INTREPID 5X4 CAMERA AS AN ENLARGER

AERO · Nov 8, 2024

Just wondering if an A5 lightpad could be used as a light source for a camera/enlarger?
think the A5 = 1600 lux . Three stage brilliancy control.....Cheap enough from Chinese sellers
somewhere around basic $4.

BAC1967 · Nov 8, 2024

I have done that with a makeshift setup using a different camera. You just need to block stray light, gaffers tape is your friend. Another option would be a Graphlarger back if it will fit on the intrepid.

Graphlarger ad

AERO · Nov 8, 2024

BAC1967 said:
I have done that with a makeshift setup using a different camera. You just need to block stray light, gaffers tape is your friend. Another option would be a Graphlarger back if it will fit on the intrepid.

Graphlarger ad

I will give it a go .....

Andrew O'Neill · Nov 8, 2024

AERO said:
I will give it a go .....

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Donald Qualls · Nov 8, 2024

FWIW, I'm pretty sure Intrepid sells a light source (optionally with color control for color enlargements) that replaces the focusing panel on the camera. Probably costs a good bit more than a common light panel, but it should be light tight as shipped.

There used to also be a Graflite, that let you use a Graflok back camera as its own enlarger, so this has been done before...

abruzzi · Nov 8, 2024

Donald Qualls said:
FWIW, I'm pretty sure Intrepid sells a light source (optionally with color control for color enlargements) that replaces the focusing panel on the camera. Probably costs a good bit more than a common light panel, but it should be light tight as shipped.

There used to also be a Graflite, that let you use a Graflok back camera as its own enlarger, so this has been done before...

yup, lens not included:

Intrepid 4x5 Enlarger Kit

The Intrepid Enlarger is the ultimate DIY photography tool, converting your 4x5 camera into a fully functional darkroom enlarger. The Intrepid Enlarger uses new LED technology, so it can match the results of a traditional enlarger whilst being a fraction of the size and price.

intrepidcamera.co.uk

AERO · Nov 9, 2024

Donald Qualls said:
FWIW, I'm pretty sure Intrepid sells a light source (optionally with color control for color enlargements) that replaces the focusing panel on the camera. Probably costs a good bit more than a common light panel, but it should be light tight as shipped.

There used to also be a Graflite, that let you use a Graflok back camera as its own enlarger, so this has been done before...

Yes I saw that some time ago... and I thought expensive for what it is..basically a lightbox. I reckon an A5 lightbox fitted in its own "box" made from thick Plasticard (ABS) as used by modellers would manage the job with a bit of trial and error.. and if it fails quite cheap to try ......and if it works win win. ......Anyway..need to buck up courage and need to pull the trigger on an Intrepid having just spent a whack on a decent lens and other stuff......will it never end I ask myself.........

koraks · Nov 9, 2024

AERO said:
and I thought expensive for what it is..basically a lightbox

That's not accurate. The Intrepid light source is an array of controllable RGB LEDs. Together with the controller, you can use this to adjust contrast/filtration and it also acts as a timer. It's much more than a simple light panel.

With the light panel the main challenges will be to make a light tight setup and to get even illumination across the print. In principle it should work. You still need to fudge with contrast filters and add a timer.

Intrepid's light source is evidently a far superior solution especially for black and white printing. For what it is, it's also not all that expensive taking into account the r&d that went into it. If you're good with electronics, you could build something similar. Many people have done this.

However, overall you're better off with a proper enlarger. The intrepid is a camera and not a particularly sturdy one. As an enlarger, it's a severely compromised/marginal solution and I'd only recommend it if you are extremely short on storage space and there's no way to keep an enlarger in the house somewhere.

Pioneer · Nov 10, 2024

I have the Intrepid Enlarger and it does work well if you take your time. It certainly is not the equivalent of my Beseler, but then it was never intended to be. I can set the Intrepid up in my little bathroom, get some some decent prints done if I use a bit of care, and then take it back apart and use the camera as a camera again that same afternoon. Besides, I would NEVER consider packing my Beseler into that bathroom and setting it up for an hour or two of printing. I am not certain I could even carry it through the bathroom door.

