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"Enlarger" that makes a print smaller than the negative?

JPD

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Sweden
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Medium Format
What type of "enlarger" was used to make prints smaller than the negative, like the small carte de visite and cabinet cards? Where they normal enlargers and lenses?
 
Extend your bellows as far as you can with a bit longer lens than normal (75/80mm for 35mm or 100mm for 6x6) for the format and then focus image with rising and lowering your enlarger head on the column. It's fiddly but very soon you will have good idea how it works. Small changes in bellows extension can produce big changes is image size, so go slowly. Haven't do it in at least 30+ years but it worked when I needed it.
 
JPD said:
carte de visite and cabinet cards
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Those were contact prints, normally. Some cameras would have multiple lenses to expose 6 images on one plate (either identical images or different images - depending when the shutters went off).

I got my 5x7 enlarger to make a reduction of a 4x5 by extending the bellows with a 135mm lens on it. I was surprised at the time (and also very new to using an enlarger). I haven't done it since.
 
Depends on your enlarger, if there is enough room between negative stage and lens board, and the below has enough extension, you might be able to mount the enlarger lens backwards
 
Thanks for the explanations. I assumed that it was impossible to go smaller than 1:1 with a normal enlarger.
 
There were also enlarger lenses designed for that kind of use, like the Rodagon "D".
 
JPD said:
What type of "enlarger" was used to make prints smaller than the negative, like the small carte de visite and cabinet cards? Where they normal enlargers and lenses?
Click to expand...

The word you want is reductions.
 
I certainly didn't mind getting paid for a 4X5 shot that ended up reduced half size in some magazine or brochure; but it never really made sense to me either. I guess using a big camera just carried certain credentials, as well as having the benefit of view camera movements for sake of architectural subjects. But otherwise, it seemed like ridiculous overkill.
 
For any enlarger head heigh that is greater than 4x focal length*, there are two focal points. One is for enlargements and one is for reductions.

*All enlarger head heights that are less than 4x focal length will not produce a focused image.

 
When making reductions, extending the bellows makes the image smaller (after re-focusing).

 
Key points:

1) Make sure the negative to paper distance is always 4x the focal length
2) Use a lens with a focal length equal to the diagonal of the target reduction size
3) Focus by moving the enlarger head up and down; adjust image size with the bellows.
4) Many small format enlargers don't have enough bellows draw and may need an extended lensboard.
5) Reversing the lens is not needed, the reduction will have increased resolution over the original already.
 
If someone needs to do a lot of reductions, a press camera with an appropriate lens perhaps mounted backwards, and paper trimmed to fit film holders, might be handier than using an enlarger.
 
ic-racer said:
Key points:

1) Make sure the negative to paper distance is always 4x the focal length
Click to expand...
This guarantees very nearly 1:1. No reduction here, contact printing would give the same result.
ic-racer said:
2) Use a lens with a focal length equal to the diagonal of the target reduction size
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Why?
ic-racer said:
3) Focus by moving the enlarger head up and down; adjust image size with the bellows.
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Yes.
ic-racer said:
4) Many small format enlargers don't have enough bellows draw and may need an extended lensboard.
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Yes again.
ic-racer said:
5) Reversing the lens is not needed, the reduction will have increased resolution over the original already.
Click to expand...

Huh? Only at 1:1. An asymmetric lens should be used facing normally for enlargements (taking at magnifications < 1, reversed for reductions (taking at magnifications > 1:1)
 
If you want to make a bigger print, one way is to use a wider (shorter focal length) lens.

If you want to make a smaller print, one way is to use a narrower (longer focal length) lens.
 
Dan Fromm said:
The word you want is reductions.
Click to expand...

Yes, but the question just popped up in my head and made me think "enlarger vs reducer", but that didn't sound right...
 
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