F-stop printing

[Mats_A]

I notice that a device/method called f-stop printing comes up now and then. Is this something very esoteric or is it used among "normal" B&W photographers?

r

[Lee L]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=printing+%22f+s...ite%3Aapug.org

[Mike Wilde]

Look at the 'way beyond monochrome' site. There is/was a sample chapter about f/stop printing with a sample printing chart. I now use it as my bible for printing test prints. Once I get the base exposure, I use f/stop 1/3 stops as adjustments for dodges and burns. Someties I will combine to with sprit filter pronting, but more usually with just a straight single grade filter.

[Mats_A]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=printing+%22f+s...ite%3Aapug.org

Yes, very clever. I am sure there are not many topics that haven't been discussed here before so if you are waiting for that I think you are in for a long wait.
But I start on the threads now. Oh, I see the first is from 2002. Nothing like up-to-date data.

r

[Mats_A]

Look at the 'way beyond monochrome' site. There is/was a sample chapter about f/stop printing with a sample printing chart. I now use it as my bible for printing test prints. Once I get the base exposure, I use f/stop 1/3 stops as adjustments for dodges and burns. Someties I will combine to with sprit filter pronting, but more usually with just a straight single grade filter.

Yes, I have read about the procedure. What I am interested in is finding out if it is used by a majority of dark room users now a days or more on the "fringe" so to say. The equipment looked a bit pricey.

r

[ann]

we have been using the theory for many years, if makes more sense to many folks.

My question would be, what difference does it make about the majority, if it works for you fine. if you find it not helpful fine.

[Leon]

you can f-stop print using a simple chart - or those more numerate printers could do it in their heads ... but I use an f stop timer because I'm a bit slow when it comes to maths. I use f stop printing exclusively because it makes sense to me. And when I decide to change a print size, all I need do is work out a base exposure again, then all further manipulations can be worked out using the f-stop method, so not taxing on the grey cells at all. It's a personal preference though. I dont think it;s any better or worse than linear timing methods - what ever suits you and your working methods really.

[Mainecoonmaniac]

Gene Nocon made a device for the darkroom for such printing. I've heard he's a master printer and photographer. I haven't printed with Fstops before. Printing with time is so engrained in me. Here's a video on Mr. Nocon. http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...2561368471214#

Best.

[Tim Gray]

I don't know how many people use it, but I do and it's awesome. It is totally logical. Several of the newer darkroom books I've read refer to it if I'm not mistaken (Les Mclean's book and Tim Rudman's book). One could make due with a chart, but since I needed an enlarger timer anyway, I bought an F-Stop one. Darkroom Automations and RH Designs both make them. I ended up with the RH Designs one since I was thinking of getting a Zonemaster at some point as well and the exchange rate was particularly good at the time.

It really makes burning logical too. Both the timers I mentioned are programmable, so you can set up multiple exposure steps, which is a big help when doing multiple prints with several burns of the same photo. If you change paper size, just figure out the base exposure and all the extra burn times are scaled automatically since they are referenced to the base exposure. Very cool.

[Leon]

Printing with time is so engrained in me.

f-stop printing is printing with time - it's just a way of dividing the time into manageable units - it might just as well be called percentage printing. an f-stop equals a whole or 100%. it works on the idea that the base exposure equates to 1 stop, and all further manipulations are additions or subtractions of parts or wholes of that one stop - so base of 15 seconds plus half a stop = 22.5 seconds (plus reciprocity adjustment).