AERO · Nov 10, 2024

Sounds the job. I should have said in my first post re this idea, that the white lightpad would of course only be for B&W. It might work..
I leave colour to the pros to do for me!.
All very different today from when I started with a glass 1/4 plate camera in late 1940s! Then it wasm inimum euipment minimum fuss, minimum angst Thank you for your post...Take care..stay cheerful....

PicklesFrog · Nov 10, 2024

Pioneer said:
I have the Intrepid Enlarger and it does work well if you take your time. It certainly is not the equivalent of my Beseler, but then it was never intended to be. I can set the Intrepid up in my little bathroom, get some some decent prints done if I use a bit of care, and then take it back apart and use the camera as a camera again that same afternoon. Besides, I would NEVER consider packing my Beseler into that bathroom and setting it up for an hour or two of printing. I am not certain I could even carry it through the bathroom door.

do you use the actual interpid camera or do you use another 4x5 camera? i have a crown graphic i can probably "convert" into a 4x5 enlarger as i only a beseler Dichro that only does 35mm-120 (i think 120 but i only do 35mm tbh).

abruzzi · Nov 10, 2024

the light uses the graflok standard, so any other camera that supports graflok should be usable. I don't know how usable the color adjustments are but normally you can use magenta and yellow to adjust contrast. I have a D2 with a color head, but the yellow filter is missing. I've considered using a spare Sinar F I have with the intrepid light source.

Donald Qualls · Nov 11, 2024

abruzzi said:
lens not included:

For those who don't think they can see a print at multi-megapixel resolution, the same lens used for exposing the negative will work. It's not optimized for close use, but unless you're printing huge (above 16x20 from 4x5) or have a fixation on resolution targets you're unlikely to be able to tell the difference. The lens I use for 6x6 and 6x4.5 on my Omega D2 is an 80 mm f/3.5 Anastar off a Kodak Reflex II, and it works fine (especially since we usually stop down to f/8 or so for exposure time reasons anyway).

locutus · Nov 11, 2024

AERO said:
Yes I saw that some time ago... and I thought expensive for what it is..basically a lightbox. I reckon an A5 lightbox fitted in its own "box" made from thick Plasticard (ABS) as used by modellers would manage the job with a bit of trial and error.. and if it fails quite cheap to try ......and if it works win win. ......Anyway..need to buck up courage and need to pull the trigger on an Intrepid having just spent a whack on a decent lens and other stuff......will it never end I ask myself.........

Even thick plasticard isn't dense enough to block light, it'll glow if you try to make a lightbox out of it (ask me how I found out )

If you really want to use your 5x4 camera as an enlarger the Intrepid kit is quite good, once you count in the timer, color control (multigrade printing!) replacing a filter set and that it solves the evenness problems out of the box, it's not too expensive.

BHuij · Nov 11, 2024

I did something similar but with a plain old light bulb a long time ago, before I got my Beseler 45MXT.

DIY Writeup: <$35 Lamphouse to use Intrepid 4x5 as an Enlarger

Because I'm still on the lookout for an Omega D series or Beseler 45 to pop up locally at a good price, I did a bunch of research and eventually settled on building a "Graflarger" style back for my Intrepid 4x5 that I could use in the interim. Figured I'd share since I'm actually getting...

www.photrio.com

End results were surprisingly good. Path to get there was absurdly inconvenient. I'm guessing a cheap tracing pad would work fine as a light source, just wouldn't be as evenly illuminated, and probably would be more contrasty than a standard grade 2 if not using multigrade filters (the ones I've seen skew towards blue when marketed as "daylight balanced").

Pioneer · Nov 11, 2024

PicklesFrog said:
do you use the actual interpid camera or do you use another 4x5 camera? i have a crown graphic i can probably "convert" into a 4x5 enlarger as i only a beseler Dichro that only does 35mm-120 (i think 120 but i only do 35mm tbh).

I have the original kickstarter Intrepid 4x5 and that is the camera I use with the enlarger. I use a 150mm f5.6 Zeiss Tessar lens because that was what I have used most frequently with that Intrepid camera but I am not sure how much the lens matters. I just follow the instructions that Intrepid provided with the enlarger and it does a pretty good job.

INTREPID 5X4 CAMERA AS AN ENLARGER

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DIY Writeup: <$35 Lamphouse to use Intrepid 4x5 as an Enlarger

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INTREPID 5X4 CAMERA AS AN ENLARGER

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