Meopta Opemus 6 Color 3 light mixing chamber

[davkt]

Hi,
I've just picked up a rather nice Meopta Opemus 6 Color 3 from ebay. Looking through the manual it seems the head can use 3 different light mixing chambers, one for 35mm one 6x6 and one 6x9 if memory serves right. The only snag is in the pic in the booklet the 35mm and 6x6 look identical, no identifying marks on the chamber, anyone know how I can tell which I have?
Thanks
David

[Neil Smith]

Don't know this enlarger, but most mixing boxes have a different size translucent sheet on the bottom, this is usually big enough to cover the format being used, so the 35mm mixing box should have a much smaller opening at the bottom.

Neil

[Dave miller]

As Neil says. The overall size of each type will be the same.

[Richard Gould]

Don't know the opemus 6 colour, but I have an opemus 6, it is a nice enlarger, but forget 6/9,they are for negatives from 35mm to 6x6, the opemus 7 catered for the larger negative, Have fun with it,Richard

[Peter S]

Hi,the light mixing boxes are marked F 60-80 and F30-50,if no marks hold up to light with the screen / diffuser facing you,the 35mm one has a mask, the 6x6 not
Hope this helps.
Peter

[DavidH]

I bought my Opemus 6 with colour head about 20 years ago. It came with a 6x6 mixing box, and I assumed that because a 35mm box was available I had better get one. I soon found that the only difference was that the 35mm box had a light aperture big enough for a 35mm negative and no more. There was absolutely nothing to be gained by changing the box. I was rather puzzled about why they bothered to make the 35mm size since the 6x6 was every bit as suitable for 35mm negatives.
My 35mm box has sat unused in a cupboard ever since.
If the light window at the bottom is big enough for 6x6 then you can print everything from that size down on your enlarger without the need for anything else.... Happy Printing!!!

[davkt]

Cool, thanks all, think its the 6x6 as it has a that sort of size translucent window and reading the instructions again it looks like that was standard and the 35mm was an option.
Just need to figure out how to blackout a room here and then time to have a go at colour printing for the first time

[Martin Rick]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I've got a query. I have a colour head 3 for my Opemus and no problems. However, I bought a Flexaret TLR and needed a bigger light box. One for 6x9 was advertised and I bought it, thinking it just needed substituting. But the problem is, although the light box is a perfect fit on the colour head, the latter no longer fits on the enlarger, the width of the mixing chamber being greater and not allowing the head to properly seat.
Any thoughts?

[MartyNL]

From what I've read, this enlarger was never design to print 6x9 format negatives.
If your box can't be returned, then perhaps you'll be able to swap it for the appropriate 6x6 diffuser box.

[Martin Rick]

Originally Posted by MartyNL

From what I've read, this enlarger was never design to print 6x9 format negatives.
If your box can't be returned, then perhaps you'll be able to swap it for the appropriate 6x6 diffuser box.

The colour head is, however, common to the Axomat, Opemus and Magnifax enlargers and therefore I cannot see why the mixing chamber should foul the enlarger when attached. 6x6 mixing chambers seem to be very scarce and I can see little alternative than to perform surgery on the 6x9 chamber.