Leitz Focomat Ic

[Duceman]

These decent? There is one for sale locally, but I don't know anything about them. If I were to purchase it, it would mostly be for nostalgic purposes as I already have a Beseler 23C III XL. Doesn't come with lens, but I'm assuming I can use similar lens(es) that I use with the Beseler (maybe my assumption is incorrect).

 

[Patrick Robert James]

It is a lot better than your Beseler. Looks complete. Has a neg carrier and has a filter carrier. Looks like a custom one but good enough. Most 50mm lenses will work on it. One of the best enlargers ever made. Easy to use too. Once you get the autofocus dialed in you won't have to bend over a grain focuser at all. Should you buy it? I suppose you would be a fool not to if it doesn't cost too much.

 

[Hilo]

This is one of the early versions of the Focomat Ic. You can tell by the black oval nameplate and the two small metal colored parts that portrude on either side just below the lower half of the enlarger head. These lock the enlarger head when you bring it down onto the negative which lies on the negative mask. Leitz improved this locking system to only one such locker on the left side of the head which made it quite a bit easier to work with.

It is difficult to see but I think there is no Anti Newton glass on the condenser. Difficult to find and will cost anywhere between $ 75 - $ 125. This round glass sits in a black metal ring and you slide it over the condenser. There are other ways to avoid Newton Rings, like cutting a a carton mask that you put on your negative, so it doesn't touch the condenser's glass.

One screws the lens into the helicoid and in between lens and helcoid you must use an extension ring of about 1cm. This is called 17675 or DOORX. $30 - 50. . . It is possible this ring is already installed.

I imagine this has the short column of about 85cm. There's also the version with the longer column, 120cm, but I am not sure if the first Ic's came with this longer column.

Given the age (1950/1951) it is important to know if the condenser is clean. You will need to remove this condenser to see that: 1) take off the top half of the head, 2) unlock the black bayonet ring, 3) remove the spring, 4) pull up the condenser.
If the AN glass is actually attached under the condenser, take this off first. Otherwise it will fall off when you pull up the condenser.

 

[Duceman]

Given the age (1950/1951) it is important to know if the condenser is clean.

And if it’s not?

 

[Duceman]

Here are some additional photos:

 

[Hilo]

And if it’s not?

Then you clean it:

- you prepare a bowl with (not too) warm water with some dish-washing soap
- you need a soft sponge and clean both sides of the glass, and you clean the condenser's house
- you rinse it with (not too) warm water, and get rid of as much water as possible. Then you can put it on some kind of a heater and let it dry
- After that you breathe on the glass and wipe it clean with a soft cloth (I use pieces of old t-shirts)

That's about it

There's no AN glass

 

[Duceman]

Thanks for all of the helpful advice.

Being that it is missing the AN glass, and I don't know how to source that at the moment, I think I may end up passing on this?

Or... maybe wait a couple of weeks and see if it sells. If it doesn't maybe the seller will come down in the price.

However, truth be told (and my wife can easily verify this), I'm sorta running out of room for additional equipment!

 

[John Koehrer]

Using a different brand lens is no problem but the may need to be adjusted for best focus. The good thing is that it's pretty easy to do,
I wonder if you could cludge an anti newton glass thingy as long as you may need to adjust focus. The Leica glass just slips into place.

Price would be a big factor if I were considering it.

 

[Trask]

Two things that you may have to deal with (I have a Ic Color, which is a newer model): the wiring may be old and brittle, needing replacement (not hard if you’re handy), and the baseboard may not actually be flat — over the decades, with the baseboard being supported at the four corners, it’s possible for it to get a bit cupped and un-flat. I suggest you take a long straight edge and put it both directions on the baseboard and see if you can see a gap under the straight edge. I do on mine, so I’m thinking of replacing the old baseboard with one made of marble or Corian or something similiar. However, that would mean no longer being able to use the proprietary Leitz mechanism built into the baseboard that allows you to lock down a Leitz paper easel, if you’re using one. As yours appears to be an early version and your photos don’t show the entire baseboard, it may be that yours doesn’t have this system.

Hey, my comments may make it sound like I’m down on the Focomat. Far from it, it’s a very precise piece of equipment. I just wanted to share a couple of issues I’ve had to deal with - YMMV.

 

[warden]

It is a lot better than your Beseler.

I'm not doubting what you say but I'm having a hard time figuring out how my prints would be better with the Leitz compared to my Beseler 23c. Can you shed some light on that? I honestly don't know what's better about prints from the Leitz.

I want a Leitz, btw, but don't want to buy one without knowing what I'm doing.

 

[Hilo]

I'm not doubting what you say but I'm having a hard time figuring out how my prints would be better with the Leitz compared to my Beseler 23c. Can you shed some light on that? I honestly don't know what's better about prints from the Leitz.

It is a lot better than your Beseler. Looks complete. Has a neg carrier and has a filter carrier. Looks like a custom one but good enough. Most 50mm lenses will work on it. One of the best enlargers ever made. Easy to use too. Once you get the autofocus dialed in you won't have to bend over a grain focuser at all. Should you buy it? I suppose you would be a fool not to if it doesn't cost too much.

