ducku
Hello,
After some tough negotiations with my household budget, I’ve been given the go-ahead for a Heiland Splitgrade. I don’t want to get into a debate about the pros and cons right now, but I’d like to ask you which enlarger you would use or do use with the Splitgrade. At the moment, I’m working with a Kaiser V-System from the 6000 series and a Multigrade head. I acquired this as part of a 6x7 upgrade. I’m wondering if I’m not just ‘throwing pearls before swine’ here. Second-hand prices for ‘genuine’ 6x7 enlargers are still good at the moment, and I’m seriously considering having the Splitgrade fitted into something better straight away.
The potential options (i.e. the ones that appeal to me) are:
Durst Modular 70
Dunco II 67
Durst Laborator 1200
Kaiser 7000 series
Jobo LPL 7700
Just for the record, I work exclusively with 6x7cm and have no plans to change.
One more thing... should I have it converted to a multigrade or a colour head? Are there any major differences in terms of handling or quality?
Best regards,
Florian
Bonderer
With Kaiser and Dunco, you simply buy the module, take the existing one out, fit the new one in, and you’re done. With other or more unusual machines, the head needs to be modified, but it’s best to ask Heiland what’s possible or what modules he has in stock. I’ve now got a massive Kienzle C 69 and a Primos 69 S in the corner, both with modules but from Kienzle. As they’re two different machines, they also have two different splitting heads.
It also gives you a bit of breathing space if things get a bit bigger or are set to get bigger.
Renate
Hello,
The Durst Laborator 1200 is a 4 x 5-inch enlarger, so it’s a real beast compared to the others. It weighs around 60 kg and is a bit more expensive across the board. It can handle 6 x 7 format, but the large stage makes it a bit awkward to work with. 35mm negatives are even more difficult to process. The LED split-grade unit I recommend costs at least €1,800 and is designed for the full 4 x 5-inch format. With 6x7, only a third of the light area is used, and with 35mm even less. This makes the image very dark. I myself only use the Laborator 1200 with the colour head for manual split-grade in exceptional cases.
I used the Jobo LPL 7700 for years before the Laborator 1200. It is a solid piece of kit and optimised for 6x7. In tests, however, it was not considered a top-of-the-range machine. I have never used this machine for split-grade processing either. As it was not sold very often in Germany, suitable accessories are hard to come by.
A top-of-the-range unit would be, for example, the Durst Modular 70. I can’t say much about the Kaiser, as I’ve never used it.
I had Splitgrade demonstrated to me at faf2015 in Paderborn. LED technology has many advantages over halogen lamps. You can then use it as Splitgrade or as mixed light, depending on what you need. It doesn’t make the pictures any better, but it makes the process more convenient and a little quicker.
Best regards
Renate
Maunz
Hello Florian,
I can only tell you about my experience with the Durst Modular 70. Here too, Heiland provides an additional module that simply replaces the Multigrade or Colour module. In theory, you can then switch back and forth as you please – for example, you can quickly switch back to the Multigrade module. In practice, after buying the Splitgrade module, I’ve never once missed the Multigrade module. Working with the Heiland Splitgrade simply makes life so much easier. The module is expensive, but in my experience, it’s worth every penny.
€
Best regards
€
Martin
ducku
Hello,
I’ve now decided to go for a Durst Modular 70. The price was a bit higher than expected, but it’s in the same condition—both technically and visually—as it was on the first day. I rang Heiland straight away, of course. The single module has been discontinued due to high manufacturing costs, and instead the head is being modified—just like with many other enlargers. In any case, I’m already looking forward to my first Christmas session with the Splitgrade in the darkroom and I’m really excited. I’ll let you know how my first Splitgrade prints turn out...
Best regards,
Florian
ducku
Hello,
I’ve got another follow-up question. I now have a Modular 70 that I’ll be using with 6x7 film. On my other enlarger (a Kaiser 6000 series with 6x6 negatives), I have a Rodagon Apo 80mm lens. Should I fit the Durst with a 105mm lens, or is the 80mm ‘good enough’? Well, the Apo is absolutely top-notch, but I’m not sure whether the edges might suffer from the somewhat small image circle. With the Kaiser, that’s not such a big issue, as I work mainly in the 6x6 format.
Do you have any experience with this?
Best regards,
Florian
sputnik
The former single module was abandoned due to high manufacturing costs, and instead the lens barrel is being modified – just as is the case with many other enlargers.
?
And how much does that cost for the M70 these days, if I may ask?
?
I don’t have any experience with the 80mm APO Rodagon on 6x7, but it is recommended by Rodenstock for up to 6x7. Perhaps that will help you make up your mind.
Since you don’t normally expose at wide open aperture anyway (except when lith printing, and then it doesn’t matter anyway), I wouldn’t worry about it at all if I were in your shoes.
Renate
Hello Florian,
I use the APO Rodagon 80mm for my 6x7 negatives and have no problems with it. If you stop down by two stops, you get excellent image quality. I also have a Schneider 105mm, but I don’t really like using it for 6x7 because I need a long arm to focus it.
Back when analogue photography was still expensive and my pocket money was tight, I used an 80mm Anaret-S (a good 4-element lens) for 6x7. Even when stopped down, the corners were out of focus. But even the 80mm Componon (6-element lens) from Schneider could produce good-quality enlargements of 6x7 from f/11 onwards.
Best regards
Renate
ducku
Hello,
Thanks for the helpful replies. That means I don’t need to invest in a 105 after all. To answer your question… I paid €350 for the Modular 70 Color. It did come with a few accessories, though. Considering that the market for the M70 is completely sold out, the price was reasonable.
Best regards,
Florian
sputnik
To answer your question... I paid 350 euros for the Modular 70 Color.
My question was about the Splitgrade conversion for the M70. Back when you had to buy a complete module, it used to be quite expensive. How much does it cost now that the existing module is being retrofitted?
ducku
Hello,
The controller costs around 820 euros and the conversion around 500–600 euros. However, the price list is available online on Mr Heiland’s website and distinguishes between the different models. You can also use the controller without the conversion, though. It works really well. It is, of course, more expensive with the LED. The separate LED head costs around 1200 euros.
Kind regards,
Florian
sputnik
Yeah, yeah, I’m well aware of all that. I’ve been using the Splitgrade for quite a few years now.
I only asked because I also had a Modular 70 Start Pro Color back then. However, as the module was definitely out of the question for me at €1,400 and I exclusively shoot 6x6, I had my M605 head converted for €150.
I fitted the M70 head onto the M605 base unit and sold the lot on eBay (luckily, it fetched a whopping €180 more than I’d paid for the M70).
I still always felt a bit of regret about the M70’s density screen, and when I read that the M70 head can now also be easily converted, I wanted to know whether I’d end up regretting it in hindsight. :-)
But I don’t have to, because even €500–600 would have been too steep for me.
Now I can sleep soundly again.
Thanks. :-)
