Right, I am still at the 'new here, and new to printing' stage, so please bear with me..

I am about to buy an enlarger, purely for black and white, and want to know what difference does it make having a colour head or a condenser head ?
I seem to remember that a condensor head was better for B/W as it gave a sharper light (sharper ??) and the colour heads gave a gentle light, with lower contrast.
Am I right or what - any help much appreciated !
Thanks,
Steve

you will be able to dial in a filter pack with the color head vs. using filters.

Many people can't tell which enlarger has made which print, so i would suggest you buy what you feel more comfortable with and will get the biggest bang for your buck.

Ann - why would I want to dial in a filter pack - I thought you only needed filters for multigrade type papers - what other need is there (you can see how new I am too this..)
Colour headed enlargers seem to be cheaper (S/H) for some reason, and I am not sure why, as they must be more complex to make, though maybe there were more sold..

if your using graded papers you will not need filters.

If your new to darkroom work and your negatives are not consistence you will find using MC papers very helpful.

with a color head you will be able to dial in "inbetween" grades, as filters come in half sizes and full grades but not 1/3rds.

I see !
Many thanks Ann !
I have done darkroom work but so many years ago, and never did I do it well..
This time, maybe...

have fun, and just keep track of what your doing and practice, practice, practice.

Blimey - sounds a bit like marriage then....


Steve (still happily, after 14 years..)

:)
gosh intereting perspective. never would have crossed my mind to think along the lines of being married.

congrats on 14 years.

A condenser will lend itself to better detail and separation in the bottom end, while diffused will lend itself to better detail in the highlights. A condencer will want a CI of about .45 while a diffused will need .6. I have and use both.

I always liked my Aristo cold-light head, but I've printed plenty of stuff with condenser setups. The Aristo lamp is very bright and consistent color temperature over the course of a long printing session, so with MC filters results won't vary.