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> Does anyone buy/use old enlargers |
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Does anyone buy/use old enlargers
Since getting back to film I have noticed many old Gnome, Durst, MPP, Paterson
Does anyone use an old enlarger, why, and can we see some images please. . |
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Mike |
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All of the 6x6, panoramic, and 35m images I have posted here were printed on a Fujimoto 60M enlarger I bought in (about) 1982. It's needed the odd repair but is still going strong. So is the 80mm Schneider Componon S I bought with it.
5x4 is printed on an LPL 7450 sourced from eBay 12 years ago. No idea how old she actually is, but works faultlessly. A few months back I picked up a Durst 35mm enlarger, just because I couldn't leave it in the charity shop priced at a fiver. My darkroom timer was a gift from a wonderful friend, who had inherited it from her own father. It's old, with a few battle scars, but just keeps on going Darkroom kit can last almost forever. It isn't subjeted to the wear and tear our cameras get. I photograph in all weathers, so I have manged to work a couple of cameras to death over the years. Had a zoom lens fail the other week. Luckily, nothing in the darkroom has ever suffered a terminal failure. |
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Old and Bold
My principal enlarger is a LPL7700 (I Have had it since 1990) which isn't new by any means but I am sure you mean even older one's.
I would simply love to have my old Gamer 35mm back again. A very tall column and basically it was a copy of a Leitz, or very similar in appearance. Over a 20x16 enlargement without messing about. A glass-less negative carrier, but the negative was held flat by the lower condenser being lowered onto the neg. I used a below the lens multigrade filter holder which was fine, until I started printing in colour. The helical focussing mount was smooth and precise, it's action made the LPL design feel quite crude in comparison. The degree of contrast the optical system gave meant I was almost obliged to over-expose and under develop to keep the contrast under control. An absolute gem. I have just found the one I had on the web after a short search Last edited by John King; 7th October 2019 at 07:04 AM. Reason: Addition of image |
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Pics ? . |
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Old is what is "old" to you, hence my buying my very first one again . |
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Enlargers tend to get old, but not so worn out as other pieces of kit. I have an old Jessops 6700 enlarger so can enlarge 6x7 negs. It must be 25 years old, but the only thing I had to do was replace the bulb. I dread to think how many cameras I have worn out in that time. I have an old 5x4 enlarger, and an even older 10x8 Durst 1840 with a CLS2000 head. All ancient, but they are treated with respect. They will last, because they are not hammered/used/abused. There is so relatively little to go wrong, and age is not an issue. If it works, it doesn't matter how old it is. My old Audi went for a mere 235000 miles, but it was used/abused.
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Surely there is nothing To go wrong with the older mono ones
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I was gifted a Meopta Axomat 1a by a lovely, local gentleman on APUG (now Photrio), built between 1960-1969 (the enlarger, not the man). While I've since acquired enlargers that accommodate larger negatives, I still use this one for all of my proper proof prints because I know it inside out and can tell everything I need to know from the paper's speed to my exposure faults at a glance at my contact sheets. I know I could easily extrapolate that information to another enlarger quickly and easily, but I'm somewhat attached to the old girl.
My newest acquisition is an Omega D2V for printing up to 5x4 inch negatives. That's circa 1962, I think. The oldest darkroom equipment I own and use are two safelights, both utilising tealight candles. One has ruby red glass which I use when developing or printing onto orthochromatic film, and the other is made of metal and red fabric. Both would be late 1800s, early 1900s at a guess. Their primary use is to reside alongside my path from the darkroom (spare bedroom) to the print washing and drying room (laundry) rather than having to turn on bright white lights every time. Last edited by Molli; 8th October 2019 at 05:40 PM. Reason: Attachments were shrunk beyond recognition. Re-attaching. |
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