If you can project an image you can make the print. It won't be easy but even with an enlarger, film photography is not easy as all the same steps are needed to make a good print. The main difference, is the enlarger holds everything in place. You will be constantly fiddling with things, but you still should be able to make a reasonable print.
No, no space for darkroom in an apartment. I close the curtains in the living room, then I have another curtain in the small hallway. I do all this experimentation after dark of course. No basement luxury for me. It's more of a hobby.Originally Posted by Cor
I don't think I have space for an 8x10 enlarger anyways and I don't do this every day. Also dragging an 8x10 enlarger in an elevator would be problematic. My 8x10 camera body does come with a long rail, with rack and pinion adjustment knobs. Basically I'm thinking of bolting the rail to a strong aluminum extrusion, and all the camera knobs can be used for minor magnification and focus adjustment. At the opposite end I can come up with a holder for the easel with 3 leveling knobs. The whole thing could be bolted on a tripod or vertically to the wall.
The LED light tablet intensity is adjustable, just not sure about the wavelengths of light it produces and how the paper responds. Maybe it will require filtration. I'm thinking the LED tablet should be placed a bit away from the film plane, so all the scratches and texture of the tablet does not get printed on paper. Will need to get some ANR glass for the negative holder, maybe can be made with plain glass etched with diluted HF acid.
The whole tablet/negative-carrier assembly I can 3D print or make out of wood.
Bear in mind that 8x10 enlargers were not built in-situ, and needed to be shipped from where they were manufactured.
You may find that they can be reduced to multiple modular assemblies for shipping or handling purposes.
There is no way I could have got my 10x10 Durst 184 enlarger home and down the stairs without being able to do that.
I have used a black 180mm Rodagon for enlarging 4x5 up to 16x20. I paid $300+ many decades ago, I've always sharply seen grain across the field so I'm always satisfied. $400 for that 360mm lens is a good price IMO. Now I use the "Laser Align" kit to adjust my DII omega and it works AOK. You put a Sky or UV filter on the lens, and adjust the lens standard so that it shows the laser image centered. Easy to do.
360mm f5.6 Schneider Componons matched pair 4x5 by Nokton48, on Flickr
360mm Schneider Componons are good too, I bought three of them $150-$200 each, one with milky cells I donated to Jason Lane, who will polish 'em up. SK Grimes copied the Durst Forward Mount Cup for me on their CNC, then anodized it.
This is my 4x5 Twin Lens Reflex Norma, great for large format portraiture. Old chrome Componons can be really good deals. Ken Ruth suggested to me to buy the whole range, so I did! The olde cells groups come out in one group easily, wash 'em in the sink with Dawn dishwash soap. Then pop 'em back in. Voila like new. The Masters Secret anyone can do.
Flikr Photos Here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/18134483@N04/
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
― Mark Twain
The 180 Rodagon is a bit unusual because it is also optimized for 5x7, although you need a highly efficient mirror box to get totally even illumination on 5X7. It's my favorite 4x5 enlarging lenses.
Len - my largest 8x10 unit was built in situ. It's 14 ft tall. But my Durst L184 with colorhead had to be moved, by stipulation, in one piece up two full flights of basement stairs by hand, then right through a ground floor open restaurant, then onto the flatbed truck blocking a busy street, and finally, the hardest part of all, getting it into the recesses of my own building without being dismantled. It took six of us; and we were all pretty sore afterwards. I was highly grateful for the free truck and labor; but they couldn't spare the time to dismantle and box things. But remarkably, no damage occurred; even the light bulbs still operated. Those things are built good. One month of weekends later, I had it 100% functionally renovated, including rewiring and filter cleaning, and 95% as if new cosmetically renovated - new bellows, baseboard laminate, and paint, all the metal polished and re-lubed. But L138's are much easier to disassemble and transport.
Mine did not break down into small pieces...
Can you elaborate on the twin camera contraption? is this for stereo viewing?
Definitely need too try my 8x10 camera experiment, I have too many giant things in my apartment already. Becoming a hoarder of all kinds of tools and enlarger. If I had a house then different story. Lucky for some people here who live in homes and were able to get these for free when they were being thrown out.
No it's like a giant version of a Rolleiflex, that takes 4x5 film. I also have a 5x7 version without reflex. I view through the bottom lens, the top lens has the Sinar Shutter and takes the picture. You have to learn how to align the two lenses so the views are (nearly) identical. Then you are golden. It is easier to do than talking about it.
Hollywood Glamour Photographers have used this same camera decades ago, Glenn Evans has one too. The principal advantage for me, is seeing the flash go off on the screen through the viewing lens. Very specialized but useful once you get used to it, it is very speedy and Deluxe.
Anyway I just wanted to show you the 360mm Componons on this camera. Great lenses, very similar to your 360 Rodagon.
Flikr Photos Here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/18134483@N04/
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
― Mark Twain
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