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Darkroom Accessories: Information about Enlargers
Enlargers
This seems the be the subject of most of the searches and emails I've been receiving lately, so I thought I'd try to address the subject here and now. I've read a lot about enlargers, in books like The Print by Ansel Adams, and John Hedgecoe's Complete Guide to Black & White Photography : And Darkroom Techniques, and would recommend reading either of these, as well as Ansel Adams' other two books in the series, The Camera and The Negative. Read them at the library, for now, but eventually you should have them in your darkroom library if you're serious about black and white, or serious about having a darkroom. I've built and used two darkrooms, over a period of 12 years. I've seen many people's darkrooms, through pictures, or in person, and have seen many different enlargers. My experience is limited however to two enlargers, a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 from the 50's, and a Beseler printmaker 35. I removed the egg shaped housing and condensors on the old enlarger, and installed a Zone VI cold light head. There is a condensor head with diffusion filter on the printmaker. I use the big one for most work, up to 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 negatives (I have a SpeedGraphic). So my practical experience with multiple enlargers is limited, however I will attempt to address the questions as best as I can, with the knowledge I have gained.Contents
What is an Enlarger?What is an enlarger column?
What is an enlarger baseboard?
What is an enlarger head?
What is a focus stage? How do I focus?
What kind and size of lens do I need?
What is the best lens? What brand of lens should I use?
How do I crop an image?
What options are there for enlargers?
What is Collimating?
What is the Callier effect?
What is a negative carrier?
What is negative pop?
Why do you use a cold light head?
What are newton rings?
How do I control dust when printing?
What is the difference between a filter color enlarger and a dichroic color enlarger?
What sizes do enlargers come in? What size enlarger should I get?
How do I focus my enlarger?
How do I align an enlarger? Why do I align an enlarger?
How do I use filters in my enlarger?
What would I recommend to a new darkroom enthusiast?
Q: What is an Enlarger?
An enlarger is not much more than a projector. It projects light through a piece of film, and then through a lens to a flat surface.
This is a photograph of a Saunders 67CXL enlarger.
At the bottom of the photo is the baseboard, it's the flat gray square that the yellowish square is sitting on.
It's the part which sets on the counter in your darkroom, and where you set the paper easel (the yellowish square in the photo). At the back of the baseboard, attached at a 90 degree angle (on this model) is a post, called the column.
The enlarger head (the gray square box about half way up the column) rides up and down on this column.
There is a knob on the side of the head (round yellowish thing), which is used to raise and lower the head on the column. As you adjust the it's height, you change the size of the image on the easel.
Below and attached to the head are the bellows, they are the black square box under the enlarger head. The bellows are just like bellows on a view camera, in that they can expand and contract and do not allow light to penetrate. On an enlarger, they keep light in, whereas on a camera they keep light out.
Below the bellows is the lens. If you look at the black bellows, below them is a flat gray piece, below that is a black object, that is the lens. The flat gray piece has a removable section which has the lens screwed into it, also like on a view camera. There is a knob used to adjust the length of the bellows, raising and lowering the lens with respect to the enlarger head (increasing and decreasing the focal length - focusing).
At the top of the bellows is the negative carrier, which holds the negatives (or positives), it usually slides in and then clamps down.
In some models above the negative carrier is a drawer where filters can be inserted, this is sometimes the difference between a black and white enlarger and a color enlarger, so just because it says color doesn't mean its the same as some other color enlarger.
Basically, those are the parts of an enlarger.
Most enlargers have options.
For more information, see The Print by Ansel Adams.
Q: What is an enlarger column?
An enlarger column does a couple things, it allows the head to move up and down, and it holds the head steady during the exposure. It needs to hold the head steady so that vibrations don't make the print blury. Cheaper enlargers have columns that are smooth, and you slide the enlarger head up and down, and then lock it in place. The better enlargers will have some sort of rack and pinion so the head is cranked up and down smoothly. Sometimes the gears are motorized. It's important that an enlarger head be held stead on the column. Check out an enlarger before you buy it to be sure that it doesn't wobble, otherwise you'll have a hard time getting sharp prints. Also see how well the head slides up and down the column, it should move freely, and be easy to do, if not it will be hard to adjust the size of your print (for cropping).Q: What is an enlarger baseboard?
