Intrepid Enlarger Attachment

Hello Everyone,

Max from Intrepid Camera here, we have launched a new project on kickstarter if you are interested

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...n-35mm-120-and

The project is for an enlarger attachment that clips onto the back of your 4x5 camera to convert it into an enlarger, think of a modern version of the Graflarger with a new LED light source.

We are aiming this at people who would like to experiment with printing for the first time but don't have access to a darkroom or space for a big enlarger at home. It also works very well if you want to be able to make prints at home without having a permanent setup. It is surprisingly easy to get set up and everything square. particularly if you are using a copy stand, You can also simply use a tripod as the stand though and project onto some grid paper or a cutting mat first to get everything square.

The attachment fits onto any 5x5 with Graflok clips

If you are interested, take a look at the link above and I'm around in this forum if you have any questions

Thanks! Max

If I am reading things right, this project fully funded up in about half a day and is currently at more than 200% of the goal. Congrats! Looking forward to getting mine.

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Originally Posted by Shutterbug57

If I am reading things right, this project fully funded up in about half a day and is currently at more than 200% of the goal. Congrats! Looking forward to getting mine.

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Thanks! Looking forward to getting it out to you!

I wish you much success in this cool project !!

Post deleted, figured it out.

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Originally Posted by Shutterbug57

Just curious why the £209 package is gone from the linked page. Glad I got in before that one disappeared as I need all 3 sizes of the negative carrier.

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Just had a look and it seems to still be there, is it not showing up for you?

I figured it out. As it is what I subscribed to, it just mentions that at the top of the page next to the manage subscription button, and it does not show in the options down the page in price order. The page probably figures you don’t want to buy the same package twice.

I don't have any need for this enlarger, but I did pledge for the cute enamel pin (and patch).

I would love to see you all push this idea up a notch to an 8x10 size.

Can you explain how to align the attachment to the paper plane? L

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Originally Posted by Luis-F-S

Can you explain how to align the attachment to the paper plane? L

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Sure, first you mount your negative in the carrier and attach that to the light source. You clip it onto the back of your 4x5 camera and point the camera down. assuming you have correctly squared up your camera you can either rely on the spirit levels on the enlarger light source or if you initially project your image onto a cutting mat with a grid you can use that grid to check the projected image is square.

I understand peoples reservations about everything being parallel, and when compared to a traditional enlarger this set up isn't as stable. That being said in practise it is very easy to make everything square and get fantastic quality prints. We have been using and perfecting this device for over two years and have had great results from beta testers. It really is very simple and fun to use!

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Originally Posted by Bob Salomon

But how do you assure alignment between the film, the lens and the easel?

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Hi Bob, the negative sits in a holder on the back of the camera, in a similar way to how you would use the camera when taking a picture, you square everything up in the usual way using the 0 indents or marks on the camera, that gets you your negative and film squared up. You then point it down and use the levels to get it roughly right and either dial it in using a grain finder or more simply using a sheet of graph paper or a cutting mat with a grid, when your image is square on the grid and aligned in all four corners you are good to go, in practise it really isn't that hard to do and takes very little time to get an accurate and useable setup. You could also attach the camera to a good copy stand, Kaiser make a lot of compatible ones, many of which can fold away and are a lot easier to store than a massive 4x5 enlarger.

I appreciate for people who have often had access to high quality enlargers or have the space to have one setup at home- the idea of using your 4x5 camera as an enlarger seems a bit strange. But for a lot of people, particularly young people just getting starting out with film; A tool that lets you setup your own mini darkroom that can be cleared away when not being used, allows you to start printing for the first time, and allows you to make really beautiful prints is a very useful tool indeed.

Happy to answer any other questions people might have

Why bother to post?

I've deleted the bickering about enlarger alignment, left up the posts in which Max explains his recommendations for how alignment should be handled with this product.

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Originally Posted by Oren Grad

I've deleted the bickering about enlarger alignment, left up the posts in which Max explains his recommendations for how alignment should be handled with this product.

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Why, if those instructions will not align the enlarging system properly?

Bob, users can make their own judgments as to how stringent a standard they wish to pursue and whether this product will be adequate for their purposes. Endless badgering and bickering on this or any other point is disruptive of the Forum and is not appropriate, even if you are convinced that you are right and others are wrong.

Please let it be.

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Originally Posted by Oren Grad

Bob, users can make their own judgments as to how stringent a standard they wish to pursue and whether this product will be adequate for their purposes. Endless badgering and bickering on this or any other point is disruptive of the Forum and is not appropriate, even if you are convinced that you are right and others are wrong.

Please let it be.

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Fine, I will, but you are saying that proper technique takes second place. It, there is a right way, a wrong way and their way and the learning curve is on the purchaser!

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Originally Posted by Max Grew

any other questions people might have

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One question, how Variable Contrast is handled ?

Is there a way to separately switch on Blue, Green and Red (for safe light), for split grade printing ? filters under the lens ?

