Stefan
Hello,
My name is Stefan. After a long break, I’ve been taking photos again for the past few weeks. I’m shooting exclusively in black and white with a very old Kodak Retina.
Now I’ve got quite a few questions!
I’d like to set up a darkroom. But I don’t want to stick to 35mm format forever; I’m thinking more and more about getting a 6x6 camera that isn’t too expensive.
What sort of enlarger would be best for that? I obviously don’t want to buy two.
And one more question. The catalogue also lists orthochromatic films. I’d like to experiment with these. Can they be developed in a standard developer (I’ve picked up a pack of Kodak D-76 from my local camera shop)? I read somewhere that using a yellow-green filter with ortho film produces images with almost accurate tonal values. But I can’t quite picture that. I thought they were insensitive to red and oversensitive to blue.
Kind regards, Stefan Winter
Richard
Hello Stefan,
Actually, you’ve already answered your own question about the enlarger.
You need to be able to print 6x6, so your enlarger should be capable of that. If you’re sticking to black and white, it should have at least one filter drawer or, depending on your budget, a gradation conversion head. Well, a colour head also works for variable contrast paper (that’s what I use myself).
Now the question is whether to go for a new or second-hand model, and which one you like. Essentially, the enlarger must first and foremost be stable and adjustable without any play.
Right, and now for the personal preferences... Meopta builds the only true enlargers anyway, and there’s no getting round the Magnifax ;-)
As for the ortho films... What are you hoping to achieve with your experiments? First off, every film, whether B&W or C-41, develops initially in any developer. You can, for example, develop the Ortho 25 in paper developer by eye (using red Duka lighting). In film developers, however, you’re more likely to achieve a development rich in grey tones. But why would you need to achieve ‘correct’ tonal reproduction? There are films designed for that purpose. If the material is insensitive to a particular wavelength range, filters won’t help. However, as this insensitivity is not absolute, you could, of course, use a filter to reduce the other spectral ranges to such an extent that they only strike the film to the extent equivalent to the speed of the ‘insensitive’ areas. But then the exposure times will also become rather long...
Best regards
Richard
Stefan
Hi Richard,
Thanks for your replies.
The Orthos were just meant as an experiment :(
If I want to work with two formats, I’ll need two different lenses, won’t I?
I want to enlarge black and white photos; contrast-reversal paper would be ideal, of course. I’ll mainly be looking on the second-hand market.
Regards, Stefan
Richard
Hi Stefan,
I’ve got the experiment bit sorted. But when it comes to an experiment, you should know what you’re trying to achieve. If you want to find out about the ‘red blindness’ effect, don’t worry about filters for now. If you want a hard film for prints, for example, develop the film in paper developer by eye. If you want to achieve the look of a panchromatic film using an orthochromatic film, just forget it! You’re better off buying panchromatic films straight away.
Back to the enlarger:
> Contrast-reversal paper would be nice, of course.
No, have a look at what’s on offer in photographic paper. Have you noticed anything? That’s right, you’re surrounded by contrast-reversal papers. It’s not that there aren’t any fixed-gradation papers, but you’d have to do without a few types of paper if you decide against contrast-reversal papers (and almost all enlargers have a filter drawer).
So, for very little money, you can get a second-hand Opemus 6 or Magnifax 4. If you do end up wanting a Meogradekopf, it might be worth considering buying a new unit from Mirko (they don’t seem to sell them individually anymore...).
Otherwise, yes, you’ll need an 80mm lens for 6x6 and one with a 50mm focal length for 35mm.
Best regards
Richard
HenningH
Hello,
Just a quick question from me:
How do you develop 35mm orthochromatic film by eye?
Load the film, develop for one minute, take it out, check it, put it back in, develop for another minute, check it again, ... ???
Best regards,
Henning
Richard
Hi Henning,
I’ve no idea how to do it. I can only tell you how I do it.
I have a 1-litre beaker that fits a film reel. So that I can see what I’m doing, I reel the film in the opposite direction (the other side is black and stays that way until fixing). The film reel then goes into the developer with a spool tube for a tank (suitable for 2 or more reels). The spool tube allows me to move the reel and take it out. To stop (and fix) the process, I have an open tank filled with water (fixer) standing next to it.
> Load the reel, develop for one minute, take the spiral out, check, put it back in, develop for another minute, check again, ... ???
Development with paper developer (e.g. N113) is quite quick; 1–2 minutes (dilution) is enough, so it probably wouldn’t work like that.
Best regards
Richard
