Italian Enlargers that arent Durst

Craig75 · Aug 21, 2017

This is the vaguest post possible but I saw a very flamboyant 35mm (?) negative carrier ages ago and ended up googling the company that made them who also made large format enlargers.

Predictably I have forgotten everything about the company now - all I can remember is Italian, possibly Officine Something (Officine Firenze / Venezia) and I'm coming up very short on google - def not Durst but maybe related to Galileo.

Has anyone got any idea ? of course I want one but I have no idea what they are even called in a fit of madness

AgX · Aug 21, 2017

Next to Durst was only IFF.

Craig75 · Aug 22, 2017

thats exactly what I saw - "industria fototecnica firenze" - I'd never seen one in England before so I was endlessly intrigued.

thank you sir

AgX · Aug 22, 2017

Whereas Durst spanned the whole sector from beginning amateur over professional to industry, IFF seems to have aimed at the professional only. Aside of that there at least was one manufacturer of ULF enlargers for the reprographic industry.

Trond · Aug 22, 2017

Hi,

I have an IFF Ampliator 13x18cm enlarger. Big and very heavy. They look a bit rough compared to Durst, but are solid precision machines. Potentially back breaking to move..

Trond

Hilo · Aug 22, 2017

Obviously influenced by the Focomat 1c, this one looks really beautiful . . . called the IFF Galileo Goiello

AgX · Aug 22, 2017

It's a jewel...

Craig75 · Aug 22, 2017

Nice set up Trond. That looks a beast.

That Galileo looks lovely. I want.

That and a Ducati Sogno ....

AgX · Aug 22, 2017

I assume the vast majority here asked about the italian photoindustry will name Durst and Ferrania and maybe Manfrotto. That's it.

(To be fair: in many years I only came across here 1 sample each of a still and a cine camera.)

Craig75 · Aug 22, 2017

Yes its a shame the history of Italian photography industry isn't immediately accessible as they were one of a very select few countries who could supply you with a very high grade camera,film, and darkroom.

Trond · Aug 23, 2017

I asked IFF some years ago, who now are making suspension systems for lighting, if they had any documentation, like manuals and catalogues, for the photographic equipment they used to make. They answered that they didn't have anything left, but suggested that I could ask Manfrotto, who used to own them for a period. Manfrotto didn't have anything either.

Trond

Diapositivo · Aug 23, 2017

AgX said:
I assume the vast majority here asked about the italian photoindustry will name Durst and Ferrania and maybe Manfrotto. That's it.

(To be fair: in many years I only came across here 1 sample each of a still and a cine camera.)

OT
Talking about Italian manufacturers of photographic equipment I think two cases deserve a special mention:
Rectaflex, an historical Roman producer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectaflex
And Silvestri, a Florentine manufacturer of portable cameras for "shift photography", still in activity in his niche
http://www.silvestricamera.com/index.htm

Craig75 · Aug 23, 2017

Never even heard of rectaflex. The lichtenstein model sounds an eccentric animal.

I was just reading about Monaco's Mecaflex earlier today. Some very exotic european cameras out there!

AgX · Aug 23, 2017

However the Mecaflex was designed by Heinz Kilfitt (the lens guy) and first manufactured by Metz. It was their one-night stand with cameras. However as a consumer electronics manufacturer it is strange that they went into fine mechanics.
(Electronics competitor Braun for instance bought a whole existing camera works.)

Renato Tonelli · Aug 26, 2017

Lupo made excellent enlargers for formats up to 6x9. The company now concentrates on studio and location lighting instruments.

AgX · Aug 26, 2017

Never heard of Lupo enlargers. What confirms what I said above...

(To be fair to myself: I checked some Photokina catalogs from the 60 I got at hand, Lupo did not participate.)

AgX · Sep 23, 2017

Diapositivo said:
OT
Talking about Italian manufacturers of photographic equipment I think two cases deserve a special mention:
Rectaflex, an historical Roman producer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectaflex

1949

Italian Enlargers that arent Durst

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