Couple Questions

[sillyphaunt]

Hey everyone, sorry I havent been around, too busy with school..

I got the Camera to work, and developed my first roll of film! The pictures aren't that great, I've got to get better at doing totally manual before I get anything good, but I was excited. I'll post them when I get them scanned in..

My questions are:

The 120 slides that I have of my grandpas.. The enlargers at the college are really not set up for 120 film, they have the lenses for the 35mm, so when I try to make a full size print (not cropped) of the negatives, it doesnt work.

I figured my 2 options would be to buy a negative scanner that can do 120 film, or try and buy a 120 lens for the enlarger at the college. I plan on eventually getting my own darkroom, so I could use the lens later.

I dont know what kind of negative scanner is worth the $$? Any tips on finding one? Would the lens be too expensive?

I looked on ebay a bit, but I dont know what kind of lens I'd need to buy. The enlargers at the college are all Beseler, so which lens would it need?

And, is there any company that I could send the negatives to to be developed?

Thanks!

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[ksmattfish]

What kind of enlargers do they have at your school? You will need a lens between 75mm and 105mm for medium format; I use Schneider Componon and El Nikkor. I would imagine that you could find one used that's cheaper than a medium format film scanner. You'll also need a neg carrier, but you can probably, depending on the enlarger, just cut one out of mat board.

[terri]

Beseler enlargers are very good - sounds more like the college has not been willing to purchase the extra lenses needed for various formats, although why that would be, I can't say. I'd go to the department head and see if you can't convince them to purchase the lens. How many enlargers do they have? Even if they just bought one for the school darkroom, if there's not a huge demand it could be shared.

Before I dropped the bucks myself, I'd try that!

Congrats on developing success, too, btw.

[sillyphaunt]

ksmatt: the funny thing is that they do have the negative carriers for it, just not the lens! My teacher said all they needed would be the lens.

Teri: I think you're probably right, I just tend to be shy, I dont know if I could go ask.

I think the reason they don't have them is because all of the classes are on 35mm, so no one has ever needed the enlarger.

[ksmattfish]

I was just looking at completed auctions for enlarger lenses on Ebay. Many quality lenses that would be suitable for medium format seem to go for $50 to $75.

[sillyphaunt]

Really? I looked on Ebay, but since I didnt know what kind to get I wasn't sure. Can you point me to a couple auctions that would work for the Beseler enlarger?


Thanks so much!

[Force of Nature]

its not the lens surely? Isnt it just the neg case? At my college, we have some medium format cases which work fine with the 35mm ones, obviously you have to crop it more or you get the film holes on the prints:P

[ksmattfish]

Really? I looked on Ebay, but since I didnt know what kind to get I wasn't sure. Can you point me to a couple auctions that would work for the Beseler enlarger?

Look under Darkroom>Enlarging Equipment>Lenses. You want something in the 75mm to 115mm focal length range. Almost all enlarging lenses will fit in the existing lensboard, although if you had/got a second lensboard it would be handy for switching the lenses. It would be nice if the lens came with a retaining ring, but you may be able to use the one off your existing lens.

What Beseler enlarger do you have?

I use Schneider Componon and El Nikkor, but there are lot's of other good brands out there. If you find one, PM me the link, and I'd be glad to look at it and tell you what I think.

[ksmattfish]

its not the lens surely? Isnt it just the neg case? At my college, we have some medium format cases which work fine with the 35mm ones, obviously you have to crop it more or you get the film holes on the prints:P

Typically you would want an enlarging lens with a focal length that is "normal" or a little longer for the format size. 50mm, which is normal for 35mm film, is wide angle for medium format. Also you'd probably see some light fall off at the corners. But you can always try it and see what you think.