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Zone VI 5x7 Type II VC enlarger foam parts durability


sal_santamaura

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I looked over a Zone VI 5x7 Type II VC enlarger for the first time at Calumet last week, and was disturbed by crumbly foam that seals the negative carrier to the head, as well as apparent reliance on compression springiness of the same type foam used to maintain lensboard alignment.

 

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Would anyone who's owned one for a while please advise us how the foam holds up? I'm really anxious to find out how often you've had to replace it, as well as what environment (temperature, humidity, smog) your enlarger lives in. The potential of this enlarger to provide extremely even 4x5 illumination - - it's got a 5x7 double-diffuser light source - - and, using the out-straight carrier, to hold negatives flat without glass, is exciting. However, incorporation of such "cheesy" design elements greatly detracts from the overall impression of quality.

 

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Thanks in advance for any informed responses.

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Sal, I have had a Type one for many years, about 10, and the foam

seal still looks like new! I imagine the one you saw is probably a

demo at the store being mishandled. Beised zone VI carry a lifetime

warranty, so dont worry, if it crumbles then call them and ask them

to either send you one, or that you are sending the head for repair.

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I owned a Zone VI-II 5x7 for a few years, but sold it.

 

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I didn't see any deterioration in the foam over those years, but I've

seen it happen on many other products with foam. The problem, from

what I've heard, is that there is a fungus that attacks the foam and

deteriorates it. You should inquire with Calumet to see if they

incorporate a fungicide in the foam.

 

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While the Zone VI performed well for 4x5 (and I didn't use the "out-

straight" carrier) I had the following complaints.

 

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1. The lens height adjustment lost its grip, especially with high

compression of the bellows. Ask Calumet to show you (not explain) how

the adjustment is made to tighten this. Unless you're hands are half

the size of mine, you won't be able to get at it. You'll be lucky if

you can even find someone at Calumet who can tell you how to adjust

it. Their tech support on these products stinks.

 

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2. If you follow the wall mount kit instructions provided (at least

at the time I bought mine), the turnbuckle rods will form an arc. I

tried to explain this to them over the phone to see what I did wrong,

and couldn't get a competent response. Again, the Zone VI tech

support is less than admirable.

 

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3. For anything negative smaller than 4x5, the enlarger is mediocre.

The light is dim, and it's difficult to focus and compose.

 

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Simple math explains part of the problem. The following shows the %

of total light output used for each image size.

 

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4x5 = 57%

6x9 = 23%

6x7 = 18%

6x6 = 15%

4.5 x 6 = 11%

35mm = 3%

 

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The other part of the problem is the eye is most sensitive to yellow

light, and the enlarger produces virtually no yellow light.

 

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The VC head, however, was easy to used & very consistent.

 

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My current enalrger is a Saunders 4500-II and I like it much better.

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Sal, I almost bought a Zone VI 5x7 Type I enlarger, but wisely called

Calumet for the missing negative carriers before I made the purchase.

Not only does Calumet have no carriers in stock, they have no plans to

ever sell them again. Calls to dealers specializing in used enlargers

came up negative (sorry) as well.

 

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I should add that Type II negative carriers are readily available, but

I think there should be some responsibility of the manufacturer to

keep a supply of replacement parts or, at the very least, a good

referral to a reliable parts dealer. The folks at Calumet were

professional and polite, but not able to help me. Hope this h

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  • 4 years later...

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