Leitz Focomat 1c wiring

Focomatter · Jan 12, 2018

[QUOTE="jo
is the autofocus calibration procedure outlined in the manual (and by you) the same for lenses other than the focotars? i haven't been able to determine this searching around.
gh.[/QUOTE]

The purpose is to adjust for flange focus distance and focal length differences among individual lenses irrespective of brand or model.

joby · Jan 12, 2018

Focomatter said:
[QUOTE="jo
is the autofocus calibration procedure outlined in the manual (and by you) the same for lenses other than the focotars? i haven't been able to determine this searching around.
gh.

The purpose is to adjust for flange focus distance and focal length differences among individual lenses irrespective of brand or model.[/QUOTE]

gotcha. this makes sense.

joby · Jan 12, 2018

success! that was easy. thanks patrick/focomatter. am increasingly impressed with this device the more i use it/tune it up.

also illuminated by this exercise is how cool the negative stage stays even with the lamp housing reaching high temperatures.

truly appreciate all the input.

baachitraka · Jan 12, 2018

You may also find working with Valoy equally interesting.

joby · Jan 12, 2018

baachitraka said:
You may also find working with Valoy equally interesting.

I think I would go the direction of the 2c if I had a choice Right now I'm using the pictured Omega D2 with a cold head and it works, but feels very cheap compared to the Leitz. I like my Durst M601 far better than the D2, but the max size is only 6x6cm, and I've been shooting 6x8. Anyways...

Loren Sattler · Jan 12, 2018

There is a 2C available in Toledo listed on Craigs List for anyone interested. I took a look at it awhile ago. It was in very nice condition, but way too heavy to move in and out of my portable darkroom, so I passed. I believe he was asking in the neighborhood of $1000. If interested, you should be able to find it if you search Craigs List.

Patrick Robert James · Jan 12, 2018

You may find that you get newton rings from time to time unless you have either the filter or the etched condenser (it will look slightly cloudy on the surface). I ended up turning my carrier into a glass carrier with AR glass cemented on the bottom with Canada Balsam and AN glass on top. No more newton rings and the negs stay flat as a pancake!

You should be able to use any 50mm lens but not all lenses work with the autofocus I have found. I think some lenses are a little off of 50mm which introduces error in the system. I am being hyper critical and anal though, so take that for what it is worth..... I think the Focotars have a tiny bit of a fudge factor built in since they are f/4.5. The Fujinon lens I have doesn't work with autofocus. I can set it to autofocus at the top and the bottom but it gets screwy in the middle. It could just be my enlarger though.

joby · Jan 13, 2018

Patrick Robert James said:
You may find that you get newton rings from time to time unless you have either the filter or the etched condenser (it will look slightly cloudy on the surface). I ended up turning my carrier into a glass carrier with AR glass cemented on the bottom with Canada Balsam and AN glass on top. No more newton rings and the negs stay flat as a pancake!

You should be able to use any 50mm lens but not all lenses work with the autofocus I have found. I think some lenses are a little off of 50mm which introduces error in the system. I am being hyper critical and anal though, so take that for what it is worth..... I think the Focotars have a tiny bit of a fudge factor built in since they are f/4.5. The Fujinon lens I have doesn't work with autofocus. I can set it to autofocus at the top and the bottom but it gets screwy in the middle. It could just be my enlarger though.

my 1c luckily came with the AN slip on guy that goes between the condenser/neg. no problems with rings!

also, i was able to get my my el-nikkor 50/2.8 to work with the autofocus at all enlargement factors, which i'm very happy about.

joby · Jan 13, 2018

Loren Sattler said:
There is a 2C available in Toledo listed on Craigs List for anyone interested. I took a look at it awhile ago. It was in very nice condition, but way too heavy to move in and out of my portable darkroom, so I passed. I believe he was asking in the neighborhood of $1000. If interested, you should be able to find it if you search Craigs List.

I've heard of this exact 2c from a friend of mine in detroit who was in talks with the seller as well. while i do not doubt that is what the 2c tends to go for, it is far beyond my budget, being a young "starving artist" type. I paid $130 for my 1c color along with a darkroom sink and about a dozen rolls of film.

As an aside, the fellow who I bought the 1c off of also has a Durst m700 (max 6x9) which he was not trying to get rid of, though he doesn't use it currently. I'm in the process of trying to convince him to trade me for my m601 which i'm very fond of with cash on top on my end as the max format he shoots is 6x6, which my m601 handles.

I also have a friend of a friend here in chicago who has a 2c which he does not use... time will tell if ill be able to pry it out of his hands and put it into service.

Hilo · Jan 13, 2018

baachitraka said:
Get it to focus using the stiff ring and then adjust the knob on the side for fine tuning.

joby said:
i don't believe i have such a knob on mine, i took another look this morning, strange.

baachitraka said:
https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.de/images/6/66/Focomat_I_c_Anleitung.pdf

Page 8-9, the one which is marked 'e' is for fine tuning the focus.

The knob for fine tuning the focus as seen in the manual is, as far as I know, not something for daily use. As a matter of fact it should be set to the correct position when you get this enlarger and you generally do not touch it unless something is wrong. Of course there is a procedure how to adjust the automatic focus 100%. However, it always seems sufficient to just start printing and to learn how that works. The Focomats rarely go out of alignment. Remember to check the grain with your grain focuser. I always do that with each print I make, but this is because I often print large sizes (from 12X16 and up) and I often bring up the enlarger on the column, losing the automatic focus. The larger the size, the more you need to stretch your arm to turn the focus ring but up to 50X60cm (20X24) this is doable. The better the grain focuser, the easier this is.

baachitraka said:
You may also find working with Valoy equally interesting.

I could not agree more ! In particular because of it being a non automatic focus enlarger with a beautiful large helical focus mount. Same quality as the 1c and up to 30X40cm (12X16) it is the perfect enlarger.

Edubarca · Mar 16, 2018

Hello my friends. I have just received my recently purchased Leitz Focomat 1c enlarger and this is how I received the cables after removing the black cover, Can you help me arranging them? Thank you.
EDUARDO

I live in Colombia where we have the same power standards as in the USA.

Leitz Focomat 1c wiring

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