Peak Enlarging Focuser

[Mike H.]

Reading the focusing aid question reminds me - I've been wanting to understand how to properly use my Peak Enlarging Focuser. When you first peer into it, there is a black rectangle centered in your view. By turning the adjustment dial you can bring that (and the image) into and out of focus. Am I right that you want the rectangle perfectly focused before going on to raise and lower the enlarger to focus on the grain in the image? May sound dumb, but it's the basics over which I always stumble...

[ronald moravec]

Put the rectangle in focus. Raise and lower the enlarger to achieve size and rough focus.you have focus by eye roughly because gross changes in focus will resize the image to a large degree. Place the Peak where you deem the focus to be most critical such as an eye in a portrait. Look through the Peak and adjust the enlarger focus until the grain is sharp. Use a small detail if you can`t see the grain. The lens may have trouble resolving grain wide open and there may be a focus shift as you stop down so try to focus a printing aperature or slightly larger if necessary.

[Thilo Schmid]

Mike,

since you are focusing on an airy image, your eyes need a reference point. Without such a reference, your eyes would follow the focus of your enlarger lens. The rectangle lies in the same (virtual) plane as your paper. The adjustment dial is for long- or short-sighted eyes. Adjust it for convenient sight.