Couple of questions from first time developers :)

Gast · 2005-08-21T16:16:12+00:00

Hallo erstmal Ich hätte mal ein paar Fragen und hoffe, dass ihr mir weiterhelfen könnt. Also, ich habe mir ein kleines Labor in einem alten Bad eingerichte...

Gast

Hello there I’ve got a few questions and I hope you can help me out. So, I’ve set up a small darkroom in an old bathroom and have already got stuck into developing my own negatives. After a few teething problems, everything’s going really well. But now I want to start printing on paper, and that’s where my questions come in: On Thursday, I ordered ‘Neutol NE’ and ‘Neutol WA’ from FOTOIMPEX, along with ‘Fomaspeed’ paper in various sizes. Are the developers suitable for the paper, or do I need to switch after all? 2. Can I use both developers for two-tank development, and is that even recommended for a beginner? 3. I have an Opemus III with a Belar 4.5/75 lens. What is the maximum print size I can achieve with this? 4. Is the lens any good, or should I get a different one? If so, which one, and where can I get one at the best price? 5. I was given all the ‘hardware’ by a relative; unfortunately, it only came with one larger tray. I’ve looked in the catalogue, but 10…

Richard

Hi Matsch.

On Thursday, I ordered ‘Neutol NE’ and ‘Neutol WA’ and ‘Fomaspeed’ paper in various sizes from FOTOIMPEX.

Hmm, why in various sizes straight away? To start with, one or two sizes would have been enough; for example, 24x30 is still manageable and sufficient for contact prints. And which Fomaspeed? The Variant or the fixed-gradation one? Which gradients did you order, or if you have the Variant, how can you control the gradient?

1. Do the developers suit the paper, or will I have to switch after all?

Why not? But why two developers? I would have tried one and, if I didn’t like it, looked specifically for a developer that works warmer or cooler.

2. Can you use the two developers for two-tank development, and is that even recommended for a beginner?

Two-bath development really only makes sense if a soft developer is combined with a hard one. What do you hope to achieve with two-bath development using a warm-tone and a cold-tone developer? What is definitely a good idea is two-bath fixing. This involves leaving the bulk of the work to a fixer with a higher silver content, and then fully fixing the paper in a fresh fixer. You start with two identical fixers; the prints are first bathed in the first fixer and then in the second. Once the first bath is nominally used up, it is discarded, the second becomes the new first, and a new second bath is introduced.

3. I have an Opemus III with a Belar 4.5/75 lens. What is the maximum image size I can enlarge with this?

That should be sufficient for up to 6x6 negatives; beyond that, things get a bit tight with the Opemus and the lens. With 35mm film, the column might quickly be too short, but you can easily test this (insert the negative, turn the focusing knob to the end of the column, focus and measure the image size).

4. Is the lens any good, or should I get a different one? If so, which one, and where can I get one for the best price?

I’m not familiar with that lens.

5. I was given all the ‘hardware’ by a relative; unfortunately, only a larger bowl was included. I’ve looked in the catalogue but 10…

