Buying an enlarger to set up a darkroom?
What are some things I should know about diffrent kinds?
Can the same one be used for both 35mm film and 120?
I have a few digital cameras. But I prefer the film results artisticly. Dont be a jerk by avoiding my question and implying that I am somehow dumb for looking ito this
I already have a lot of darkroom experience I just havnt used many diffrent enlargers so I havnt had oprotunity to compare features
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Posted: May 27th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Tags: Darkroom Experience, Diffrent Kinds, Enlargers
Comments
Comment from Dougal
Time May 29, 2009 at 10:20 am
Once you start in the darkroom you’ll find you’ll what to do more and more….so… it’s a good idea to select an enlarger that can maybe…give you plenty of height for the larger prints, yes, make sure it can take all formats of negative and also ensure it has the ablility to change lenses for that very special work I know you’ll want to do.
Enjoy.
Comment from wackywallwalker
Time May 30, 2009 at 3:06 am
Well the one thing which I would suggest you look into is an enlarger with a cold head. What is a cold head? Well in the most basic of terms it is a softer more diffused type of bulb which results in prints which have dramatically more tonality. The drawback to this is that getting a rich black can be more difficult, I find this especially true with Ilford matte papers. In terms of which enlarger to buy, one of the most basic yet robust enlargers to consider is the Omega B-22. It can handle both 35mm and medium format up to 6×7. I used to use one which was mounted to the wall so that I could do mural prints, but sadly I have no space for a traditional darkroom at the moment, and have to rely on digital prints. As far as lenses go I would get a 50mm and an 80mm lens.
In terms of quality, yes it does take some time to get good at producing silver gelatin prints, but the fact is that although it may be harder the results will far exceed anything that a digital printer can do even Epson k3 ink based printers (of which I do own). And once you get good, to be honest you can actually save money especially if you print large versus having to go out and get drum scans of your negatives or positives, then go out and have a lightjet print made of your image(lots of money).
Comment from leliaeophelia
Time June 2, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Generally, as far as getting an enlarger for 35 and 120 mm just depends on the negative holders you can buy for the enlarger.
I agree with the guy above me on the Omega cold heads. Usually keep dust to a minimum.
Comment from Heinz M
Time May 28, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Much easier and faster and better done via computer and digital photography.