- Joined
- Jul 14, 2011
- Messages
- 13,951
- Format
- 8x10 Format
Lens collimating devices are available from Edmund Scientific. A less glamorous but effective darkroom version was once marketing by Salthill, and worked great for these kinds of issues. For fine-tuning the lens centering, I had access to high quality industrial lasers at the time, serious stuff. As far as levels go, very few torpedo levels that you get from a hardware store or home center are really sufficiently level unless you test them first against a "real" level. You need something with an actual machined edge like from Stabila, or a true machinists level. Or if you can afford none of the above, just do it by eye with a grain magnified, and always, always, always, a true glass negative carrier, glass both sides.
The Durst L138 system was wonderful, because the centering targets were built in on their later carriers.
Talking Scheimpflug, my very biggest 8x10 enlarger actually has a Sinar P geared lens arrangement, as well as an extremely solid micrometer-driven cast & machined mount cannibalized from an old WWII ship artillery gunsight. I got it for free. A fun project.
The Durst L138 system was wonderful, because the centering targets were built in on their later carriers.
Talking Scheimpflug, my very biggest 8x10 enlarger actually has a Sinar P geared lens arrangement, as well as an extremely solid micrometer-driven cast & machined mount cannibalized from an old WWII ship artillery gunsight. I got it for free. A fun project.
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