Drool Drool: If I had a 4x5 Darkroom!

John Wiegerink

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Are you sure it's 4X5? The back focusing panel looks to be small. I had the model D and it's different than the one pictured. The model was a great camera, but I never liked the lens board design.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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It's probably 2x3". The lens is a 101mm f:4.5 Ektar.
 
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Mako John

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John Wiegerink said:
Are you sure it's 4X5? The back focusing panel looks to be small. I had the model D and it's different than the one pictured. The model was a great camera, but I never liked the lens board design.
Click to expand...


No, I was guessing. Hmm. My old Beseler 23C II might do the job.

Is this a roll film camera?
 

Paul Howell

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If you look at the back you will see if the back has a sort of hinge to change from sheet film to roll film. If a roll back is not included might take time to find one, I don't know if the Pressman uses the same back as the baby speed or crown. I think Freestyle carries 2 1/4 by 3 /14 sheet film, Foma 100? Yes your 23C will work fine, just need the right carrier.
 

Dan Fromm

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Paul Howell said:
If you look at the back you will see if the back has a sort of hinge to change from sheet film to roll film.
Click to expand...

I think you're mistaken about the hinge. As delivered the Pressman Model C takes insertion type film holders. Sheet film, mainly, but I know of two insertion type roll holders that will work with it. Busch's own, which uses 120 film and, practically speaking, does not exist and the much maligned Adapt-A-Roll 620, which will feed from a 120 spool but must take up on a 620 spool. I've been happy with my AAR 620s.

When I had a Pressman Model C I somehow convinced myself that Graflok backs removed from 2x3 Graphics wouldn't fit it. I've since learned that I was mistaken. If the OP buys the thing and can find an inexpensive 2x3 Graflok back, then he can shoot roll film using clip-on roll holders. I could be mistaken but I think a getting a 2x3 Graphic and using it would cost less than getting the Pressman and a Graphic for its back.
 

mgb74

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2 1/4 x 3 1/4 was also on the last Ilford ULF list. Sheet film holders that size are not terribly hard to find.

As to the Ansco, I believe they were made by Agfa. Test the bellows carefully as they were a weak spot.
 

Sirius Glass

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2 1/4" x 3 1/4" is not commonly found any longer plus you will have to find a suitable for you development tank. That is why I turned around and sold the 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" 1919 Graflex camera bought 4"x5" Pacemaker Speed Graphic and a 4"x5" Graflex Model D in much better condition. If you are going to start doing LF, at least start it off on the path that still have the film and development tank support.
 

mgb74

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You're right that it's not commonly available, but:
Freestyle has it in Arista EDU 100 and 400 as well as HP5+. They normally also stock it in FP4+, but look to be out of stock for a while.
B&H has the Arista in special order
Many have it as part of the Ilford ULF program, though it won't be available until October.​
 

Paul Howell

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What is nice about the Pressman and Baby speeds is how light weight they are. Evan my 4X5 is lighter than my Mamyia Universal. On the other hand, a 6X9 folder is light weight as well, although a Mamyia Press is heavy there are some very rangefinder coupled lens.
 
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Mako John

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dasBlute said:
be very careful... you are standing the the very edge of a looooong slippery slope that ends up at 8x10 at least... trust me
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Yep. Anything larger than my TLR is not happening.

Now I am concentrating on resurrecting my 35 mm SLR's and the 'ol 23C II. Everything has been stored since about 1990. I even dusted off the Mamiya C33 TLR.

Someone school me on current B&W thinking. Do most of you develop then scan? Or print a few in your dark room?

How about for posting your work here. Develop & scan?
 

John Wiegerink

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Many of us, including me, do both, but I prefer wet printing in the darkroom. That said, I have some stunning medium format negatives I've scanned and printed to 13"X19" on my Canon printer that turned out being just a stunning as the negatives that made them. Still, I love the darkroom/man cave I have a spend much time there. You'll see once you really get the hook set in your jaw.
 

MattKing

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Mako John said:
Someone school me on current B&W thinking. Do most of you develop then scan? Or print a few in your dark room?
Click to expand...
On APUG, we aren't supposed to even talk about scanning! It is against the site's rules!
This is a corner of the internet that was set up to help people who want to still concern themselves with the darkroom rather than the digital alternatives. Accordingly, you are probably asking the wrong people, and you are definitely asking in the wrong location.
That being said, there are people here who do use scanners. We just refrain from talking much about them.
There is a much quieter sister site - DPUG.ORG - that welcomes scanning discussions. Both sites are in preparation for a major revamp that will make it easier to access both sets of interests.
By the way - our bathroom doubles as a temporary darkroom, complete with a 4x5 enlarger which I picked up through Vancouver Craigslist.
 

ac12

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I took a B&W class at the local community college, and that rekindled my desire to get a darkroom setup.
Printing in a darkroom, for me, is more relaxing than doing the print on the computer.
But, there are things that I have done on the computer that I just could not do in the darkroom.
So MY opinion is to use both (if you can) and use whichever one works best for the particular image.
 

John Wiegerink

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OMG Matt! A bathroom for a darkroom? How disgusting! I sure hope you wash your hands after printing or developing or.........Ha! Ha! Yes, I realize how paranoid people are here about the scanner Gestapo, let's just a little real here. It's not like anyone is telling anyone to drop film and switch to D****al or a S****er.. In fact I stated my preference for the wet side. Maybe we all should sell our sc****rs, but I prefer to see results from other folks here and that's pretty darn hard to do unless one wants to send there shots via the mailbox to APUG and let them use ???? to post them. I guess I should have said what you said in my last post and refered him to DRUG, but forgot. OMG I here a knock on the door! Oh know their here to take me away. Take care.......John
 

MattKing

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Hey John - I was just pointing out to someone new the "lay of the land" here on APUG. And the irony about asking here about scanners vs. darkrooms and "current B&W thinking".
Absolutely no value judgments here about scanners. Some of my best friends use them .
 

John Wiegerink

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Matt,
I understand perfectly and I'm certainly not condemning you. Like I said, I should have done the same exact thing and didn't. So, actually I'm blaming myself. I personally feel that as long as one is not trying to hawk or sell somebody on the virtues or digital/scanning (don't slap me now, because there are some, like cost alone) over silver printing all the way then it's at this time a necessary evil for us to dance to the devils tune, at least a little. That said, from now on I will use a PM to try to convey my thoughts on the subject, which I do have both good and bad. Matt, I know we don't always agree on Kodak things, but I do value people like you on this forum. Thanks brother from the North. John
 
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Mako John

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Scanners, I do not own one. I was just wondering how you folks convert analog to digital in order to post photos? PM me if it is not for public view.

No worry about correcting my errant posts, I am still learning the APUG ethics.

My goal in pulling my film cameras and the enlarger out of storage is to return to days of yore when I exposed film, developed, and printed. It was a lot of fun.

I have a Nikon D90 but use it only for taking evaluation photos of our livestock when in the show ring. Here we are looking at the structure and composition of the animals, not fine photography. The pace in the show ring is too fast for fiddling with the old cameras. And the photos (after sorting and culling the images) are used for distribution to other livestock breeders over the web. Think of marketing animals.
 
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Sirius Glass

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APUG is a scanning free zone.
 
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