Double condenser modification for Focomat V35

[ruilourosa]

Hello

Does anyone knows if leica is still selling the double condenser light box? i cant find it anywhere...

Thanks!!!!

 

[Lachlan Young]

Kienzle offer one for the V35.

 

[apbphoto]

Hello

Does anyone knows if leica is still selling the double condenser light box? i cant find it anywhere...

Thanks!!!!

Leica stopped all support for enlargers a long time ago and doesn't even service the lenses. As for that light box I think it should more properly be called a 'double diffusor' as the 'condensers' are frosted. Assuming you have checked for new old stock with your local Leica distributor and Leica hq in Solms I think your only chance to get this item is from eBay (I got one last year from UK) or Kienzle (enlarger.de). Kienzle make them and they also make a more interesting item for the V35 which is a real double condenser (clear glass), available as a complete unit or just the bottom part which replaces the original diffusor. It gives a handy kick to the contrast, about 1/2 to 1 grade in my experience. It's still inferior to the Valoy or Ic but for BW improves the V35 somewhat. Given that you can get one of the former two classic enlargers for less than Kienzle's rather unsophisticated item I cannot imagine many have forked out for them...
From my own experience I don't think it is worth spending much on either the newer double diffusor or the Kienzle double condenser as 99% of the time you can get the same results using the original setup with a little extra effort. My curiosity got the better of me since I could not find any reviews of the Kienzle product anywhere. I just today learned that Kaiser made an enlarger for multigrade with exactly the same design of light path (double condenser at the base of a white light box) and claimed all kinds of good things about it. The single condenser Valoy is the one to beat IMHO.

 

[ruilourosa]

i do not see the item in kienzle site... but i sent an email to them...

 

[Lachlan Young]

I just today learned that Kaiser made an enlarger for multigrade with exactly the same design of light path (double condenser at the base of a white light box) and claimed all kinds of good things about it.

All the Kaiser colour/ MG heads use it as far as I know - and it's not all that different from the IIa/ IIc illumination system in principle, with the benefit that the source hitting the condensers is inherently going to be much more even than any opal bulb. If you adapt a dichroic head to a Focomat etc and keep the condenser system, you end up at the same point.

i do not see the item in kienzle site... but i sent an email to them...

It's in their Leitz parts list - which they'll send as a PDF.