I share Patricks enthusiasm for the Focomat Ic (for 40 years) but would not say it is the better enlarger. A friend had the Beseler and he had his reasons to like it more. He produced beautiful even illuminated prints which suited his work (landscapes with lots of medium grey tones). The Focomat Ic is more erratic when it comes to even illumination but gives a wonderful contrast, which suits me more. And when I want to reach 100% optimal even illumination I switch to the Focomat IIc.

The irony is that, in my opinion, this version Focomat Ic (of this thread) is not the better enlarger. That's in the details: I prefer the version with the larger baseboard and the taller column. I also wonder about its bellows, which look rough. The absence of the AN glass can be solved, I will explain with a picture later. But the small baseboard wouldn't work for me, nor would the smaller column. And, as I mentioned in my first reaction, the double locking system once the head comes down I simply could not get used to. This resulted in needing a third hand when positioning the negative under the condenser that presses onto it.

 

[Hilo]

Pictures of a solution to Newton rings with the Leitz Focomat Ic and Valoy II

I got these black pvc sheets at the office supplies store. Very thin stuff, like not even half a millimeter.

For those unfamilar with the Focomat Ic and Valoy II: this is the negative holder that slides into the lens stage and fixes itself. One positions the negative strip on top, then you lower the condenser to land on top of the negative. This presses the negative flat. And it is why Leitz made a AN glass that slips on to the condenser. For the early Valoy II enlargers Leitz made a brass ring, with a cut-out the size of the negative, which you could slide over the condenser. The later Valoy II versions came with the glass of the condenser AN treated.

 

[Don_ih]

Pictures of a solution to Newton rings with the Leitz Focomat Ic and Valoy II

I got these black pvc sheets at the office supplies store. Very thin stuff, like not even half a millimeter.

For those unfamilar with the Focomat Ic and Valoy II: this is the negative holder that slides into the lens stage and fixes itself. One positions the negative strip on top, then you lower the condenser to land on top of the negative. This presses the negative flat. And it is why Leitz made a AN glass that slips on to the condenser. For the early Valoy II enlargers Leitz made a brass ring, with a cut-out the size of the negative, which you could slide over the condenser. The later Valoy II versions came with the glass of the condenser AN treated.



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That's a good, simple solution. I get Newton rings using my 1c every now and then. I only got the enlarger recently, so hadn't looked into how to prevent it.

It is a lot better than your Beseler

I don't think the Focomat is better in terms of what you end up with (a print) but it is nicer to use than any other enlarger I have (Omega enlargers). The easel locking is great, the focus staying correct as you resize is great - these two things alone make a big difference. Mine has no way to hold filters, though. And moving from one frame of a negative strip to the next is easier to do with Omega negative carriers.

When you already have a quality enlarger (Beseler), this is not an enlarger you need.

 

[NB23]

The best

 

[Patrick Robert James]

An enlarger needs to accomplish 3 things to be good. Hold the neg flat, project even light, and be aligned. The Beseler fails on the alignment end. And can fail on the even light end too. Depends on your Beseler. A friend of mine had one back in the day and he could never keep it aligned. Every time the head was moved the alignment would change. Get a laser and check it yourself if you don't believe me.

I like Hilo's solution to the newton ring issue. That is smart. I have an anti newton filter for my current Focomat but I've used anti newton plexi in the past. Worked fine.

You also have to think about the experience of making a print. The Focomat is much more enjoyable to use than a 23C. It is up to you though if it is worth it. I've used a lot of enlargers in my life. The 1c is one of the best. The Beseler I'd put way down on the list.

 

[logan2z]

An enlarger needs to accomplish 3 things to be good. Hold the neg flat, project even light, and be aligned. The Beseler fails on the alignment end. And can fail on the even light end too. Depends on your Beseler. A friend of mine had one back in the day and he could never keep it aligned. Every time the head was moved the alignment would change. Get a laser and check it yourself if you don't believe me.

I like Hilo's solution to the newton ring issue. That is smart. I have an anti newton filter for my current Focomat but I've used anti newton plexi in the past. Worked fine.

You also have to think about the experience of making a print. The Focomat is much more enjoyable to use than a 23C. It is up to you though if it is worth it. I've used a lot of enlargers in my life. The 1c is one of the best. The Beseler I'd put way down on the list.

I don't have a 1C, but the later v35. The v35 is certainly the better designed/built enlarger when compared to the 23C II and it is a joy to use. But I have the 23C II for printing from medium format negatives and so I find myself often using it for 35mm prints too.

I haven't personally had issues keeping the 23C II aligned. It is a bit of a pain to align initially but it seems to stay aligned. In contrast, the v35 has no provisions for alignment, although the one I have seems to have been pretty well aligned from the factory and apparently it's stayed that way for decades. I have no experience aligning a 1C so don't know if it is possible/simple to do.

One big pro of the Beseler is availability of parts and accessories. The company is still in business and parts are readily available. Their customer support is also excellent. I don't think there is any support for the 1C (or v35) from Leica and parts aren't that easy to find and can be expensive if you do manage to track them down.

