Grain Focuser

[ic-racer]

I stopped selenium toning about 20 years ago when I switched to Ilford MG FB as it did not seem to do anything to that paper. Maybe I'm missing something.

Do you have an enlarging lens?

[Ulophot]

Hi,Two23. Setting up your own darkroom is exciting! congrats!

I am not familiar with the enlarger you have, and no one has mentioned it here, but some enlargers have adjustments to bring into alignment one or two of the three planes that need to be parallel for sharp enlargements: the negative stage, the lens stage, and the base, where the easel is. When these are not parallel, you can focus on the middle of the image with a grain magnifier and still find the edges or corners unsharp. I won;t go into the variables here, but you should at least be aware of this phenomenon. Once you get set up and start testing things out, I would recommend testing for this.

Use a negative with middle or mid-light tones where the patches (see below) will be so that you can clearly see whether or not the grain is sharply in focus after processing. Test first for exposure, using f/4 for your 2.8 lens (which may not be as sharp at the corners wide open (remember also that the negative may not be completely flat and will benefit from the stop-down. I have the Nikkor 50 2.8; nice lens, but even so.

You don't have to use a full sheet of paper, just five pieces maybe an inch-and-a-half square or so, one for the middle, where you'll set your focus, and one for each corner. LABEL EACH PIECE on the back: C, TL, TR, BL, BR. Make sure they lie completely flat. Expose all simultaneously and process.

[Two23]

Hi,Two23. Setting up your own darkroom is exciting! congrats!

I am not familiar with the enlarger you have, and no one has mentioned it here, but some enlargers have adjustments to bring into alignment one or two of the three planes that need to be parallel for sharp enlargements: the negative stage, the lens stage, and the base, where the easel is. When these are not parallel, you can focus on the middle of the image with a grain magnifier and still find the edges or corners unsharp. I won;t go into the variables here, but you should at least be aware of this phenomenon. Once you get set up and start testing things out, I would recommend testing for this.

Use a negative with middle or mid-light tones where the patches (see below) will be so that you can clearly see whether or not the grain is sharply in focus after processing. Test first for exposure, using f/4 for your 2.8 lens (which may not be as sharp at the corners wide open (remember also that the negative may not be completely flat and will benefit from the stop-down. I have the Nikkor 50 2.8; nice lens, but even so.

You don't have to use a full sheet of paper, just five pieces maybe an inch-and-a-half square or so, one for the middle, where you'll set your focus, and one for each corner. LABEL EACH PIECE on the back: C, TL, TR, BL, BR. Make sure they lie completely flat. Expose all simultaneously and process.

The Bogen 22A is a fairly simple model designed for amateurs at home making 35mm enlargements. It does have a drawer for contrast filters, and I just got a set of Ilford's 3x3. I originally got it to make 8x10 & 5x7 contacts, but after working in my local university's darkroom with Beseler 45MX, I'm starting to like enlarging 4x5 Ilford negs. I've been shooting 4x5 for 25 year and it's actually my favorite format. I'm in a battle with my wife to turn a small unused odd space in the basement into a darkroom just big enough to use a 45MX.

[Greg Y]

Another nod to the Peak grain focuser.

[Pieter]

Another nod to the Peak grain focuser.

The Peak and the Micromega are the same, just rebranded. The OP has stated the he thinks it is overkill. He can get by just fine with pretty much any of the less expensive ones.

[Greg Y]

The Peak and the Micromega are the same, just rebranded. The OP has stated the he thinks it is overkill. He can get by just fine with pretty much any of the less expensive ones.

It's not a big expense Pieter. People obsess about many things in the quest to make fine prints. It's a good tool. When you haven't used them it's easy to dismiss it as overkill, because you haven't compared them in practice.

[Rick Rycroft]

I agree with Greg. I persisted with cheap focusers for years and then got a Peak 1. It made a significant change for the better for me.

[Pieter]

It's not a big expense Pieter. People obsess about many things in the quest to make fine prints. It's a good tool. When you haven't used them it's easy to dismiss it as overkill, because you haven't compared them in practice.

I have the Peak Model I and a Microsight focuser. The Peak is indeed a fine instrument with the advantage of being able to be used on the edges of the image. But the Microsight does a fine job, it is even more powerful than the Peak at less than half the price. For a beginner, the money is better used buying paper and building experience.