Magnifax 4 (B&W) Condensers

[freax]

Hi,

I bought a used Magnifax 4 that arrived with an optional "Condenser Nº 1". Do I need also the "Condenser nº 2" to print both 35mm and 6x6 formats ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[freax]

Optionally can anybody send me a copy of the manual ? It is very hard to get for free !

 

[mnemosyne]

Hi, congratulations, the Magnifax 4/4a is a fine piece of equipment, maybe the best "budget" enlarger that is out there IMO. Yes, you will need the condenser no. 2 for 6x6. There are two condensers, "No. 1" for 35mm only and "No. 2" for the everything up to 6x9. Basically you can use the larger no. 2 condenser for everything from 35mm to 6x9, but not vice versa (obviously), that means, if you want to do 6x6 you have to have to the larger condenser. The 35mm condenser makes sense if the exposure times for 35mm become unfeasibly long with the larger condenser.
Nova Darkroom in the UK and Fotoimpex in Germany still sell (remaining) parts and accessories for the Magnifax, but the supply situation has become difficult, I couldn't find any condenser parts listed. If you have trouble finding a condenser for the larger formats it might be an option to search for a color head (Meopta Color 3) instead. It can be had cheap on Ebay auctions (should be under 50 Euros with power supply and at least one light mixing chamber). The color head uses four different light mixing chambers for the different formats (24x35, 6x6, 6x7 and 6x9) and these are (with the exception of the 6x9 item) still readily available new from the vendors mentioned above. Whatever you do, don't buy the Color Head 4 as it has some disadvantages compared to the model 3.
For various accessories have a look here.

 

[freax]

Hi Mnemosyne,

First, thanks for your help in advance.
My Magnifax is not model "4a", it's the older one called model "4" (without 'a' letter). And I think the condensers lens have different numbers between models range because my condenser nº1 is the largest I think. Here is a photo I have taken:



Yesterday I did some 6x6 and 35mm with this condenser in 8x10 and 4x6 paper on both formats and I don't notice any vignetting in final prints if it's what supposed to happen. Can you confirm please ?

Thanks.

 

[freax]

Hi again.

I exchanged some emails with RK Photographic and it looks the Condenser nº1 i have is for medium format. They say that existed a Condenser nº2 but the former (nº1) is so good to print 35mm that there is no need to buy it. The only difference could be a longer time (maybe seconds) to print 35mm.
The prints looks so good and with this confirmation I won't do anything and keep printing

Thanks again for the help.

 

[whitezo]

I've also found a little info about the two different lenses:
http://rangefinder.ru/download/manuals/Magnifax_4a-pdf-5828.pdf

However, I'm looking exactly for the larger #1 condenser at the moment, wanting to enlarge medium format films as well.

 

[freax]

I had success contacting RK Photographic (http://www.thedarkroom.co.uk/) but there are other companies selling Magnifax parts: http://www.fotoimpex.de/ and http://www.theimagingwarehouse.com/. You could try contacting them and ask prices because I'm not seeing condensers in ebay for this model for a long time.

 

[whitezo]

Yeah I might do that, although these are the exact same 3 sites I've already looked at already , although I haven't asked them.