Dumb question from newbie

[1stormcat]

I've recently purchased a 4x5 Master Technika and plan to be developing my negatives at San Francisco Art Institute dark rooms. I was wondering if it would be smart to get my own lenses to use on their enlargers or is one lens as good as another?

[IanG]

I think you need to assume that their lenses are OK, at least to begin with.

Ian

[Liquid Artist]

We are of course assuming that their enlarger can handle 4x5, and if it can that they have an appropriate lens for you to use. Which is usually a 135mm - 150mm lens for 4x5.
Then that should be all that you really need until you learn the basics. At that point you may want your own darkroom.

To improve the image quality you may want to clean their enlarger first. I've seen several duster than imaginable, and it only takes a short time to clean. However it could also throw off the alignment if you don't know what your doing... Again assuming that it's properly aligned already.

[Ari]

Be sure that the enlarger at the Institute is, or can be, properly aligned.
The really bad part about using public darkrooms is the abuse suffered by the enlargers, making them difficult to use.

[Luis-F-S]

Ari's right, I'd be more concerned about enlarger alignment than on the lens specifics. Even a "cheap" lens will give much better results on an aligned enlarger that an expensive lens on an enlarger that's out. L

[Mark Sawyer]

You're getting very good advice here! The quality of the equipment is probably very good, and as everyone pointed out, the enlargers are probably all out of alignment. Also, the lenses are probably covered with fingerprints, and there's likely enough dirt and dust on the condenser lenses to show up in the prints. Start every printing session with a cleaning and adjusting routine! (I had to learn it all on my own, but it should be a key part of every darkroom class. If your professor hasn't covered it, talk to him about it.)

[joselsgil]

I wouldn't spend my money on enlarging lenses until you decide to set up your own personal darkroom. I developed and printed at my local college for many years. Most lab techs take pride in setting up the darkrooms and maintaining them. If you have questions about the equipment, talk to the lab techs about your concerns.

[Robert Langham]

Good Schneider or Nikon enlarger lenses pretty cheap right now....ebay full of them. Most college enlarger lenses have taken a beating over the years. At the very least sort through what they have and find the best one you can.

126769

[tgtaylor]

Ask them if can use the same ones that Ansel Adams used.

Thomas

[Bernice Loui]

If the enlargers are that beat up and out of whack at this facility, why not discuss the problem with the keeper of this facility, find and come to some reasonable resolution to this problem and require anyone who uses this facility to up hold certain standards of using the enlargers and darkroom facility.

It would benefit all who use these darkroom facilities and assure the future of this darkroom and related facilities to be in good condition for other in the not too distant future.


Bernice


Be sure that the enlarger at the Institute is, or can be, properly aligned.
The really bad part about using public darkrooms is the abuse suffered by the enlargers, making them difficult to use.

[John Kasaian]

Have you used the dark room yet? Maybe it's not as bad as you think. If the person in charge runs a tight ship they might be offended by your prejudicial conclusions about the equipment.
Just sayin...

[1stormcat]

Great advice everybody. Thank you. I will be starting class at the end of January and will be make a point speaking with the dark room keeper. I have never aligned an enlarger but will make a point of asking the for instructions on how to do it.

[Mark Sawyer]

Great advice everybody. Thank you. I will be starting class at the end of January and will be make a point speaking with the dark room keeper. I have never aligned an enlarger but will make a point of asking the for instructions on how to do it.

I'd recommend googling the subject beforehand so you'll have a basic understanding of aligning an enlarger. Short version: there are three planes that must be parallel: the film plane, the lens plane, and the paper plane. You can buy fancy laser alignment tools, and the college may already have one. I always made do with levels. I always made my final check with a piece of clear glass, gridded with a Sharpie, inserted where the negative carrier goes, making sure all the corners come into focus on the paper plane at once with the lens wide open. In an open darkroom, I'd suggest starting every printing session with that quick focus check.

Printing with an enlarger without knowing if it's aligned is like shooting with a view cameras without knowing where the movements are set.