NEW Canson Baryta Photographique II - opinions

[tom24]

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Hello,

 

Has anyone tried - tested the new Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique II printing paper?

Opinions - for both color and black and white photography?

 

Has anyone come across any good credible review?

 

Thanks

[pippy]

Quick answer is no.

Thanks for the head's up, though, because I'm going to be printing for the whole of this week (probably) and I will be needing to buy more paper at some point. At the moment I'm using the original version so might as well try the v2 when I get a new stock in.

From what I've been able to read up about it this morning the only 'real' difference seems to be a slightly different surface texture so I'm not sure there will be any discernible difference in the way the prints look; only how they feel under the fingertips - which might not be of any importance once prints are framed and behind glass...

Philip.

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[Jeff S]

Two reviews...

https://ppmag.com/news/review-cansons-infinity-baryta-photographique-ii

 

https://photopxl.com/canson-baryta-photographique-ii/

 

I still have a good supply of the first version, so it will be awhile before I make any tests.  IP includes profiles for each.

Jeff

[pippy]

1 hour ago, Jeff S said:

Two reviews...

So from the second of those reviews the manufacturers themselves rather oddly don't mention the very marginally different surface texture but, instead, highlight handling differences for large-scale users;

"This paper definitely has a different character from the original Baryta Photographique it replaces. Canson advises two points:

(1) The new equipment for coating the Baryta allows them to offer a 60” width and (2) the adhesion of the coating to the substrate is improved relative to original Baryta Photographique, reducing any potential paper surface marking or flaking caused by a dull cutting blade."

OK. Not much seems to have changed for anyone using 'domestic-scale' single sheet-feed printers. Only really of interest to large scale professional print houses printing (& cutting) from roll-fed printers.

Philip.

Edited September 29, 2020 by pippy

[Jeff S]

3 minutes ago, pippy said:

OK. Not much seems to have changed for anyone using 'domestic-scale' single sheet-feed printers. More of interest to large scale professional print houses.

 

I don’t read it that way, although I won’t draw conclusions without personal tests, including placing paper under glass (for framing). Mark Segal writes that the new paper “definitely has a different character” than the first.  Both mention reflectivity differences, depending on viewing angle.  And the weight is different.

Jeff

[pippy]

1 hour ago, Jeff S said:

I don’t read it that way, although I won’t draw conclusions without personal tests, including placing paper under glass (for framing). Mark Segal writes that the new paper “definitely has a different character” than the first.  Both mention reflectivity differences, depending on viewing angle.  And the weight is different.

Jeff

Please don't take me up incorrectly Jeff; I was very interested in reading the reviews and I agree with you completely that it would be untimely to make assumtions before prints have been made and I also very much doubt Canson would have released a paper which performed less well than the previous version. I really love the v1 (if you like) of this paper so if there is an improvement - and why would there not be? - with the v2 then we all win.

The first review I read (but didn't link) also mentioned the reflectivity difference but they noted that it was only visible when prints were viewed at a very acute angle off to the side which - let's be realistic - is not how anyone who is seriously interested is ever going to view a framed photograph.

The weight difference? If we are now talking about 310gsm as opposed to 305gsm then, with an A3 sheet (which is what I use), we are considering a difference of around 1 gramme per photograph. A4? Half that. But, as I mentioned earlier, I will need new stock and will be able to perform back-to-back tests very soon. I'm very much looking forward to it to be honest!

Philip.

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by pippy

[Jeff S]

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46 minutes ago, pippy said:

I agree with you completely, Jeff, that it would be untimely to make assumtions before prints have been made and I very much doubt Canson would have released a paper which performed less well than the previous version. I really love the v1 (if you like) of this paper so if there is an improvement - and why would there not be? - with the v2 then we all win.

 

 

As Segal notes, they were forced into a new version, possibly from a chemical shortage at the mill, not because they all of a sudden sought improvement.  If you’ve had any experience with darkroom papers, you’ll know that long loved  papers have a history of changing (or disappearing) due to all kinds of production or supply chain issues, material changes or shortages, costs, etc, and often never recapturing the same magic, real or imagined. Sometimes there are subtle changes without a name change, and with no warning or explanation. I can’t tell you how many times that happened to me, and darkroom workflows were much harder to accommodate considering film development as well as printing aspects.  Different is never the same, for better or worse.  See Tri-X.
 