Bob - if you don’t want one, don’t buy one. Nobody is saying this is the equavilent of a multi-thousand dollar professional enlarger. What it is is a tool to give added utility to your 4x5 and allow folks who want to print, but cannot otherwise afford the gear, to give it a go. Just as there is a market for a D3400 with a 18-55 kit lens and a D850 with the 24-70/2.8, there is a market for affordable, entry level enlargers as well as the full-on pro gear.

I have access to a full darkroom at the club with traditional enlargers to print up to 4x5 negs. I bought this enlarger enhancement to my 4x5 for 2 reasons: convenience and fun/experimenting. The convenience is that it is much more time efficient to just go to the basement than the club. The fun is that I have never tried tilt/shift enlarging. Might have some creative possibilities. Will have to experiment to see.

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Originally Posted by Pere Casals

One question, how Variable Contrast is handled ?

Is there a way to separately switch on Blue, Green and Red (for safe light), for split grade printing ? filters under the lens ?

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Hello, the system uses Multigrade filters under the lens, every enlarger kit ships with a free universal filter holder that clips onto your lens and takes Ilford 8.9x8.9 multigrade filters. in this sense it works exactly the same as any other enlarger that uses under the lens filters.

So is the light source LED's or a cold light fluorescent tube?

I have one question (which in my case relates to which 4x5" camera I can use) - does focus from the rear (that is, moving the light source) compared to moving the front (where the lens is) make a difference?

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Originally Posted by Luis-F-S

So is the light source LED's or a cold light fluorescent tube?

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Hello, the light source is LED's

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Originally Posted by Jimi

I have one question (which in my case relates to which 4x5" camera I can use) - does focus from the rear (that is, moving the light source) compared to moving the front (where the lens is) make a difference?

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It would make a difference as in one scenario the lens and paper plane is fixed (moving the rear standard) and in the other the lens and paper plane would move (moving the front standard) you could use either way to achieve a sharp image though.

Max, congrats on the campaign, looks like it will be another success.

I have 3 questions:
1, How well are your LED light source and controller combating bleeding? (the light stays on at very low intensity even after being switched off)
2, Will the film holders be 3D printed or injection moulded? (3d print a big part at low tolerance is quite time consuming)
3, Since the holders will be made out of plastic, what's our option to manage dust and static?

Hope you can clarify those points, others may find them helpful too.

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Originally Posted by Luis-F-S

Can you explain how to align the attachment to the paper plane? L

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Put a large piece of mirror on your paper plane, then focus and align the camera so that the reflection of the lens is completely square, then you can be reasonably sure that your film plane is parallel to your paper plane. It's quite simple if you have a geared tripod head such as Acra Swiss Cube or P0 Hybrid. I built a graflarger based on this post in APUG https://www.photrio.com/forum/thread...larger.146616/ and could get my 'enlarger' squared in about a minute, but I have the Cube. YMMV.

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Originally Posted by minh0204

Max, congrats on the campaign, looks like it will be another success.

I have 3 questions:
1, How well are your LED light source and controller combating bleeding? (the light stays on at very low intensity even after being switched off)
2, Will the film holders be 3D printed or injection moulded? (3d print a big part at low tolerance is quite time consuming)
3, Since the holders will be made out of plastic, what's our option to manage dust and static?

Hope you can clarify those points, others may find them helpful too.

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Thanks! In answer to your questions,

1. This isn't a problem at all with the LEDs and timer we have, whilst electronics isn't my strongest topic (more of a wood guy) Carl, our electronics engineer ensures me this isn't a problem because of the type of LED we are using and the way they are switched with a relay.

2. We are exploring Injection moulding or using a metal clam shell arrangement that is ver common amongst enlargers. The final product will not be 3D printed as the tolerances just aren't there with the 3D printers we have.

3. Plastic or Metal I would imagine people will manage dust in the usual way with a quick blast of Air from a can before use.

Let me know if you have any other questions,

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Originally Posted by minh0204

3, Since the holders will be made out of plastic, what's our option to manage dust and static?

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By far not all "plastics" retain static charge, added fillers or specific reinforcing agents allow to make plastic parts conductive enough: static dissipative, conductive or even ESD shielding capable (including bare carbon in the mix).

Hi Max, congratulations for the project which looks will be a great success! Just a quick question tho - if someone gets a camera alongside the enlarger kit, would that camera be exactly the same as other Intrepid 4x5 that are being sold, or will there be any sort of enhancement to hold the standards rigid? I have a Intrepid 8x10 and in the upright position, the lens standard tends to lean forward when the lens is of appreciable weight. I just wonder if there is anything that can prevent / accommodate for the unintended tilting of the lens standard due to weight of lens (assuming we use normal 150mm lenses for the task)?

A related question would be how the focusing rail would work in the enlarger version of the camera, and how it handles fine adjustments. Again would there any be refinement to the enlarger-camera in this department?

Thanks.