It's not just where you put the print easel, but rather it's what gives the enlarger stability. The higher the enlarger head on the column, the higher the center of gravity, and the more elasticity in the column. Also important is how rigid the connection is between the column and the baseboard.Q: What is an enlarger head?
This is where the light source is located, as well as the filters and lens.Q: What is a focus stage? How do I focus?
Below the negative carrier is the bellows, and below the bellows is the lens (attached to a lens board). This section of the enlarger (bellows and lens board) is called the focus stage. (No, I don't know why). There is a nob which when turned moves a gear to move the lens board up and down with respect to the negative carrier and enlarger head. As the lens (attached to the lens board) moves closer and father from the negative (in the negative carrier) it can be focused, just like with a lens on a camera. I've heard of enlargers where instead of using a gear to move the lens board up and down you simply slide it, I would never even try to use one of those, I think it would be extremely difficult to focus. Also, the movement here should be smooth, since you'll want to adjust the focus minutely, and if the gear is sticky or difficult, then you'll have a hard time achieving sharp focus. Some enlargers have motorized focus nobs. Some have extensions to the nob. Both of these options allow you to focus the enlarger with your head down looking through a focus tool. Without these options, you have to reach up over your head to adjust the focus, and for some people that can be very difficult.Q: What kind and size of lens do I need?
When printing different negative formats, you will use different focal length lenses. This is because a given lens can only cover a certain size negative. So you could use a 8x10 sized lens for 35mm, however the longer the lens focal length, the further away the head has to be from the paper in order to make an enlargement, and the longer the lens the more expensive. So, if you're doing multiple formats, and can raise your enlarger head high enough, you can use the lens for the larger format on the smaller negatives. This table will give you an idea of the size lens needed for your negatives:| Negative Format | Smallest Recommended Focal Length | Largest Recommended Focal Length |
|---|---|---|
| 35mm | 50mm | 75mm |
| 6x6cm (2 1/4 square) | 75mm | 90mm |
| 6x9cm (2 1/4 x 3 1/4) | 90mm | 105mm |
| 4x5 | 135mm | 150mm |
Q: What is the best lens? What brand of lens should I use?
This is a loaded question! First, you should get the best lens you can afford, save money by getting a cheaper enlarger if you have to, but get the best lens you can. You'll use one lens for each negative format (sometimes you can get by with one for multiple formats), and the lens will last you probably for your lifetime. You can use the same lens on another enlarger, should you choose to upgrade later, or to have more than one enlarger. Don't think of enlarger lenses like camera lenses, you don't use different focal lengths for one negative format. Enlarger lenses are different to camera lenses, in that an enlarger lens is designed to transfer a flat image onto a flat image, so it's optimized as a flat-field lens. You can use a camera lens, but the results are mediocre at best.
When using a substandard lens, you'll see light falloff at the edges. In this drawing you can see how the light has to travel a longer distance to the corners of the print.
When using a good lens, you may have to burn in the edges to account for this, when using a substandard lens, the impact of the fall off can be too much to adjust for, or may even cause the edges to be unsharp, and reduce contrast.
I think the best lens with the worst enlarger will make better prints than the best enlarger with an average lens.
So what brand is best? What model is best with a brand?
A photographer I admire immensely, Ctein,
has written a book, Post Exposure, which has an incredible section on lenses. In January of 1989, he wrote an extensive article for Darkroom Photography Magazine (out of publication), about lenses. Well, in his new book he's updated the information, and chapter 5, some 20 pages, is all about enlarger lenses. As of August 4th, 2000, he had chapter 9 Tricks of the Trade published online.
You can find lenses from Nikon, Rodenstock, Beseler and Schneider, as well as others. Prices can range from US$50 used to US$2000 new for different lenses of different focal lengths and number of elements. Generally the more elements in a lens, the better the quality. I wouldn't be too concerned with differences between these three manufacturers, but realize that Rodenstock makes 4-element lenses (Rogonar) and 6-element lenses (Rodagon). Nikon makes 6-element (El-Nikkor) lenses. Schneider makes 3-element (Componar), 4-element (Comparon) and 6-element (Componon) lenses. Beseler makes 3-element lenses as well as 6-element (HD series) lenses.
