When buying enlarger lenses, it is important not only to choose a lens of the right focal length to give the required magnification, but also sufficient coverage to cover the negative without vignetting. The rule of thumb with enlarger lenses is: Focal length Typical coverage 50mm 35mm 75-80mm 6×6 100-110mm 6×9 150mm 5×4″ I decided toContinue reading “Testing enlarger lens coverage”
Tag Archives: enlarger
Another LED upgrade to the De Vere 54
I’ve owned a De Vere 54 enlarger for a few months, and in that time I have modified it several times. First I spruced up the bulb-powered condenser head by converting to diffusion and making it use a halogen reflector lamp. This proved unsatisfactory and I couldn’t get the illumination even enough. Plus it wasContinue reading “Another LED upgrade to the De Vere 54”
Further modifications to the De Vere 54
A few weeks ago I made the jump to large format photography, and upgraded my LPL C7700 medium format enlarger to a De Vere 54 large format. The C7700 is a fairly sophisticated machine from the 1970s/80s, while the 54 is a primitive beast, cast in the fires of Mordor back in 1952. It neededContinue reading “Further modifications to the De Vere 54”
Converting a De Vere 54 condenser enlarger to diffusion
I recently picked up a De Vere 54 enlarger for a bargain price. It’s a 1950s machine, designed to take 5×4″ negatives. In order to use the light most efficiently when making large prints, the enlarger is fitted with a condenser to give parallel illumination to the negative. However, the flip side of a condenserContinue reading “Converting a De Vere 54 condenser enlarger to diffusion”
New toys!
This week has been a bonanza for new toys, with five new cameras and some darkroom goodies. Here’s the round-up. The first camera I purchased – a large format Horseman 45HD. This is to improve my landscape and architectural photography by increasing the field of view from my current Horseman 980. Some time soon I’llContinue reading “New toys!”
My new darkroom
Last year I wrote about the darkroom I had set up in my loft. Since then I’ve moved house, so I need to build the darkroom again. This time I have a windowless utility room on the ground floor, with running water and a worktop, so it’s already better than what I had before. Here’sContinue reading “My new darkroom”
Enlarger bulbs for the Durst C35
Today I bought and collected a second-hand Durst C35 enlarger. It needed a new bulb, and the manual says very little about bulbs except you must use a MELAMP 55. Users in some forums, including this one, say that compatible bulbs are difficult to find, or expensive. A little research tells me that the correctContinue reading “Enlarger bulbs for the Durst C35”
Jonathan Gazeley 