cfb_de

Hi "Matsch", Just a few quick replies. 0.) It would be nice if you used your real name; it also tends to get you a lot more replies. There are far too many idiots lurking online under pseudonyms. 1.) Neutol WA is a warm-tone developer. Whether you’ll see any difference with Fomaspeed is up to you. Basically, both are standard solutions commonly used for paper; you won’t have any problems with any paper (okay, “PoP” won’t work :-) and whether a brownish-green “warm tone” is appealing on certain papers is up to the processor). 2.) I don’t think they’re really suitable for that. Just as I don’t think two-bath development is suitable for beginners. Get to grips with the standard single-bath process first, then take it from there. So far, masters haven’t exactly been falling from the sky, though a few have certainly taken a nasty tumble. 3.) That’s a medium-format lens. You won’t get very far with it using a 35mm negative (135 film, 24x36mm). Somewhere around 10x15, the base of the enlarger is likely to be too short. For 35mm on a larger scale, you’ll need a 50mm lens. 4.) As a three-element lens, I consider the Belar suitable for 6x6 negatives up to 18x18 at best, and for 35mm on small 6x9 prints. Better ones include, for example, ‘Anaret’, ‘Labotar’ and ‘Rogonar-S’. Even better ones include, for example, ‘Rodagon’, ‘Componon’ and ‘EL-Nikkor’. The first three are four-element lenses, with the Labotars and Anarets being particularly good. The latter three are mostly six-element lenses. You can get all this kit new from Impex, for example; I’d most recommend the Labotars if you’re buying new. Or the Anaret-S, which have a light screen (but be warned: they usually have the M39 thread, so you’ll need a new lens mount, which isn’t exactly cheap for the III). For the ‘new’ six-element lenses, sit down comfortably and safely first before you start poring over catalogues and price lists. For these, you absolutely need the larger lens board. It’s all described in Mirko’s catalogue. Second-hand, you can get the whole lot for a song at the well-known online auction site. You’ll save money, but you won’t know if you’ll get anything, or what exactly you’ll get. 5.) The lasagne trays from Aldi are supposed to be suitable up to 13x18, even though my hair stands on end at the thought of mixing food packaging with lab chemicals. On eBay, however, “Lot Lab Accessories” or similar items keep popping up. Usually there are three trays included and no one bids seriously on them. It should be worth the ten euros to you, as well as perhaps half a tenner for an Anaret-50. Otherwise, the stainless steel lasagne trays from the supermarket are also fine (just stick some paper down at the bottom). You can get one for 6.99. Have fun Franz

Foto-Matsch

Thanks for now Re 0. Yeah, I know, I just left it out for the sake of convenience :) Re 1. I’ve bought warm and cold developers because I want to test the difference – I can’t quite picture it myself. Re 2. So I’ll leave the two-tank development out for now :) Re 3. Oh well, but the size is enough for experimenting for now Re 4. Oh dear, I can already see huge costs coming my way I’ll probably have to make do with a cheap 50 for now :D Re 5. You’ve convinced me, I’ll reorder the trays @Richardbecause of the paper issue Well, 10x15 for testing and 18x24 for larger-scale testing :) and because my weird mask frame isn’t any bigger, hehe I’ve ordered them with a fixed gradient and normal. Although I’ve just noticed there’s no difference in the order numbers in the catalogue… Well, I’ll just have to wait and see :) Of course, if I’d looked into the lens more closely beforehand, I would have left the 18x24 out for now. Thanks again for your replies As a beginner, every bit of info is valuable Regards

cfb_de

Hi "Matsch", (if you keep posting anonymously, I’ll start calling you "Hochmoor" or "Schlamm" from now on) Regarding the bowl problem: In Metro supermarkets (e.g. real), you can find so-called "organisation systems" by "Rubbermaid" in the kitchen department. Among other things, they have smaller ones in 15x23. Grey plastic, 1.99 each. The really nice thing about these is that you can link them together, making them suitable for a “desk storage unit” too. Downside: anything larger than 13x18 won’t fit in there. I picked up three of them on a whim yesterday evening. Tomorrow they’ll face their first test. First, I’ll write in thick paint which key is for what. “Photo”, so my wife doesn’t get any silly ideas about constantly using them for other things, “Entw”/“Stop”/“Fix”, so I don’t get confused with my early-onset Alzheimer’s. And then we’re off. 13x18 from the shrink negatives, 30x40 or 30x30 from the residue. Somehow I’m already looking forward to it. Best regards, Franz

Gast

Hi Franz, I thought the name said it all. :D Best regards Martin

Foto-Matsch

Hi "Matsch", (if you keep posting anonymously, I'll start calling you "Hochmoor" or "Schlamm" from now on)

"wet muck" is good too :D I thought you meant because I wasn’t registered, hmm, I’ve just added a sig... @Ordnungssysteme Good idea, I’ll have a look. Thanks for the tip Regards | | \/

cfb_de

Hi Maik, There you go. It works after all. By the way, having tried them out today, these things (I’ve now bought three in 15x23 and one in 15x38 for developing) are really good. It’s handy that you can clamp them together, which keeps the mess from spilled chemicals to a minimum. Well then. The downside: 13x18 is the limit. Never mind, I’ve done enough stamps for today. Regards, Franz