As in camera lenses, there are versions of lenses which have be enhanced for certain applications, or have had elements coated to achieve certain results. For example, there are apochoromatic lenses (APO) which are sharper than the same lens with APO coatings. When you're buying a lens look closely at the surfaces. You want to reject lenses with scratches, or with the coating coming off, or if they are cloudy, or oily (inside). The diaphragm should move smoothly. If the lens has been worked on by a qualified repair person, you won't be able to tell, so if it looks like it's been worked on, then it was probably by an amateur!
When printing different negative formats, you will use different focal length lenses. This is because a given lens can only cover a certain size negative. So you could use a 8x10 sized lens for 35mm, however the longer the lens focal length, the further away the head has to be from the paper in order to make an enlargement, and the longer the lens the more expensive.
So, if you're doing multiple formats, and can raise your enlarger head high enough, you can use the lens for the larger format on the smaller negatives.
This table will give you an idea of the size lens needed for your negatives:
| Negative Format | Smallest Recommended Focal Length | Largest Recommended Focal Length |
|---|---|---|
| 35mm | 50mm | 75mm |
| 6x6cm (2 1/4 square) | 75mm | 90mm |
| 6x9cm (2 1/4 x 3 1/4) | 90mm | 105mm |
| 4x5 | 135mm | 150mm |
Q: How do I crop an image?
Q: What options are there for enlargers?
Most manufacturers today offer different versions of each model of enlarger. Here are the options I'm aware of: Heads- Condensor head - the light is focused through a set of large lenses prior to passing through the film, this is often the standard model. Some enlargers have three condensor lenses, one of wich is adjustable for different negative sizes. Most enlargers however, have two condensors. A condensor head collimates the light, which can emphasize scratches and dust, and it also causes the Callier effect, which increases the effective contrast of the negative.
- Diffusion head - the light is passed through a diffusion filter prior to passing through the film, this makes the light 'softer' and has been said to reduce retouching required from scratches. This type of head does not increase the contrast in a negative, since it does not suffer from the Callier effect.
- Variable contrast Diffusion head - this is really a dichroic head, with two filters instead of three.
- Dichroic head - this is a form of diffusion head which has built in Yellow, Magenta and Cyan filters. When the filters are dialed in (you turn a dial to put in more filtration), then you are using subtractive filtration to increas the collors which are opposite to Yellow, Magenta and Cyan, which I think are Red, Green and Blue, but I really don't know for sure, since I've never done much color work, and haven't studied the color wheel.
- Cold Light head - this is a flourescent tube wrapped back and forth inside a circular container. It's called a 'cold light' because flourescent tubes don't get hot, but it coincidentally puts out 'cold' or harsher light than a diffusion head. (This point can be argued, since some tests indicate that the contrast from a cold light head is comparable to that of a diffusion head). Most cold light heads require a stabilizer unit to keep the light, well, stable.
- Variable contrast cold light head - this cold light has two tubes wrapped back and forth in the round enclosure, and adjusting the output of each changes the contrast on variable contrast paper (VC paper has two emulsions, each reactive to different wave lengths of light, so transmitting different amounts of each wave length allows an adjustment in the effective contrast grade of the paper).
- Color head - this is kind of a misnomer in most instances. An enlarger that is said to have a color head often is a condensor head with a filter drawer above the negative carrier. Yes, you can do color with it, but it means you have to slide pieces of filter plastic in and out of the drawer to get the filtration you want. Generally these enlargers do not come with filters. NOTE: unless you are a real glutton for punishment, and willing to put your filters under the lens (scratches and dust are a problem there), get an enlarger with a filter drawer, or one with a dichroic head (or a VC diffusion head if you're only going to do black and white).
- Vertical column - 90 degrees from the baseboard, this is often the standard on entry level enlargers. As you increase the height of the enlarger from the baseboard, and thus the size of the projection, there comes a point where the projection will run into the column.
- Slanted column - the column is at an angle so that you can increase the height of the enlarger without having the projection run into the column.
- Round column - I don't know if any current models use a round column. A round tube is structurally stronger than a square one (or any other shape for that matter), however it is difficult to get precise adjustment of the enlarger.
- Square column - keeps the enlarger in line with the baseboard better (keeps things focusing better).
