5x7 enlarger measurements

[aclark]

I am planning to build a 5x7 enlarger and would be grateful to anyone who has got one if they could let me have a few measurements. What I am after is the negative to lens board distance when making a 10" wide print, the negative to lens board distance when making a 24" wide print, and the negative to printing paper distance when making 10" and 24" wide prints. All this for a 210mm enlarging lens, which I assume would be the right focal length. (I don't have a lens yet)

Many thanks.

Alan

[Luis-F-S]

I guess the first thing that comes to mind is why would you want to build it? Good 5x7 enlargers are still fairly plentiful and reasonable. Besides get a 180 mm not a 210 unless if you have really long arms. Ginette's had a 5x7 enlarger in Montreal very reasonabley even if it had to be shipped. L

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...84#post1251184

[aclark]

I guess the first thing that comes to mind is why would you want to build it? Good 5x7 enlargers are still fairly plentiful and reasonable. Besides get a 180 mm not a 210 unless if you have really long arms. L

Luis, I've built things all my life. Why not?

As for the focal length of the enlarging lens, I am willing to take advice. I mentioned 210mm because this is the "standard" focal length for a 5x7 camera...

Alan

[Luis-F-S]

Alan, I guess my background as a design engineer is not to re-invent the wheel. I'd much rather buy someone else's 40 years of experience rather than my trying to build something, but to each his own. I'd also rather print than spend my time "fiddling" with a home made enlarger, but if you can build a better mouse trap; go for it!. My standard lens for my 5x7 camera is a 9 1/2" lens. I'll take some measurements tonight of my enlarger for a 2x & 5x enlargements.

[aclark]

Luis, I won't be re-inventing the wheel, just saving myself a lot of money that I can use to buy film...As for "fiddliing" with a home-made enlarger I made a 5x4 enlarger many years ago and it works just fine. I've made lots of very satisfying prints with it.
Regarding your offer to take some measurements, many thanks.

Alan

[Luis-F-S]

With a 180 mm Rodagon
Neg to Table 2x 33"
Neg to Lens Board 2x 11"
Neg to Table 5x 55"
Neg to Lens Board 5x 8.5"

With a 210 Rodagon
Neg to Table 2x 37.25"
Neg to Lens Board 2x 11.5"
Neg to Table 4x 53.25"
Neg to Lens Board 4x 10"

I could not do 5x with the 210 Rodagon due to space constraints, ie; I'd have to move a bunch of stuff under the enlarger to drop the table all the way to the lowest setting.

Post some shots of your 5x4 enlarger. A 5x4 De Vere just sold on Ebay in Callander, UK for GBP 170.00. They're giving them away!

L

[aclark]

Luis, many thanks for taking the trouble to make the detailed mesasurements.
I see you are still trying to persuade me to buy a ready-made enlarger! Yes, I do know that people are giving them away. A friend actually gave me his De Vere 5x5 a while ago. It had seen better days. There were big problems with the lamp, and the focussing mechanism was very badly worn. It was like this when my friend got it on ebay from the other side of the country, and it never worked properly for him. It was cheap, but not worth the £250 he paid for it. I cannibalised my home made 5x4 enlarger in an attempt to patch it up, but has proved to be a pain to use.
In the meantime I've got interested in the 5x7 format and have decided that a 5x7 enlarger is the way foreward, as it can also be used for 5x4. In the light of my De Vere experience I am very wary of a cheap bargain hundreds of miles away on ebay. Making something myself, something solid and useable, seems more sensible, and more fun.

Alan

[Ron Stowell]

I have a 5x7 Omega that you can have for free, it you want to stop by and pick it up. You have to haul it up out of the dark room.

[Luis-F-S]

There are certainly enlarger junkers out there, but also many very good machines that are being thrown away that with minimal cost & care can give decades of use. I drove 2200 miles to pick up my 8x10 De Vere which is in mint condition and it probably cost me more to pick it up than what I paid for it. I assume you're in the UK, maybe not, if so you're in De Vere land and have the advantage of a relatively "small" island to collect it. L

[IanG]

Alan, I have a wooden Houghton King Quareter plate enlarger, if I had condensers and made a different negative holder insert it cound do 5x4 as well.

I have a set of condensers that would be OK for a 7x5 enlarger, my guess is we've met up in the past . I'm giving a talk to the North Yorkshire Monochrome Group in mid July so you can have them if they'd be any use.

Ian