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Alternatives to 2x enlarging



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 26th 04, 06:14 PM
Albert L.
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Default Alternatives to 2x enlarging

My enlarger accepts up to 6x6 negatives. It works fine for this. But I have
been playing with a pinhole camera using 4x5 negatives that I can contact
print. But I would also like to enlarge them up to 8x10.

Is there a way to do this without having to resort to a 4x5 enlarger? I know
it does not sound "right", but I thought maybe you folks had some ideas...

Thanks

Al


  #2  
Old October 26th 04, 08:18 PM
Chris Ellinger
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On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 13:14:48 -0400, "Albert L."
wrote:

My enlarger accepts up to 6x6 negatives. It works fine for this. But I have
been playing with a pinhole camera using 4x5 negatives that I can contact
print. But I would also like to enlarge them up to 8x10.

Is there a way to do this without having to resort to a 4x5 enlarger?


You could copy a 4x5 contact print with a 6x6 camera and enlarge the
6x6 negative to 8x10.

Chris Ellinger
Ann Arbor, MI USA
http://www.ellingerphoto.com

  #3  
Old October 26th 04, 08:48 PM
Donald Qualls
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Albert L. wrote:
My enlarger accepts up to 6x6 negatives. It works fine for this. But I have
been playing with a pinhole camera using 4x5 negatives that I can contact
print. But I would also like to enlarge them up to 8x10.

Is there a way to do this without having to resort to a 4x5 enlarger? I know
it does not sound "right", but I thought maybe you folks had some ideas...


One way (and surely not the best, but one you can manage with tape and
scissors) is to make a pinhole enlarger. Use two sheets of vellum
(frosted mylar) an inch apart as a diffuser, and an ordinary household
bulb (or the one out of your enlarger) as the light source; put it far
enough from the first diffuser sheet that the distance to the corners is
no more than 1.2x the distance to center, to keep below 1/2 stop
difference in light. Line the inside of the box between the diffuser
sheets with white laser printer paper to prevent edge fall off, and make
the diffuser at least an inch larger than the negative on each border,
two inches larger total (so 6x7"). Make a negative carrier from
cardboard or matt board, with a frame made of vinyl tape or similar to
keep the negative centered -- cut the mask 2-3 mm under negative size
and distribute the extra so the negative is supported all around; the
negative doesn't really need glass or much clamping in 4x5 size because
of the stiffness of sheet film.

Now for the tricky part: use the pinhole from your pinhole camera as the
"lens", at the same distance from the film as in the camera. That will
cancel the light falloff in the camera (assuming you have a flat film
plane), and give nice even prints. No need to focus; set the print size
by raising and lowering the head (for true 8x10, the pinhole to print
should be 2x the pinhole to negative), and be prepared for multi-minute
or longer exposures on enlarging paper (and 2-3 times that with a
contrast filter in place). And if you can't build this for under $20,
you need someone to help you shop...

The resulting print will be slightly softer than the original negative
or a contact print, but you can print to any reasonable size this way,
if you're patient enough (and the light bulb doesn't set the enlarger on
fire).

An even simpler setup, though quality will be slightly worse and
exposures possibly even longer, is to put the negative between the
pinhole and the print. With a point source, the projected image will be
of similar sharpness to what you'd get with the "traditional" layout,
and you can adjust the image size by moving only the negative.

--
The challenge to the photographer is to command the medium, to use
whatever current equipment and technology furthers his creative
objectives, without sacrificing the ability to make his own decisions.
-- Ansel Adams

Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer http://silent1.home.netcom.com

Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth
and don't expect them to be perfect.
  #4  
Old October 26th 04, 09:13 PM
Hemi4268
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Hi

What you really should be using is paper. Just scan the paper negative and
reverse it using photo shop and inkjet it out.

Now me, I use 8x10 Kodak Porta color paper negative. I run it through a roller
transport and scan it on a HP scanner. Reverse and color correct with
Photoshop and print it out on dyesub. Perfect!!

Larry
  #5  
Old October 26th 04, 10:19 PM
Argon3
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Well...there is a way to rig a 4X5 camera up as an enlarger but it sounds like
you don't have a 4X5 camera and are making your negs with a pinhole box camera.
Think about it, though...all an enlarger is is a light source, a negative stage
and a lens that will focus the image on a piece of photo paper. If you've made
a pinhole camera out of a cardboard box, why not follow through and rig up an
enlarging system out of another box? Think of a horizontal plane of enlarger
rather than a vertical one possibly. As far as a lens goes, I've passed over a
lot of lenses at surplus stores and junk shops...keep your eyes open and maybe
something of an appropriate focal length will turn up.
You can do wonders with cardboard and foamcore and thin plywood. I always grab
up old home handyman encyclopedia type books that have plans for photo
equipment in them. These are the kind of books where the guy is working in his
shop while wearing a collared shirt and a necktie that's tucked neatly into his
shop apron...like the '30's. I know that I've seen plans for enlargers and
contact printers in some of them but I don't think any of us familiar with
photo equipment need measured drawings.
It IS a pinhole image...by it's very nature it's funky...if the enlarging setup
is as funky then that's kind of appropriate.
Of course, you could just scan the neg and make prints on an inkjet
printer...but where's the sport in that?

best

argon
  #6  
Old October 27th 04, 03:31 AM
f/256
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"Albert L." wrote in message
...
My enlarger accepts up to 6x6 negatives. It works fine for this. But I

have
been playing with a pinhole camera using 4x5 negatives that I can contact
print. But I would also like to enlarge them up to 8x10.

Is there a way to do this without having to resort to a 4x5 enlarger? I

know
it does not sound "right", but I thought maybe you folks had some ideas...


- Make an 8x10 pinhole camera and contact print the negatives, to make it
affordable use B&W paper instead of film. Alternatively, scan the 4x5
negatives and print them with a inkjet as 8x10 prints. If your scanner
doesn't do film, contact print the 4x5 negatives and scan the prints for
later print them as 8x10.


 




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