- Swivel column - either the enlarger head can swivel on the column, or the column can swivel on the baseboard. The result is that you can project the image onto a wall (head swivel) or the floor (baseboard swivel) for a much larger image.
- Double column - this is more sturdy than a single column (as long as they didn't make the columns smaller/weaker), so it reduces vibration, and when vibration is reduced, then the print should be sharper. You can reduce vibration with a single column by mounting your enlarger on the wall if it's a problem.
- Motorized column - the larger heads tend to have this option, as the enlarger gets bigger, it becomes harder and harder to adjust the height without some sort of assistance.
- Wall mount - this option gets you the hardware to mount the enlarger on the wall, reducing vibration.
- Horizontal mount - instead of standing an enlarger up and projecting down, it can be mounted so that it projects onto a wall. Usually this is done with bigger enlargers (8x10 or 11x14), but it can be done with smaller ones too. Ansel Adams used a horizontal mount enlarger in his darkroom, you can see how it works in his book The Print.
- Plastic folding - these are pieces of hard plastic that fold in half. Plastic is cheaper than metal, and as far as I know, it will take centuries to break the hinge on todays plastic negative carriers. I also understand that they don't warp in the heat like you might expect them to.
- Metal folding - two flat plates with a hinge, more substantial than plastic, but I don't know that they are any better
- Metal interlocking - these have tabs sticking out of each of the plates, that interlock into holes in the other plate, when you place them together and then slide one of them on the other they kind of lock together. These should, in theory, hold the negative more securely than either of the folding styles.
- Glass inserts - as the negative heats up in the heat of the light negatives will expand, more so on one side than the other (I think the emulsion will expand more than the other side, but don't quote me on that), and when this happens the negative will pop. When it does this the distance from the center of the negative to the lens is no longer the same as the distance from the corner of the negative to the lens, so the negative appears to be out of focus (this is one of the reasons I like cold light heads). Glass inserts hold the negative flat between two think sheets of glass. However these can cause newton rings which are a whole 'nother problem. Also, they tend to get broken, chipped, finger printed, and are 4 more surfaces to remove dust from. The do, however, allow you to put smaller negatives in them (if you have a 4x5 glass carrier, you can put a 35mm negative in the carrier and it will project just fine, you can't do that with a non-glass 4x5 carrier).
Q: What is Collimating?
A condensor enlarger collimates light, this means that the light is bent so that the rays are all paralell to each other. This is done with large convex lenses which the curved surfaces facing each other. All the light is perpendicular to the negative as it passes through, which will increase image sharpness. This means it will also increase sharpness of dust and scratches too.Q: What is the Callier effect?
A condensor enlarger collimates light, which makes the light rays parallel. When these parallel light beams hit the negative, the light beams get scattered as they hit the emulsion. On low density areas (dark areas), the light passes through relatively unscattered. But in the high density areas (highlights), the light rays will scatter more. Where they scatter less, they are more intense on the paper, and where they scatter more they will be less intense on the paper. The more light passing through the negative onto the paper the darker the image on the paper. What this means is that those areas which are to be dark, will be emphasized as dark, and those areas that are to be light will be emphasized as light, in other words it tends to increase the contrast range of the negative. Ansel Adams says in The Negative that in his experience more negatives have too much contrast than too little. You can, and will, adjust your development of the negative if you read "The Negative" and understand the zone system. Even if you don't practice the zone system, you should make tests with your equipment (camera, enlarger, water, thermometers, chemicals) to determine the proper developing times and exposure index for your film. When you make these adjustments you will account for the Callier effect.Q: What is a negative carrier?
It's the accessory that sometimes does not come with an enlarger, but is required, that holds the negative (or positive) in place during focusing and enlarging. Glass negative carriers hold the negative between two pieces of glass, whereas glassless ones hold the negative suspended in the air by holding it on all sides. There are other options with negative carriers too. Negative carriers come in different sizes, some enlargers can take several different sizes of negative carriers. For example, a Beseler 4x5MXT enlarger can take hold 4x5, 6x9, 6x7, 6x6, 35mm and other sized negatives in negative carriers designed for each of those sizes.Q: What is negative pop?
A negative (or a slide) is made up of a piece of 'plastic' with an emulsion on one side. The plastic and the emulsion, being made of different substances, have different expansion and contraction rates and amounts when exposed to heat. When a negative is in a glassless negative carrier near heat, it will heat up and the emulsion side will expand (less or more I don't know which) than the plastic film. There comes a point where the difference in expansion is enough to cause the negative to bow in the carrier, when this happens, it often makes a popping noise (hence the name). The result is that the center of the negative may now be out of focus, since it is not at the same distance from the lens as the corners, or the same distance as it was when the negative was focused. Some people wait until the negative pops before focusing, and also wait until the negative pops before exposing. Some people use a smaller aperature on the lens (increasing the depth of field). And some people use glass negative carriers, all trying to reduce the impact of this effect. The larger the negative, the more likely you'll be impacted by this (a 4x5 negative can 'pop' as much as 1/2 inch I understand, whereas a 35mm may only 'pop' 1/32 of an inch).Q: Why do you use a cold light head?
Because Ansel Adams did. That's a pretty normal response from people. He has published his reasons in The Print and to many of us they are logical reasons, and so we use cold light heads. My personal reasons are negative pop, collimated light, the Callier effect, the control I have over the turn on and off of the lamp, and the stability of the light with a feedback loop.Q: What are newton rings?
Kind of like the ripples in a pond when you throw in a rock, these rings appear on a print when you use a glass negative carrier and the light bounces back and forth between the inside of the glass and the negative. There are anti-newton class inserts you can use to reduce the effect of this, however sometimes the pattern used to solve the problem can be detected on large magnifications.Q: How do I control dust when printing?
This is a huge problem for all of us. If you've ever worked in a cleanroom environment, you know that it is possible to keep 'all' dust out of a room. If we can use some of the tools used in those environments, we can reduce the amount of dust in our darkrooms. Dust comes from several places into the darkroom; clothing, skin, hair, breath, and the outside environment.- Most cleanroom environments keep the outside environment dust from entering the room by having a positive pressure ventilation system. However if you don't keep the room in a positive pressure state all the time - even when you're not in there - then you'll need to seal the room up well enough to prevent dust from entering.
- When you enter a clean room, you are supposed to take a sip of water, which reduces contaminants in the mouth. I'd suggest having a cup or bottle of water or some other beverage in the darkroom to keep your mouth moist.
- People entering a cleanroom are required to put on special jumpsuits, hairnets, masks, and glasses. For lower classifications of cleanrooms, this is often changed to a lab coat, hairnet and safety glasses. If you wear glasses, you know how dirty they can get on the inside, from stuff flying out of your eyes when you blink. I'd recommend that in the darkroom, you wear a lab coat over your clothes, keep that coat in the darkroom, and wash it regularly. Then when you enter and put it on, you'll keep a lot of the dust from your clothes from becoming airborne in the darkroom.
- Air filtration systems in cleanrooms also maintain humidity at some level. You should maintain humidity in your darkroom between 40% and 60% according to Lloyd Erlick's discussion about humidity, but also humid air tends to have less static electricity, and the more static electricity there is, the more dust floats in the air, so don't let the air get too dry.
- Clean rooms are cleaned regularly. There are books written on cleaning procedures for cleanrooms! But basically, in a darkroom, you want to clean the room before you start. Start cleaning at the top, and work your way down. I wipe the walls down with a damp cloth or sponge every once in a while. Be sure to wipe all horizontal surfaces (counter tops, etc.) before starting to work in the darkroom, with a damp cloth or sponge. You'll be surprised the first few times how much dust is there. When I say damp, I mean that it's been in the water, but when you wipe you don't leave any water on the surface you're wiping, it's just damp enough to have the dust stick to it rather than have it be brushed off of the surface onto some other surface. Clean the floor with a damp mop or sponge or cloth last.
- Movements in the darkroom should be slow and methodical, the faster you move, the more air you stir up, the more dust you stir up.
- Every once in a while, take the enlarger out of the darkroom, and clean it, with a damp rag.
- I put on lint free cotton gloves before removing the negative from it's sleave and putting it into the negative carrier. I use the same gloves before putting the negative away too. These gloves last a long time, as long as I put them in a plastic bag between sessions.
- With gloves on, I remove the negative carrier from the enlarger, and turn the enlarger lamp on.
