Question: how dark is dark enough?
in [Darkroom]
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From: David Nebenzahl on 12 Jan 2010 01:14 I'm about to revive my darkroom, which has been sitting gathering dust now for a couple years. (That dust is gonna be a big problem, I know.) So I'm wondering if the place I have in mind for it is dark enough. It's the bottom half of my live/work space which has no windows, at the opposite end of the room which opens into the upstairs. I sat down there for a while tonight to see how dark it was; after a few minutes, I could just barely make out faint lightness at the other end of the room, but could see nothing definite. So I'm wondering if there's a rule of thumb about how dark is dark enough. You know, something like the "sunny 16" rule about what can be seen with the naked eye. Yeah, yeah, I know I could make some test exposures with paper, but you know what? I just don't want to. I'm not planning on making any gallery-quality prints, just want to print the last couple of rolls of film that I shot. So if you have any rough guidelines, I'm all ears. My impression is that it's plenty dark enough, so long as I work fairly efficiently and don't leave paper exposed to ambient light for too long. -- You were wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it. - a Usenet "apology"
From: JDA on 12 Jan 2010 15:06 David Nebenzahl wrote: > I'm about to revive my darkroom, which has been sitting gathering dust > now for a couple years. (That dust is gonna be a big problem, I know.) > So I'm wondering if the place I have in mind for it is dark enough. > > It's the bottom half of my live/work space which has no windows, at the > opposite end of the room which opens into the upstairs. I sat down there > for a while tonight to see how dark it was; after a few minutes, I could > just barely make out faint lightness at the other end of the room, but > could see nothing definite. > > So I'm wondering if there's a rule of thumb about how dark is dark > enough. You know, something like the "sunny 16" rule about what can be > seen with the naked eye. > > Yeah, yeah, I know I could make some test exposures with paper, but you > know what? I just don't want to. I'm not planning on making any > gallery-quality prints, just want to print the last couple of rolls of > film that I shot. So if you have any rough guidelines, I'm all ears. > > My impression is that it's plenty dark enough, so long as I work fairly > efficiently and don't leave paper exposed to ambient light for too long. > > I think it will be perfectly fine. In my (no so) darkroom I can see lots of light under the door, and as far as the paper does not "see" it (I don't know how express it, I just keep the sensible face of the paper upwards: the light comes in from the floor) I never have had a problem. Yes, I have made test exposures, no fogging. Javier
From: Alvaro on 12 Jan 2010 05:15 I agree with Javier, since your paper does not face to the white light source, it could be suitable to ensure your paper is not going to be exposed even when that white light is mixed with the safety darkroom safety red/orange light. It's quite difficult to get a whole room in dark because of windows and doors, this is not essential for paper as it is for negative film. Alvaro JDA escribi�: > David Nebenzahl wrote: >> I'm about to revive my darkroom, which has been sitting gathering dust >> now for a couple years. (That dust is gonna be a big problem, I know.) >> So I'm wondering if the place I have in mind for it is dark enough. >> >> It's the bottom half of my live/work space which has no windows, at >> the opposite end of the room which opens into the upstairs. I sat down >> there for a while tonight to see how dark it was; after a few minutes, >> I could just barely make out faint lightness at the other end of the >> room, but could see nothing definite. >> >> So I'm wondering if there's a rule of thumb about how dark is dark >> enough. You know, something like the "sunny 16" rule about what can be >> seen with the naked eye. >> >> Yeah, yeah, I know I could make some test exposures with paper, but >> you know what? I just don't want to. I'm not planning on making any >> gallery-quality prints, just want to print the last couple of rolls of >> film that I shot. So if you have any rough guidelines, I'm all ears. >> >> My impression is that it's plenty dark enough, so long as I work >> fairly efficiently and don't leave paper exposed to ambient light for >> too long. >> >> > I think it will be perfectly fine. In my (no so) darkroom I can see lots > of light under the door, and as far as the paper does not "see" it (I > don't know how express it, I just keep the sensible face of the paper > upwards: the light comes in from the floor) I never have had a problem. > Yes, I have made test exposures, no fogging. > > Javier
From: Peter on 12 Jan 2010 07:53 On Jan 12, 1:14 am, David Nebenzahl <nob...(a)but.us.chickens> wrote: > I'm about to revive my darkroom, which has been sitting gathering dust > now for a couple years. (That dust is gonna be a big problem, I know.) > So I'm wondering if the place I have in mind for it is dark enough. > > It's the bottom half of my live/work space which has no windows, at the > opposite end of the room which opens into the upstairs. I sat down there > for a while tonight to see how dark it was; after a few minutes, I could > just barely make out faint lightness at the other end of the room, but > could see nothing definite. > > So I'm wondering if there's a rule of thumb about how dark is dark > enough. You know, something like the "sunny 16" rule about what can be > seen with the naked eye. > > Yeah, yeah, I know I could make some test exposures with paper, but you > know what? I just don't want to. I'm not planning on making any > gallery-quality prints, just want to print the last couple of rolls of > film that I shot. So if you have any rough guidelines, I'm all ears. > > My impression is that it's plenty dark enough, so long as I work fairly > efficiently and don't leave paper exposed to ambient light for too long. > > -- > You were wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it. > > - a Usenet "apology" One experiment is worth many expert opinions. Even so, in many places, if you will work at night and have the house lights off little preparation is needed. What I've done at various places where I had a darkroom is sit as you did but do so on a very bright day with all of the house lights on (except the room I want dark) and then try to find the source of each bit of light. I would then take some thick black plastic and cover that spot and repeat until I didn't actually see anything. What you are proposing to do will work fine unless you leave a whole box of paper open and happen to be wrong.
From: Lew on 12 Jan 2010 09:51
The rule of thumb I remember is: If you can visually count your fingers after 5 min, it's too light. There's another one about leaving a quarter on a sheet of paper and seeing it's outline after developing .... but I don't remember this one. |