro seems to have an advantage. Of course, I'm speaking
only as a novice VC printer, so please consider my ignorance and
lack of experience in the matter.
--
Shel Belinkoff
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
There are no rules for good photographs,
there are only good photographs.
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