- Wipe the negative carrier with an antistatic cloth, then hold it under the light of the enlarger, at an angle, so I can see if there is any dust on it. If there is, I use an antistatic brush to brush off the dust. I do this for all sides of the carrier, I do this for the carrier once per session. I think that if I had a glass carrier, I'd probably do all sides for every negative.
- Hold the negative under the light of then enlarger, at an angle, so I can see if see any dust, if so, I brush it off with an antistatic brush. I do this for both sides of the negative.
- Place the negative into the carrier. Then hold the carrier and negative under the light, looking again for any dust.
- Put the carrier back into the enlarger, gently, because I don't want to dislodge any dust in the enlarger, if I do dislodge dust, then it must be time to clean the enlarger.
Q: What is the difference between a filter color enlarger and a dichroic color enlarger?
A filter color enlarger has a filter drawer, either above the negative carrer, between the negative and the lens, or below the lens, which holds filters. A dicroic enlarger has dials which control the amount of three different colored filters are in the light. When you use a filter drawer, you have to use multiple sheets of filter to reach your desired filtration amount, for example, if you wanted 17 units of Cyan, you'd need a 10 unit, plus a 5 unit, plus a 2 unit filter. If you also wanted 22 units of Yellow, you'd have to add a 20 (or two 10's) and a 2 of yellow. Each filter has an exposure compensation factor, meaning that using the 10 unit cyan might require 5% more exposure and the 20 unit yellow might require 3% more exposure. You have to multiply these factors and then add that much time to your exposure. A dichroic head uses a filter system that does not affect the time of exposure, so you don't have to adjust your exposure for more filtration. Filter sheets get scratched, and this can affect the quality of the print. If the drawer is below the lens, this is more pronounced than above the negative carrier. The filters in a dichroic head don't fade over time, so you get consistent results. Also, you can use a color dichroic head to dial in contrast for variable contrast paper.Q: What sizes do enlargers come in? What size enlarger should I get?
There are many many different sizes of enlargers, however the most common are 35mm, 6x7cm, and 4x5in. A 6x7cm enlarger can handle 2 1/4 inch square (6x6cm) or 2 1/4 x 2 3/4 inch (6x7cm) negatives (with different negative carriers). Generally, the larger the negative, the larger the enlarger, also the more complex, and the more expensive. Almost without exception, an enlarger can handle negatives that are smaller than it was designed for, and do so just fine. However, an enlarger can not handle negatives that are larger than it was designed for. So, if you plan to shoot medium format, or 4x5, then don't expect a 35mm enlarger to work in those formats. The heftier an enlarger, the less likely it is to vibrate, so the sharper the prints will be. So if money and space are no object, get the largest format enlarger you can find. However if you're on a budget, then get the one that's the size you think you'll need. In other words, if you know you'll shoot medium format someday, don't spend a whole lot of money on a 35mm enlarger, when you know you'll have to get a medium format one some day. Now, the lens is a different story, becuase you will be able to use the same lens (for 35mm printing) on your bigger enlarger (for 35mm printing). A good quality enlarger will last you your lifetime, plus, probably that of your children and maybe even your grandchildren. I'm using one that was made in the 40's (it doesn't have a color head, but it works just fine). A cheap enlarger will probably last you many years. Don't buy the most expensive one because you want it to last, but rather look for the one with the features, and room to grow, that you think you'll need. Most of the people I know with darkrooms got their first one by happenstance. They bought or acquired a used one somehow, and weren't too picky about brand or features. After using it for a while, they came to understand what they wanted and needed in an enlarger. Some, like me, still have and use that first enlarger. I know which enlarger I'd love to own, but I also know that the one I have is more than adequate for what I do.Q: How do I focus my enlarger?
See Focus Stage.Q: How do I align an enlarger? Why do I align an enlarger?
An enlarger must be aligned if it is going to get the prints sharp. If the head projects at an angle other than 90 degrees to the baseboard, then one edge of the print will be closer to the negative than the other. So it will be almost impossible to get that edge and the opposite one both in focus. If the enlarger head projects 90 degrees from the baseboard, yet the lens is off kilter, then once again, it will be hard to get things focused. The same is true for the negative carrier. So, it's neccessary to have the enlarger head, negative carrier, lens, and baseboard all parallel to each other - so that the light passing through will be 90 degrees from the baseboard at all times. It is possible, by shifting the lens and baseboard (or easel), like on a view camera, to change perspective in a print. If you shoot architecture and have converging lines, you can adjust - somewhat - in the darkroom, just like you can in the camera. This means that if things aren't aligned properly, you can get a distortion of the image as a result. I go into more detail about how to align an enlarger on the DarkroomSource FAQ page, but basically you use two mirrors, or an alignment negative. I prefer the alignment negative. Projected on the baseboard or easel, you can measure the distances of lines on from the alignment negative, and see if you're out of wack.Q: How do I use filters in my enlarger?