BTW, changes have also affected Ilford Gold Fibre Silk paper, which was my go-to paper before Canson IBP, and had very similar character.  But it’s now different and inconsistent.  So I switched to Canson IBP.  And when I heard alarms about its disappearing, I bought more of it; better safe than sorry. 

Jeff

Edited September 29, 2020 by Jeff S

[pippy]

39 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

...If you’ve had any experience with darkroom papers, you’ll know that long loved  papers have a history of changing...

Yup. Back in the mid-'80's? Agfa Record Rapid. Ilford Gallerie. Fantastic papers! Change the ambience simply by using different developers.

It might be my imagination but as soon as (in the UK) Ilford reseased their "Multigrade" paper it seemed as if traditional manufacturers decided that to capture a share of the market they would 'need' to alter their products.

Don't get me wrong; 'Multigrade' paper was an exceptionally useful invention for people who needed a reasonable quality print to be made available in the shortest acceptable time-frame from folks who had an adequate ability to turn-around the 'result' in the shortest period deemed to be reasonable.

But 'Exhibition Quality Prints' was right down at the bottom - and possibly off-the list completely - of product requirements as far as Multigrade was concerned.

Philip.

Edited September 30, 2020 by pippy

[Chuck Albertson]

15 hours ago, pippy said:

Yup. Back in the mid-'80's? Agfa Record Rapid. Ilford Gallerie. Fantastic papers! Change the ambience simply by using different developers.

It might be my imagination but as soon as (in the UK) Ilford reseased their "Multigrade" paper it seemed as if traditional manufacturers decided that to capture a share of the market they would 'need' to alter their products.

Don't get me wrong; 'Multigrade' paper was an exceptionally useful invention for people who needed a reasonable quality print to be made available in the shortest acceptable time-frame from folks who had an adequate ability to turn-around the 'result' in the shortest period deemed to be reasonable.

But 'Exhibition Quality Prints' was right down at the bottom - and possibly off-the list completely - of product requirements as far as Multigrade was concerned.

Philip.

As I recall, Agfa had to eliminate cadmium from Record Rapid's emulsion to meet EU enviro requirements, and I believe some other manufacturers had to follow suit. The cadmium-free paper Agfa marketed in the US was called Insignia. (I think - I'll have to go through a few piles of boxes to confirm that.) They also came out with a couple of very good multi-contrast papers, one of which (now Adox MCC) I still use.

Ilford's newest version of Multigrade (V) might change your mind about using it for exhibition quality prints.

Like you, I still have a sufficient stock of the "old" IBP to exhaust before trying the new version. I also have a roll of Baryta Prestige, which I believe is the "old" IBP, on heavier stock.

 

[tom24]

Hello.

I am refreshing the topic again.

Has anyone already tested the Canson Baryta Photographique II? Pippi, maybe you?

I tried it myself but it has a different finish than the old version and pulls more on the magenta and has less detail.

However, I am not as experienced as the experienced printers on the forum.

Therefore, opinions are welcome.

 

Maybe recommendations for baryta paper as a substitute for old Canson Baryta Photographique?

 

Regards

[LocalHero1953]

I did not use the original version; I have recently bought a batch of the current version, but cannot make a comparison. I have printed colour images on an Epson P800 using Canson's own profiles for that printer, printing from Lightroom. 

Initially I had major problems with colour, but I pinned that down to poor calibration of my monitor. I replaced an older I1 Display Pro with a new I1 Studio, and found an immediate improvement in screen calibration, and a fairly accurate match between screen and print: very accurate in colour terms, less so in contrast - but mostly acceptable.

As I wrote, I cannot compare the detail with the previous version. I was printing drama photos and portraits, and found the detail to be good compared to Canson Platine (my other fine PK paper) or Permajet Oyster (a RC lustre paper I use for Q&D prints).

[otto.f]

In my experience the sharpness/detail of Platine and ‘old’ Baryta are the same. So...

 

On 11/26/2020 at 11:13 AM, LocalHero1953 said:

 

As I wrote, I cannot compare the detail with the previous version. I was printing drama photos and portraits, and found the detail to be good compared to Canson Platine (my other fine PK paper) or Permajet Oyster (a RC lustre paper I use for Q&D prints).

On 11/26/2020 at 11:13 AM, LocalHero1953 said: