Printing 8x10

[MIke Sherck]

Here's one I've been wondering about. If there's a prior thread, apologies: I missed it.

For all of you 8x10 camera users out there, do you contact print or enlarge? And, if you contact print, do you wish you could enlarge? Next week is bonus time and I can either get a new-ish 4x5 to suppliament my B&J 5x7, or maybe I can get an 8x10. Decisions, decisions. I wonder, though, how long it will be before I start thinking that 8x10 prints are too small. An 8x10 enlarger is probably out of the question: cost and space issues (i.e., I can't afford one and even if I could I doubt there's room in my diminutive 5'x6' darkroom.

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

I have no experiance but possibly a little bit of logic. If you enjoy using your B&J 5X7, I would suggest buying an 8X10 and if you want to make big prints in the future you can either enlarge 5X7 or get a reducing back for the B&J for less than $100. If you find the B&J to be a pain in the ass to use I would be leaning towards a newer 4X5. I hope that helps a bit.

[Salty]

I do both contact and enlarging of 8x10. My 810MXT is in the corner of the washer/dryer room, so there's not too much space.

[Nick_3536]

I contact print both 8x10 and 5x7. I'd like to have an enlarger but figure that I'll have to build one unless I can find a cheap Beseler 8x10 head for my 4x5 beseler. Or some other light source I can stick on top .

Still the main reason I want an enlarger is for 5x7 not the 8x10 which is bigger and more of a hassle to haul around. I guess if I had a lighter/smaller 8x10 I might feel differently.

[Gem Singer]

Hi Mike,

You could do what I did. I bought a Tachihara 8X10, with both a 4X5 and a 5X7 reducing back. I only have a 4X5 enlarger. That way, I can contact print the 5X7's and 8X10's and enlarge the 4X5 negatives to 16X20. You're correct, 8X10 prints soon began to look too small.

[Ralph Barker]

Yes, no, yes. That is to say, I currently contact print, but don't enlarge 8x10. Boy howdy, would I love to have the space and the money for a nice big 8x10 Durst, though. ;-)

As ytlas mentioned, a Bessler 45MXT with the 8x10 conversion kit is an alternative, as is scanning and digital printing.

[Bill_1856]

Check out the Canon 9950 scanner.

[CXC]

When you enlarge, how big do you go? I find 11x14 to be my preferred standard size for enlargements. Therefore, for me anyways, it makes more sense to jump directly to an 11x14 camera for contacts. 8x10's look a little small to me. Then of course there are others perfectly happy with a 4x5 contact.

There have been earlier discussions on the utility of enlarging from an 8x10 negative. Some of us, like me, can't see any meaningful difference between enlargements from 4x5 and 8x10 until they get REALLY big. Others will chip in with an opposing viewpoint.

IMHO these are the issues for you to work through.

[Nick_3536]

An enlarger lets you do more then just make bigger prints. If you decide you want to print a 6x10 crop of the 8x10 negative to 12x20 you can. Short of getting a camera for each and every possible print format an enlarger is a nice thing.

[Mark Sawyer]

I just finished converting a reprographic camera into an 8x10 enlarger a few months ago, and it makes beautiful sharp prints. But I've found that even a sharp print can't match the gradations of a contact print, so I'm not using the enlarger much.

It ultimately depends on your photographic vision. My prints just seem to want to be 8x10. These days I think and see in those terms, and anything printed larger just look like it's been forced to be something it isn't.