Yup! When I was in my 20's there was absolutely no need for the grain focuser. In fact it's easier to see the grain with the naked eyes.I used to put it on a piece of paper but lately I don’t bother. Probably from something I read here, like it’s the lens to film distance that’s critical and the focuser takes care of that. My son, on the other hand, prefers not to use the contraption and eyeballs it.
Sometimes the paper helps by making it easier to see and therefor check the cropping.
I have easels with yellow surfaces, and easels with dark grey surfaces.Am slow on the uptake again. What do you mean by that? Finding the borders of what still has to be exposed and be sufficiently sharp?
Haa no. Simpler than that.Am slow on the uptake again. What do you mean by that? Finding the borders of what still has to be exposed and be sufficiently sharp?
This!I have easels with yellow surfaces, and easels with dark grey surfaces.
If I have a sheet of paper in the easel, the projected image is easier to see, and therefore it is easier to see if the easel is properly positioned.
I had no idea that it was possible to see grain, of the kind that a grain focuser reveals, with the naked eye, even for people in their 20s . The Paterson grain focuser I use must magnify the negative projection by maybe 20x or more and I would have never thought that the naked eye had the facility act like this.Yup! When I was in my 20's there was absolutely no need for the grain focuser. In fact it's easier to see the grain with the naked eyes.
I have easels with yellow surfaces, and easels with dark grey surfaces.
If I have a sheet of paper in the easel, the projected image is easier to see, and therefore it is easier to see if the easel is properly positioned.
as you suspected,the depth of focus eliminates this issue;there is absolutely no need for an extra piece of paper under the grain focuser;none!When focusing, should I place the grain enlarger on a sacrificial piece of paper or directly on the easel? Essentially I’m wondering if they are calibrated to take into account the millimeter or so of paper thickness. I know some paper is thicker than others which is what got me wondering this. At the same time I’m thinking that the plane of focus may be deep enough to render this question moot.
Thanks,
Omid
My son doesn’t care, you know some people aren’t seeking perfection in their results. Some of his prints I can tell he obviously was out of focus on the easel. If I were his teacher I might say something but it wasn’t my place to say.I had no idea that it was possible to see grain, of the kind that a grain focuser reveals, with the naked eye, even for people in their 20s . The Paterson grain focuser I use must magnify the negative projection by maybe 20x or more and I would have never thought that the naked eye had the facility act like this.
That isn't to say that the naked eye in excellent order can't as near as makes no difference focus sufficiently sharply to make a grain focuser unnecessary. That may be possible, I just don't know
pentaxuser
Speak up, everyone should care. Otherwise why bother? Grain focus is not a question of taste or artistry (image focus in the camera can be). It doesn't take much extra effort to do it right.My son doesn’t care, you know some people aren’t seeking perfection in their results. Some of his prints I can tell he obviously was out of focus on the easel. If I were his teacher I might say something but it wasn’t my place to say.
I care about sharp focus at the easel, but I know at times that by eye I can sometimes focus as sharply as would be necessary. If I were at a school darkroom, I wouldn’t quit for the day if I couldn’t find a grain focuser.
I'm in my 40's and I can easily see the grain without a grain focuser when enlarging most 35mm film onto 8x10 or larger. To be honest, I kind of thought most people could. I do have slightly better than average near vision though (something like 15/100 vision). That may explain why I keep saying 8x10 is about the limit for 35mm film enlargements, and keep getting told by other people that there must be something wrong with my technique if those prints seem too grainy to me.I had no idea that it was possible to see grain, of the kind that a grain focuser reveals, with the naked eye, even for people in their 20s . The Paterson grain focuser I use must magnify the negative projection by maybe 20x or more and I would have never thought that the naked eye had the facility act like this.
That isn't to say that the naked eye in excellent order can't as near as makes no difference focus sufficiently sharply to make a grain focuser unnecessary. That may be possible, I just don't know
pentaxuser
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