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Half Frame Enlarging

xkaes

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aoresteen said:
My bad large format negatives ARE worse than my miniature good negatives.
Click to expand...

Same here, but if I know I'll want to make a BIG print, I'll bring along my 4x5 -- if the situation can accommodate it. But because, like you, I'll probably have to rely on my Minolta MGs or Minox IIIs in many situations, with Agfapan 25, I can still make bug prints, like 16x20", if I'm careful.

All things considered, if I enlarged an 8x11mm negative and a 4x5" negative to four or six feet, of course the 4x5" would win, but the smaller negative would "put up a good fight".
 

Hilo

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Interesting thread, thanks to you all !

About 45 years ago I got an Olympus Pen FT and have printed its negatives all the time, until recently. At first with a Leitz Valoy II and a 50mm Focotar. Now I still use the Valoy II but with a dedicated Olympus 38mm enlarging lens. The standard lens of the Pen FT is also 38mm.

I have done sizes up to 40x50cm (16x20in.) and the prints look fine. I have also done 50x60cm (20x24in.) prints, some are ok, but with some the grain can break up. My Valoy II, I have modified and coupled it's column to the column of a Focomat Ic. Making these large sizes possible.

The reason for not using the Focomat Ic is that's it's automatic focus creates problems when using the 38mm Olympus lens. And the Valoy II gives much shorter exposure times because the negative sits closer to the light bulb. I attach some pictures of this lens, plus a data sheet Olympus provided with the lens.

Pictures below. The Valoy II is the enlarger in the middle and it is set up to do 50x60cm (20x24in) - from half frame using the 38mm lens


 
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brbo

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From that Olympus marketing pamphlet:

For optimum results in enlarging, the enlarging lens should have the same focal length as the camera lens. If a lens of different focal length is used, a deterioration in resolution usually results.


LOL!!!

You can read some pretty ridiculous beep on internets today, but it's absolutely refreshing to see that even decades ago official material could easily take the prize...
 

xkaes

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Olympus was in the business of selling it's stellar, but very expensive, 38mm f3.8 half-frame enlarging lens -- in any way they could.

I normally use a 35mm f4 Componon for 1/2 frame, and a 28mm f4 Componon for 13x17mm (110 & Kiev cameras).

There are a ton of 35mm enlarging lenses for 1/2 frame to choose from:

https://www.subclub.org/darkroom/lenses.htm
 

aoresteen

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I am back home now and I looked in my darkroom for my enlarging lenses that are shorter than 50mm. The 28mm Minolta lens is nowhere to be found. I did find:

1. 25mm f/3.5 Voss (2 5/8" Beseler Board)
2. 25mm f/4 Rodenstock Omegaron (2 5/8" Beseler board)
3. 28mm f/4 Rodenstock Rodagon (2 5/8" Beseler board)
4. 40mm f/4 Rodenstock Rodagon-WA (4" Beseler board)

My sub-miniature enlarger is a Beseler 67 that uses 2 5/8" lens boards so I think now that I used the 28mm f/4 Rodenstock Rodagon to print my 1/2 frame negatives, not the 28mm Minolta.

12 years ago I upgraded most of my enlarging lens but kept the old lenses (hence the awful 25mm Voss lens still here). I don't recall selling Minolta 28mm or giving it away. The 28mm Minolta lens should to be here somewhere as I had bought it to replace the 25mm Voss around 2002 when I lived in Florida. The 40mm f/4 Rodenstock Rodagon-WA is set up for my 23C so I know I didn't use it for the 1/2 frame negatives.

UPDATE: I searched online for details on a 28mm Minolta enlarging lens and seems Minolta never made a 28mm enlarging lens. They made a 25mm & a number of 30mm enlarging lenses. So I am mistaken about using a 28mm Minolta. The lens I had must have been a 30mm Minolta enlarging lens. I still use my Minolta MG with B&W film. The Minolta MG was the first camera I ever bought with my own money way back in 1972. Sorry for going down a rabbit hole to nowhere!
 
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Paul Howell

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I recall that Minolta made a 16mm enlarger to match their 16mm camera, but do not recall which lens it used. Over the years I have also seen a Russian Federal 16mm enlarger with a Federal lens, I think it was a 28mm but not sure.
 

aoresteen

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The Minolta Mini 16 Enlarger came with the 30mm f/4.5 lens that was also sold separately.
 

tcolgate

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Going by the logic of using the "normal lens" focal length for the format, I've been using the schneider 40mm f/4 for my Oly Pen half Frame negs . It's fairly readily available. I think it was intended for square format 35mm. It has good coverage, so far as I can tell.
I've done quite a few 8x10 prints with it (mostly black and white, and a few colour), and it works well.
I've not gone over 8x10, but that says more about my wall space than the image quality.
The way I see it, if you come round to my house and get a loupe out to start picking my prints apart, I am going to kick you out and keep the wine.
 
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xkaes

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aoresteen said:
The Minolta Mini 16 Enlarger came with the 30mm f/4.5 lens that was also sold separately.
Click to expand...

Minolta made six enlargers, and all of them could handle 16mm formats

The already mentioned Minolta Mini 16 -- this was the first and handle 16mm (10x14mm) and Minox. It could be purchased with a 25mm or 30mm lens. The Minox users would want the 25mm lens.

The Minolta 3-in-1 was next and could handle Minox, 16mm (10x14mm) and 35mm -- hence the 3-in-1 -- with a choice of lenses, of course.

The Minolta Professional 16 was basically the 3-in-1 in WHITE. There might have been some other differences.

Then came the Minolta Color enlarger -- followed by the Color II & Color III -- which could handle up to 6x7. They all had carriers for Minox, 16mm (10x14mm & 12x17mm), half-frame, 35mm, 6x6, 6x7, etc., and lenses to match.
 

xkaes

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I could be wrong, but I've only seen one lens that was designed for 24x24mm -- the Schneider Componon 40mm f4 -- while there are lots of enlarging lenses designed for the 1/2 frame format. Why these 1/2 frame lenses -- from 28mm to 35mm -- can't be used for 24x24mm does not make any sens since they all have to cover the 24mm axis.
 

tcolgate

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Strictly speaking a half Frame lens would necessarily have to cover square though. The Schneider 40mm seems to work well for half frane., and it's fairly common, and cheap.
 
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