Q: What would I recommend to a new darkroom enthusiast?
Take a class at the local high school, junior college, or university, and get some lab time. Or rent some lab time at a local darkroom rental place. As you use enlargers, especially if you can use different models, you'll get an understanding for what is important to you in an enlarger, then you can evaluate the models on the market and buy the one best for you. To recommend an enlarger to you would be like trying to recommend a mode of transportation to you. Do you need a utility vehicle? Do you have children? Do you want/need a fast car? Do you want good gas mileage? Do you like to ride a bike? A bus? Do you travel long distances and want/need an airplane? Well, questions for an enlarger are similar... Do you need to print multiple formats? Do you want to print color and black and white? Do you want to print Variable Contrast Black and White, or graded papers? Do you need a motorized head because you have arthritis?I can't answer these questions for you, nor can I make up a matrix of all the possible enlargers and all the possible variables, so I'd suggest you get some time one or more enlargers, and you'll know what you want soon enough.
If you really can't rent time on an enlarger, then get a cheap model to start with, try ebay for used darkroom equipment.
Enlarger resources: Meopta Prerov, a.s.
Kabelikova 1, 751 58 Prerov, Czech Republic
mail to: meopta@meopta.com
Meopta, since 1933, makes cameras, enlargers, movie cameras, and projectors.
The history section of their web site has some great pictures of old model enlargers (back to 1936).
| Manufacturer | Model | Maximum Negative Size | Black And White Head | Color Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meopta Prerov, a.s.
Kabelikova 1, 751 58 Prerov, Czech Republic mail to: meopta@meopta.com | Axomat 5 | 35mm (24x36mm) | Condensor*1 | Dichroic |
| Opemus 6 | 2 1/4 square (60x60mm) | Condensor*1 | Dichroic | |
| Magnifax 4 | 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 (65x90mm) | Condensor*1 | Dichroic | |
| Beseler | Printmaker 67 | 35mm | Condensor | Dichroic |
| 67XL | 6x7cm (2 1/4 x 2 3/4) | Condensor | Dichroic | |
| 23XIII-XL | 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 (6x9cm) | Condensor | Dichroic | |
| Omega | C700 | 35mm | Condensor | Dichroic |
| C760XL | 6x7cm (2 1/4 x 2 3/4) | Condensor | Dichroic | |
| D5XL | 4x5 | Condensor | Dichroic | |
| Saunders | C6600 and D6700 | 6x7cm (2 1/4 x 2 3/4) | Condensor | Dichroic |
| 670CXL and 670DXL | 6x7cm (2 1/4 x 2 3/4) | Condensor | Dichroic | |
| 4500-II | 4x5 | Diffusion (Variable Contrast Adjustable) | Dichroic |
| Manufacturer | Product |
|---|---|
| Aristo Grid Lamp Products, Inc.
35 Lumber Road Roslyn, New York 11576 Tel: (516) 484-6141 Fax: (516) 484-6992 | Cold Light heads including Variable Contract Cold Light Heads |
| Meopta Prerov, a.s.
Kabelikova 1, 751 58 Prerov, Czech Republic mail to: meopta@meopta.com | Color Head |
| Enlarger Timers |
161 Ballards Lane
Finchley, London, England N3 1LG
Tel: 020 8349 4568 Fax: 020 8371 9844
email: sales@thedarkroom.co.uk
Visitor Comments
The comments stated below are not necessarily the opinions of Andy Hughes or DarkroomSourceA useful new software for use in the darkroom with a traditional enlarger is \'enLARGE.prc\'. This is a \'predictive exposure computer\' software which runs on Palm-OS handheld devices. Somebody should have invented it years ago - check it out at www.wittnerphoto.bizContributed by on 2007-08-30 08:42:28