Despite the somewhat rudimentary design of the Beseler when compared to the Leitz enlargers, I don't really see any difference in the quality of the prints made from them.

 

[Hilo]

Mine has no way to hold filters, though. And moving from one frame of a negative strip to the next is easier to do with Omega negative carriers.

About using filters with the Ic: it's very easy to modify an under-the-lens filter holder made by Omega. Perhaps you even have one. You need to drill a hole in the "leg" of the holder and you can use the shoulder screw of the redfilter . . . Of course you won't be able to use the Ic redfilter, but you could get a red filter that fits the holder.

Moving the strip under the condenser: either you use the lever on the right to bring up the condenser a bit and you move the strip. Or you use one hand to tilt the head backwards a bit while moving the strip.

The latter is what I do because I am more in control.

 

[warden]

An enlarger needs to accomplish 3 things to be good. Hold the neg flat, project even light, and be aligned. The Beseler fails on the alignment end. And can fail on the even light end too. Depends on your Beseler. A friend of mine had one back in the day and he could never keep it aligned. Every time the head was moved the alignment would change. Get a laser and check it yourself if you don't believe me.

I like Hilo's solution to the newton ring issue. That is smart. I have an anti newton filter for my current Focomat but I've used anti newton plexi in the past. Worked fine.

You also have to think about the experience of making a print. The Focomat is much more enjoyable to use than a 23C. It is up to you though if it is worth it. I've used a lot of enlargers in my life. The 1c is one of the best. The Beseler I'd put way down on the list.

Thanks for the feedback. I have the laser tool and checked at the level that I most commonly use and it's in alignment, but I didn't check the entire range of movement so I'll look into that as well to see if/how much it varies.

 

[Don_ih]

About using filters with the Ic: it's very easy to modify an under-the-lens filter holder made by Omega. Perhaps you even have one. You need to drill a hole in the "leg" of the holder and you can use the shoulder screw of the redfilter . . . Of course you won't be able to use the Ic redfilter, but you could get a red filter that fits the holder.

Moving the strip under the condenser: either you use the lever on the right to bring up the condenser a bit and you move the strip. Or you use one hand to tilt the head backwards a bit while moving the strip.

The latter is what I do because I am more in control.

I use the lever to adjust the negative. But I often use my head to push the enlarger head up a little while I "fine tune" the position of the negative. The Omega holder is just easier to use - you line up the negative in it and put it in the enlarger.

I have an under-the-lens filter holder that I put on my 5x7 enlarger. But I hardly ever use that enlarger, so I'll likely just move the filter holder.

 

[Hilo]

Don, something I forgot to mention: I mostly use filed out negative carriers with the Ic. I file away about one millimetre on each of the four sides and I do not need to be very precise. Exact masking I do with the easel. This way you can print with or without the black border . . .

This makes positioning the negative a lot easier . . . I suggest you get an extra negative carrier and try it.

 

[Don_ih]

Don, something I forgot to mention: I mostly use filed out negative carriers with the Ic. I file away about one millimetre on each of the four sides and I do not need to be very precise. Exact masking I do with the easel. This way you can print with or without the black border . . .

This makes positioning the negative a lot easier . . . I suggest you get an extra negative carrier and try it.

I think I have three negative carriers. I have two standard ones, since I also have a Valoy. I also have some other carrier that came with the Focomat - but I can't remember what it's like.

 

[LouisGR]

I have both a V35 and a 1c. Both are great. I can't see a difference in the print quality between them. The autofocus on both is grain-sharp throughout the range of enlargement. You can adjust the mechanism on the 1c to allow for lenses that differ slightly in focal length on either side of 50mm. The V35 never needs adjustment because it comes with a focotar 40mm lens and is set up for that from the start. I use the 1c 90% of the time, mainly because you can buy the lightbulbs from any decent lighting shop (the V35 lamps are hard to come by). The enlarger in this discussion looks to be in excellent condition. Don''t worry if it is an older model, they are built with great precision and last for many decades; mine is the same vintage and doesn't look nearly as good. But it works. If I were you I wouldn't hesitate!

 

[eli griggs]

My Valloy II wears a small, bronze 'clip' on the bottom side of the condenser, as an anti-Newton Ring device.

Since this enlarger is similar, try checking the condenser for such a device or find out if one was ever made for it.

 

[Hilo]

Here a picture of what Eli describes: the Anti Newton ring Leitz made for the early Valoy II. It worked to an extent, except it became more difficult to clean the glass. More so because this bronze device has a very tight fit and is difficult to get off.

Leitz being Leitz and always improving, then made the anti Newton treated condenser for the Valoy II. The latest version of the Valoy II (light grey, smooth paint) came with that, but also some of the second version Valoy II did (darker blue-ish grey, wrinkle paint). Of course this AN condenser can be found on any Valoy II, also the first black version: one could just buy one. Second picture of the two condensers.

For the Focomat Ic Leitz just made the Anti Newton ring that clips onto the condenser and presses flat the negative. Third picture.

Oh, actually some company did make a so-called Newton Ring Eliminator for Leitz USA or Leitz Canada. Fourth picture.