Did anyone get one of these? Could you let me know what voltage the timer input is? Reason I ask is my work space only has a 12v battery and I'm looking for a solution which doesn't involve an inverter.

As you're only at the other end of the country why not pick up the phone and give them a call. :)

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Originally Posted by steveo

Did anyone get one of these? Could you let me know what voltage the timer input is? Reason I ask is my work space only has a 12v battery and I'm looking for a solution which doesn't involve an inverter.

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Hello, yes the whole system is 12v, it ships with a 100-240v input power supply for regular use but you could just power it straight from your 12v supply

Let me know if you have any other questions, Max

Great thanks for letting me know.

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Originally Posted by Yorkie

As you're only at the other end of the country why not pick up the phone and give them a call. :)

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Yeah, but that would involve like speaking to someone man. :D

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Originally Posted by Max Grew

Hello, yes the whole system is 12v, it ships with a 100-240v input power supply for regular use but you could just power it straight from your 12v supply

Let me know if you have any other questions, Max

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Thanks Max, very helpful.

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Originally Posted by steveo

Yeah, but that would involve like speaking to someone man. :D

I understand, I have Millennial kids, they prefer TEXTING. ;)




Thanks Max, very helpful.

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I just received my enlarger attachment and I am looking forward to getting the best out of it that I can. I love my Intrepid 4x5 and am excited that I can use it in a similar way to how many photographers in the early days of photography when they made their own prints with the same cameras with which they made the exposures.

I have a big 4x5 Beseler enlarger that has served me very well in past years but about 4 years ago I had to take it apart and put it away. I will not be able to set it up again really soon I'm afraid. But this new enlarger reminds me of my old Graflarger from years past and I plan on setting this up in closet in a similar way to how I used the Graflarger.

It will be great to be able to make prints again! :D

BTW, I haven't really had a few quiet moments to sort through the many posts in this thread but I will make some time over the next few days. I hope there is some good information here about how best to use this little device.

good morning I resume this post because I got the enlarger kit, but I saw that it is difficult to focus, do you have any ideas to improve this? I act on the micrometric adjustment of the rear standarda

I got the attachment a few days ago. I have not used it yet, but thought it might interest somebody that a Graflok back does not seem 100% necessary.

Before ordering the attachment, I wrote to Intrepid and inquired about this, as my 4x5" camera is homemade and altogether non-standard and has no Graflok back.Their opinion was that it wouldn't work (without the Graflok back). I went ahead, anyway.

When the attachment finally arrived, fashioning an adapter from wood turned out to be one Saturday afternoon's work; see photo. Yes, I have a table saw, but I'm no master woodworker.Attachment 208818

What disappointed me a bit was the filter-holder-monochrome-light-source combination. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there are LED arrays out there that can be controlled to emit just about any color one wants. Such an array could make the filters unnecessary and would not be in the optical path.

Oddly enough, the kit contains no instructions. Instead of them, you're supposed to watch videos at Intrepid's website. If you can't connect, you're on your own.

Hi everyone,
So I have received the enlarger kit with their 4x5 MKIV camera the other day. I have bought this kit solely to print 35mm unto 6x9 films, I don't shoot 4x5 yet so I don't print those as well. Hopefully in the near future. So below is my first initial findings and thoughts about the combo (mainly disappointing first impression);


1) The lens board, which comes with enlarger kit is small. So I attach it to the camera, it is moving to 4 direction about 1mm or so, which might affect sharpness at the printing stage.
2) My 2 enlarger lenses do not fit the board in a recess mode, as shown on their videos. The board opening is small. I can attach the lenses only the opposite way which moves the focus point further away. That means enlarging 35mm negatives to A4 size is nearly impossible, if one doesn’t have more than 1 meter height enlarger. I guess it is even impossible to use 80mm enlarger lens, so 100mm lens is required which makes even more difficult to enlarge 35mm negatives. You need to focus, recheck and focus again, which requires really wide arm openings as well.
3) The film masks have a huge design issue (I like the heaviness and rigidity though) The sticky tape they put outside made them really tight while inserting, in fact one of the film masks has lost the tape already. An indent where they put the tape would be much better for smooth operation. I am quite sure other masks will lose the tape as well in the near future.
4) The film masks don’t have grooves to keep the film aligned between the masks, which makes aligning film really difficult.
5) The camera itself doesn’t tell me if the front or back standards at 90 degree, perfectly centered or whatsoever. So I can never know if they are parallel to the paper plane. It would be great if they have such grooves which make kind of clicking noise when you center them and when you make them 90 degrees.


I am expecting to receive my darkroom equipment soon so I’ll let you know how the whole kit performs during printing stage but my early thoughts are disappointing and the operation is not as smooth as discussed on their videos.

In short, if you have a lens 80mm or shorter, forget about it. Also if your copy stand is less than 1 meter, you can't print A4 size 35mm negatives as you need at least 100mm lens which will need more than 1 meter height from the paper. If you plan to print MF, that might be possible. So is 4x5.

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