Can your enlarger do that?

[Daniel Ferri]

My Beseler 4x5 has head and neg stage tilt, no scales. I wish it had a click stop at the zero position, it's a pain putting it back.

Gary,
I know it is a pain, and making the head is not acruate enough.

In your preferred neg size, take a piece of fogged and processed film,ei. black, like the leader in a roll of processed film, before frame number 1.

Scratch 2 lines diagonaly on the emulsion side, with a needl,e or a sharp tool (not a scalpel), do not go through the film, just the emulsion.

You can then easily centre your neg in the negcarrier.

Enlarge this in your enlarger, lens wide open, do not use easel.
you will see a white cross on the baseboard focus as best
move your enlarger head adjustment until best focus is obtained in all corners,
With a ruler and a marker, copy the cross on the baseboard.

Your enlarger is then aligned.
After using your enlarger to correct the perspective, all you have to do is put in the neg with the cross
and match it to the cross on the baseboard.

rgds
Danny

[ic-racer]

I was wondering if you guys can help me to understand existing enlarger capabilities.

1. Does your enlarger support Scheimpflug correction?
2. Is it done by tilting the head, lens plane or both?
3. Is it a 'free' tilt or is the angle of tilt supported by a scale?

Thanks for your replies in advance!

The Durst L1840 and L184 use lensboard, head and baseboard tilt. There are scales on the lensboard and the head, but no tilt scale on the baseboard. The head and baseboard both have robust locking pins to hold them in the zero position. The lensboard has a spring/ball detent at zero.



Other enlargers I have don't support Scheimpflug correction. Omega D5500 and Minolta Mod III.

[Ian Grant]

My Durst M601 & 670 allow full control allowing Scheimpflug correction, so does my De Vere 5108.

Ian

[glbeas]

Gary,
I know it is a pain, and making the head is not acruate enough.

In your preferred neg size, take a piece of fogged and processed film,ei. black, like the leader in a roll of processed film, before frame number 1.

Scratch 2 lines diagonaly on the emulsion side, with a needl,e or a sharp tool (not a scalpel), do not go through the film, just the emulsion.

You can then easily centre your neg in the negcarrier.

Enlarge this in your enlarger, lens wide open, do not use easel.
you will see a white cross on the baseboard focus as best
move your enlarger head adjustment until best focus is obtained in all corners,
With a ruler and a marker, copy the cross on the baseboard.

Your enlarger is then aligned.
After using your enlarger to correct the perspective, all you have to do is put in the neg with the cross
and match it to the cross on the baseboard.

rgds
Danny

Actually I have a set of mirrors I can mount up to do this. Does a pretty respectable job too.

[kraker]

On my Durst M707, I can tilt the head and the lens plane, both with a scale and a distinct "stop" at zero.

Does this mean we can expect a section on Scheimpflug correction in the next edition of Way Beyond Monochrome?

[RalphLambrecht]

On my Durst M707, I can tilt the head and the lens plane, both with a scale and a distinct "stop" at zero.

Does this mean we can expect a section on Scheimpflug correction in the next edition of Way Beyond Monochrome?

kraker

There is one now; there will be more!

[kraker]

kraker

There is one now;

:o Oops! Once I opened the book at the correct page, I remembered reading (or at least seeing) it before. Thanks for pointing that out, it was a good reason to re-read it. (As I often do with "random" parts of your book.)

there will be more!

Interesting!

[RalphLambrecht]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I didn't realize that so many enlargers have Scheimpflug correction directly built-in.

[GeorgesGiralt]

Hi Ralph,
My Laborator 1000 (ancestor of the Durst L1200) can have the head tilted.
This moves the negative stage AND the lens stage. There is a contraption availlable into which one can mount the lens and tilt it regarding the lens panel;
This way you can move 2 planes out of three. If you need to move the easel, you've to have a set of shims on hand...
There are no scales on the tilt. Be it head, lens or easel ;-)

[RJS]

My Beseler MXV of unknown, but ancient vintage, which I modified with the newer lower bellows which allows lens alignment in all directions, coupled with the tilting negative stage in both directions allows Scheimpflugery to such a degree that the image is 'keystoned' to the extent it would only be useful on a construction site. I gave it up years ago and bought a view camera and a Rollei SL 66. I have always thought (when I thought about it) that you computer people could probably manage this without an enlarger. No?