Leningrad enlarger

nathdath · Jun 8, 2008

I've just bought a "vintage" enlarger, the Leningrad-2. Brand new, but without the manual, of course, so I'm not sure if I've put the right thing at the right place (the two condenser lenses). For now, I can only print small sizes (13x18). I can't imagine that this huge enlarger was not designed to do more than that. I must be missing something. Can anyone help me out, please?

haris · Jun 9, 2008

I don't know anything about that enlarger. But:

If you have correct lens and condensers for negative size you use, try next: take lensboard off enlarger, turn it 180 degrees (upside down), return it that way into enlarger, and then screw lens into lens board.

My enlargers require me to do that when work with 50mm lenses for example...

fschifano · Jun 10, 2008

Tell us a little more and maybe we can help you out a bit. What is the focal length of the lens you are using? What is the size of the negative? How are the condensers arranged? There should be two, maybe three if it is like some of the Omega lamphouses. If only two, they should be arranged with the curved surfaces facing each other, and the flat sides facing the negative and the lamp. In the Omega lamphouse with three condensers, the third is used to concentrate the light over the smaller area needed for 35 mm and smaller formats. This will shorten exposure times, which may or may not be useful.

nathdath · Jun 10, 2008

Thanks a lot for your concern. Lens: 3,5/50. Film: 35 mm. Condensers: only two. Plus: a frosted glass. Concerning the condensers, I've tried each of the (8 I think) possibilities, i.d. just one/both/upside down. The problem seems to be the distance between the negative and the lens, which I can't make smaller enough. There's no bellows, just a focussing wheel.

Paul Howell · Jun 10, 2008

nathdath said:
Thanks a lot for your concern. Lens: 3,5/50. Film: 35 mm. Condensers: only two. Plus: a frosted glass. Concerning the condensers, I've tried each of the (8 I think) possibilities, i.d. just one/both/upside down. The problem seems to be the distance between the negative and the lens, which I can't make smaller enough. There's no bellows, just a focussing wheel.

Sounds very similar to Federal Enlargers made in the US in the late 30s, 40, and early 50s, some had bellows but most had a soild tube that moved up and down. I have a Federal 245 that I just bought to convert into a point light source enlarger. Federals are sort of a hybrid that uses either a single condenser with the frosted plate for semi defusion or a double condenser without the frosted plate. I did get the instuction book and for my Federal I need an inverted lens cone for the 50mm, mine only came with the lens cone for the 90mm for 6X9 negatives, but I can get an 80mm to work. I think your problem is the lens board not the condensers.

alex66 · Jun 10, 2008

I had one of the them years ago I liked it and kind of regret selling it, now if you mean 13x18 inches that I recall is about as much as it would do on the base board. I think the condenser lenses mainly apply the dispersion of light, but I cold be wrong. I worked round the max size issue by spinning the column round and projecting on to the floor, very inelegant but it worked to a point and was a pita

nathdath · Jun 11, 2008

Paul Howell said:
Sounds very similar to Federal Enlargers made in the US in the late 30s, 40, and early 50s, some had bellows but most had a soild tube that moved up and down. I have a Federal 245 that I just bought to convert into a point light source enlarger. Federals are sort of a hybrid that uses either a single condenser with the frosted plate for semi defusion or a double condenser without the frosted plate. I did get the instuction book and for my Federal I need an inverted lens cone for the 50mm, mine only came with the lens cone for the 90mm for 6X9 negatives, but I can get an 80mm to work. I think your problem is the lens board not the condensers.

So, if I get it right, I'll have to find another lens (an inverted lens cone?) for the formats larger than 13x18? Arghhhhhh

Paul Howell · Jun 11, 2008

nathdath said:
So, if I get it right, I'll have to find another lens (an inverted lens cone?) for the formats larger than 13x18? Arghhhhhh

I found that I could enlarge to 11X14 with an 80mm. Even a 75 is too short. If your enlarger is still in produciton or even a late model you may be to buy the correct lens board for a 50mm. My Federal was made in 1939, so I need to have lens cone made.

PHOTOTONE · Jun 12, 2008

If you use a longer lens, perhaps an 80mm, which is standard for medium format film, then the lens would need to be further away from the film, than a 50mm lens. Your enlarger may have been designed for an 80mm lens.

Paul Howell · Jun 12, 2008

PHOTOTONE said:
If you use a longer lens, perhaps an 80mm, which is standard for medium format film, then the lens would need to be further away from the film, than a 50mm lens. Your enlarger may have been designed for an 80mm lens.

My Federal was desgined for a 90mm for 6X9, it came with a 3 1/4 inch uncoated Federal lens and cone and a masking negative carrier with instuction on how mask down to 35mm. The instucition booklet lists prices for 3 differnt cones: 2 1/2 inch, 3 1/4 and a 4 inch lens. My Omgea D lens boards fit the focusing tube and the flat board used for the 50mm on the Omega works for a 105mm. The only 90mm I have is a Wallensack which is an odd size and does not mount on the 3 1/4 inch cone, but my 80mm does with an adaptor. The Federal is quite good condering that it made of stamp parts, has good stability and alingment, it is sharp across the negative. The design was quite cleaver for a enlarger that is now 69 years old. If I can only find the right bulb for point source.

Leningrad enlarger

haris

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