Enlarger exposure time??

[viridari]

I was printing at 5x7, no multigrade filter (don't own the set yet).

 

[Rick A]

MG filters will act somewhat as neutral density filters, but enlargment times that short smack of thin negatives. You will have to adjust your in camera exposures to account for this. Finding your personal ISO is necessary for quality prints. Read(or reread) the Negative and The Print by A.A.

 

[Noble]

I was printing at 5x7, no multigrade filter (don't own the set yet).

I'll have to check my enlarger but 5x7 with no filters might just get you down into the low single digits. I feel your pain. I was surprised about how bright my enlarger was as well. Enlarger lenses can actually accept screw on filters. Depending on the configuration of your Beseler 23 C you may have an upper filter drawer where you can put a ND filter as well and leave the lower filter holder for contrast filters. I guess if you want to have a bulb that is bright enough to make large enlargements at reasonable times you have to accept that it will be ridiculously bright for smaller enlargements.

 

[Noble]

MG filters will act somewhat as neutral density filters, but enlargment times that short smack of thin negatives. You will have to adjust your in camera exposures to account for this. Finding your personal ISO is necessary for quality prints. Read(or reread) the Negative and The Print by A.A.

Are you sure? I use a Zonemaster II to analyze my negatives and I've been developing them to print well with a 2.5 filter. I'm sure if I attempted a 5x7 with no filter on my Beseler 23C III it would be a mid to low single digit exposure. You can't change the density of the negative without changing the contrast.

 

[winger]

Since this enlarger is new to you, the first thing I would check is to make sure you have the right bulb. Also double check that your lens doesn't have a lever to open it up for focusing and if it was open rather than stopped down.
For a 5x7 from 35mm, I'm fairly sure I use f16 to get times I can use and that still just gets me around 8-10 seconds. I know the old rule about always stopping down two stops from fully open, but I consider that to be bordering on BS, depending on the lens (I have Componon S lenses and they certainly don't suck). If you shouldn't ever ever ever use the other apertures, they wouldn't be there.

 

[eddie]

Another option would be to use a longer lens, which would require having the lamp head higher, for the same size enlargement.

 

[MattKing]

Another option would be to use a longer lens, which would require having the lamp head higher, for the same size enlargement.

This sounds like a great idea, but it doesn't work.

The intensity of light at the baseboard is a function of the intensity of the light source, the aperture of the lens, and the magnification ratio between the original negative and the resulting print.

So changing lenses and raising the lamp head makes no difference, because the resulting magnification ends up being the same.

It may benefit you in one way though. A shorter lens may go only to f/16, whereas a longer lens may offer f/22 or even f/32 minimum apertures.

 

[eddie]

Well, it's worked for me for decades. I don't do much 35mm but, when I did print small, there was definitely a difference in the time required for a 50mm lens, and an 80mm lens, for the same size enlargement.

 

[MattKing]

Well, it's worked for me for decades. I don't do much 35mm but, when I did print small, there was definitely a difference in the time required for a 50mm lens, and an 80mm lens, for the same size enlargement.

Did your enlarger have adjustable condensers or mixing boxes that, when set for the longer lens, would affect the intensity of the light reaching the negative?

 

[eddie]

No. Cold light.

 

[viridari]

Since this enlarger is new to you, the first thing I would check is to make sure you have the right bulb.

A kind member who seems to have deep knowledge of this rig confirmed with me privately that the bulb is correct.

Also double check that your lens doesn't have a lever to open it up for focusing and if it was open rather than stopped down.

Confirmed this.

For a 5x7 from 35mm, I'm fairly sure I use f16 to get times I can use and that still just gets me around 8-10 seconds. I know the old rule about always stopping down two stops from fully open, but I consider that to be bordering on BS, depending on the lens (I have Componon S lenses and they certainly don't suck). If you shouldn't ever ever ever use the other apertures, they wouldn't be there.

The interesting thing is I have a pile of salvaged paper of unknown origin. The old Luminos paper was about 1 f/stop faster than the old ILFORD post card stock. With the ILFORD post card stock I was able to get into 6 seconds at f/11. I have some fresh ILFORD 5x7 coming so I'll have some known good paper stock to work with soon.

 

[Huub]

A very recognisable problem. So short printing times are very hard hard to adjust precisely and burning an dodging are very difficult. Using contrast filters will help you a bit as they eat some of the light. So will getting a lower wattage lamp. I ended up using a 3 stop neutral density filter I can screw on the lens. You can also use a nd filter you can put into the filter drawer of your enlarger.