I'm giving serious consideration to getting a 6x17 camera, given the new ones on the market (Fotoman/widepan etc). The main issue for me (apart from the cost!) is enlarging them. What enlargers are available/suitable/modifiable? Due to cost I would be looking at used. Another drawback is size - the total height of my darkroom is only 6 ft and I'd like to be able to print at least 6x17 inches.

What do you panoramicists out there use or recommend? I'm still only at the 'considering' stage so no offers yet!

Rob

any 5 x 7 enlarger will do fine

While 210 mm would be the right enlarging lens for 5x7", a 180 mm lens would work fine for 6x17 because of the smaller image diagonal. This will result in a larger baseboard image.

But 6x17" is only a 2.5x enlargement so no problem at all...

I use a Beseler 8x10 with a 180 lens to make 8 or 10 in wide prints up to 42'' long. I had to modify the column support so that the dimension from front of lightbox to wall is only 21'' or so, thus I can raise the head up into the ceiling between roof trusses

Would it be considered rude to suggest forgetting the enlarger and use an Epson F3200 scanner and then printing them?

Would it be considered rude to suggest forgetting the enlarger and use an Epson F3200 scanner and then printing them?

Yes, it would be off topic for APUG.

While 210 mm would be the right enlarging lens for 5x7", a 180 mm lens would work fine for 6x17 because of the smaller image diagonal. This will result in a larger baseboard image.

But 6x17" is only a 2.5x enlargement so no problem at all...

Some people use 180 mm for 5X7...it works just fine.

I hope this doesn't offend any APUG rules, but I just listed a Solar 5x7 enlarger for sale on eBay that would be perfect for you. The Solar enlargers are pretty rudimentary machines. The good thing is that they are much smaller than most 5x7 enlargers so they work well where space is at a premium. Because it is compact, it is not a logical choice for someone looking to print really big. But for smaller enlargements from 6x17 negatives, it might be a very good choice.

Here's the URL if you're interested:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=017&item=270026742062&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

If that doesn't work for some reason, search on eBay for item 270026742062.

Sanders McNew
www.mcnew.net/portraits

I have to say that the solar enlarger is a good idea. I have one that works beautifully, some day I'll get the coldlite head so i can cut my print times but until then it works fine. I got it for $90, it had all the original glass heat shield and diffusers. many folks complain about a hot spot when using a tungsten bulb, but i have no problem you just have to get a bulb of the proper length. I have a good supply of these here at my local hardware store they a 300w and as as close to the original as you will get. I did some fiddling with mine and the exposure values read on my sekonic light meter at all four corners and center are within 1/4 stop. I enlarge full 5x7's and some cropped to 6x17 but my print size is never over 16x20. Good luck if you need a bulb or the part# from ace hardware let me know, i'll be happy to hook you up

I forgot to mention on my solar enlarger I did away with the base and column and rigged it up directly to the wall in my darkroom for maximum height as I have a variable hieght enlarging table that spans both my 4x5 and 5x7 enlargers.