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75mm won't cover 6x6 negative

zehner21

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May 28, 2014
Messages
143
Location
Sardinia, IT
Format
Multi Format
Hi!
I have a Meopta Opemus 6 with a Color Head.
I wandered around internet looking for the right focal lenght for printing 6x6 and found that 75mm would have been good.
However, this is what I see:



and the negative carrier



So, what do you suggest?
 
Is it a 6x4.5 negative carrier? 75 mm should cover 6x6, although 80mm is often used. If the coverage is insufficient for the format, you tend to lose the corners, rather than a strip of the negative.
Alex
 
Alex Muir said:
Is it a 6x4.5 negative carrier? 75 mm should cover 6x6, although 80mm is often used. If the coverage is insufficient for the format, you tend to lose the corners, rather than a strip of the negative.
Alex
Click to expand...

Just measured... 6cmx6cm
 
The colour head takes different sizes of mixing box for different formats. Is it possibly a 35mm box?
Alex
 
To me, it looks like most of the image is projected, but there's some some of obstruction partially blocking the image. I can still see the top and bottom parts of the image but darker.
 
It appears you may have the wrong size light mixing chamber installed for the format desired.
 
Does this enlarger have an adjustable masking accessory built into the light path? If so, you need to adjust it.
 
I bought this enlarger practically new. The previous owner never opened it. It was provided with a standard colour kit: baseboard, colour head, mixing chamber 6x6, negative carrier up to 6x6 and the store box.
I don't know what it could be!
So, I assume that the mixing chamber hasn't been substituted. I looked through the manual and could not see any appreciable differences between the two mixing chambers



Under the "special accessories" section, I see that are listed only 80mm lens.
Also, the instruction manual is useless because it refers to the conderser version (black and white only) and has only few notions regarding the colour head
 
Remove the lens, leave the negative holder out, turn on the enlarger and look up through the lens hole to see what might be obstructing the light path. If it were a lens problem the corners would vignette, it appears that something is obstructing the light path. Perhaps a loose part in the mixing chamber.
 
If it is the 'Colour 3' head, it definitely takes different size mixing boxes. There will be a seperate instruction manual for the head. It may be available online. If the set was new and unpacked by the previous owner, perhaps there is some sort of packaging material still in the head assembly that is obstructing the light path.
Alex
 
You need to set your masks for 6x6 to project the whole negative, unless you are cropping. Do you have the manual? If not, just slide the 4 mask blades out with your fingers. Look at the difference between the two pictures below and you should be able to figure it out.


 
Last edited by a moderator:
ic-racer said:
Read up on lens coverage, lenses produce a round field of coverage. You need to set your masks for 6x6 to project the whole negative, unless you are cropping. Do you have the manual? If not, just slide the mask blades out with your fingers.
Click to expand...

I had a box similar to this, but I trashed almost immediately.
I have sent an email to the previous owner, and I'll let you know.

But, I think that I'll have to apologize with you in advance for I fear that the mixing chamber is of the wrong type.
I'm sorry.
 
Ok, the reason I did not think you had the 35mm mixing chamber is that pictures of the 35mm chamber I found on the web look like it has a square opening like many other mixing chambers that allow horizontal and vertical placement of the negative. I guess, since the negative stage does not rotate, your 35mm mixing box has a rectangular opening, right?

 
I have the same enlarger and colour-head. You are using a 35mm light mixing-box. When you fit the correct mixing-box it will be fine.

The Meoptas are pretty well made and retain their alignment over time. The neg-carriers are well masked and the double-glass version holds the negs very nicely flat without any newtons-rings problem. Spares are still available from Fotoimpex.
 
At school I kept trying to make a Nikkor 75mm enlarging lens do for my 6x6 negs on a Besseler 45, but was stymied every time. I was told it was every different thing on earth or that I was just doing it wrong. I switched to an 80mm Componon S and never had a problem again. Don't know about the Meopa, but I think the 75 Nikkor was just too close to its upper limit on 6x6. This may also be true of the Meopta, no matter what the specs say.
 
I have used a 75mm Schneider lens on the Meopta with no problem. It is always possible that a 75mm Nikon lens is intended to cover 6x4,5 as a maximum, but the problem illustrated in the photos of the OP was that he had a 35mm mixing-box instead of the 6x6.

Also remember that the bellows and neg-carrier (and condenser, if using the b+w head) of the Meopta are built for 6x6. When used with 6x4,5 or 135 negs there are zero changes made to the lighting system, while the large Beseler you mentioned is much more complicated with more scope for problems.
 
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