Gast
Hello! I’ve recently started enlarging my black-and-white negatives in my home darkroom. I’ve adjusted the lens settings on the paper so that the image comes out sharp. But the final result after development is out of focus :( ! What could be causing this?
Any suggestions, tips, etc. would be much appreciated!! Best wishes, Jana
Gast
Hi Jana,
Well, I’ve got into the habit of focusing on a sheet of photographic paper. What I do is develop and fix an unexposed sheet of paper, and then place it underneath the subject to focus.
And remember: focus with the aperture wide open, then stop down to around f/8.
I hope that helps. Or do you already do it that way?
Best wishes, Martin
Gast
Hi Jana,
It might not be a focusing error, but simply camera shake.
Possible causes:
- The house is shaking (seriously, is there a tram outside?)
- The floor is shaking (wooden floorboards?)
- The enlarger is shaking (don’t kick it)
- The negative is wobbling (it ‘pops’ due to the heat).
And between focusing and exposure, handle the machine with kid gloves; when loading paper, stopping down, etc., even my old Durst 138 (and it’s massive) shifts slightly if the paper frame slams shut loudly.
Regards
Martin
Gast
Hello
It’s simply the case that projected images look good, but when you look at them on paper, you can see quite a lot of grain and blurring.
This is because, for example, the contrast is higher on paper than on a negative, and the light from the enlarger is too dim to really judge the image properly.
Oleksander
Gast
Hi Jana,
If you were to focus through the red filter that’s been swivelled into place, this would inevitably result in a focus difference. So focus without the red filter.
Best regards, Wolfgang
Tammo
- Is the negative sharp?
- Is the enlarger properly aligned?
- Do you focus using a focusing screen, a magnifying glass, or just by eye?
- Could the enlarger lens be faulty?
- What sort of Duka light are you using (haze formation)?
It’s not that easy to find the fault; I spent over six months on it before I finally replaced my Duka light :(
