Meopta Opemus 5 questions

Hello ! Let me start by stating that I am a total newbie in darkroom printing !!
A couple of days ago this enlarger which has a colour head. Now, my questions ...

Searching the net I found a thread in here (there was a url link here which no longer exists) which describes the settings for filter grades.
The point is that the head that the enlarger has, only goes up to 180. So, I am not sure I will do the contrast settings with success. So, the solution I though was to buy filters. That seems easy, as the head has a trey on the right hand side-which I believe it is for filters-but it measures 7.5x7.5 cm . The Ilford filters that I find are bigger. So, what do I do ?

The film carrier has two glasses and four sliders to adjust according to what films you use. It can go up to 6x6. The thing is that from what I saw, the glasses have some marks that can be seen on the negative( I saw thta by projecting a negative). Also, it's not that easy to adjust the carrier for 35 mm. So, I found this http://www.fotoimpex.de/shopen/darkroom/meopta-negative-mask-for-opemus-2-5-35mm.html I have asked them if this set is enough to replace both glasses, but still no answer. So, will this set do ?

I really do hope to get some help, as I am really excited to finally enter the world of darkroom printing.

The filters are not glass, but gelatine filters, that you cut down to the proper size of your tray. As an alternative you can just hold them under the lens while exposing the paper. However, these filters are not cheap, especially the larger ones, and will fade over time. I recommend you start with the filters in your color head and if you feel that the grades that you can achieve with it are too limited (which I highly doubt) you can still buy gelatine filters later. Some paper manufacturers list filter values for Meopta heads, but these are just guidelines, you don't need any table to print, you just "do": Zero filter gives you grade 2, adding magenta will make the print more contrasty, adding yellow will reduce contrast. Remember you have to compensate exposure time for the added filter. You will quickly learn what it takes to get the look that you want from a given negative ...

Mask: Yes, according to the description, these metal masks will replace the glass inserts, and this is also how it works with my Magnifax.

Meny thanks mnemosyne !

I found out later today that these filter can be cut out. I might do what you say and experiment, after all that's half the fun, right ! I guess there is a rule I should follow for exposure compensation when I add-lets say-magenta from the color head ?

Still no answer fro the company about the mask ... anyway. I might get that set and see. I don't trust the glasses match.

The 35 mm mask replaces both glasses. Just remove the glasses and replace with the two masks.

You could look for another Opemus enlarger on ebay, thriftstores, etc. A lot of them have the 35 mm mask and they cost next to nothing. Opemus 2-5 enlargers have the same carrier.

So it could be cheaper then buying the mask at fotoimpex

That's the way I got my glasses, 35 mm masks and 60 mm masks. And a lot of other spare parts.

That enlarger cost me 85 euros with timer included. I bought it locally. Any enlarger I found on ebay was way more expensive especially because of the shipping costs. As for the mask alone, couldn't fin it either.
The important thing is that it fits but from what I saw the final cost, including shipping is 55 euros !!! That's absurd ! Ok .... I might start printing with the glasses, but what should I use to clean them good without leaving any marks ?

55 euros of shipping costs is a lot. The cost for shipping to the Netherlands is only 10 euros I think.
Are you outside the EU?

There are lots of Opemus enlargers in Holland. I have bought three for around 3 euros each.
Our local Ebay site is full of them and nobody is bidding:
http://www.marktplaats.nl/z.html?query=opemus+5&categoryId=48

You can clean the glasses with alcohol or a cleaner you use for windows. Nothing special is needed.

Regards,

Jan Alwin

The Meochrom 2 colour head which you have will give you from almost Grade 00 at 180 yellow to almost Grade 5 at 180 magenta according to the table you reference. I would be very surprised if you find this limiting, assuming your exposures and film development times are reasonable. I use an Opemus V with Meochrom head and typically print between Grade 1 and Grade 3 with no problems since this covers the range of negative contrasts that I see. Of course the Ilford filters are nice as they allow you to retain approximately the same exposure time when changing grades (except for the hardest, which I think requires double the exposure), while using the colour head you have to adjust the exposure for different grades. In practise one gets used to doing this and it's not much of a problem.

Enjoy your new Opemus 5!

@janalwin I live in Greece, and the 55 euros I mentioned include the shipping and the product. They just seem a lot but I might get them eventually as I am having a hard time with the carrier as it is.
Also, the link is nice but I don't speak the language unfortunately !!

@andrew.roos the head goes indeed to 180. After some more researching I believe too that the magenta grades are sufficient ! I shoot mainly in tri-x and develop in rodinal so, yes, I like contrast a bit ! I will be fine without the extra filters. About the time though, experimentatio is all I need. After all, Ilford has a nice pack of 100 13x18 cm papers that I can buy and play with !
Do you use a guide for the grades or you just "know" what to set ?

Generally the more I find out about the process the more relaxed I feel. And the help I got the two days that I am here is really great !!

Hallo macgreg,

I checked my collection of spare parts. I have an extra 35 mask. I can send it to you via normal mail, if you pay the postage.
Contact me personally if you want the mask.

Thanks, I already did !

macgreg said:

@andrew.roos the head goes indeed to 180. After some more researching I believe too that the magenta grades are sufficient ! I shoot mainly in tri-x and develop in rodinal so, yes, I like contrast a bit ! I will be fine without the extra filters. About the time though, experimentatio is all I need. After all, Ilford has a nice pack of 100 13x18 cm papers that I can buy and play with !
Do you use a guide for the grades or you just "know" what to set ?

Click to expand...

I have a handwritten set of filter values up on the darkroom wall. They are almost identical to the ones in the other post that you referenced, so I think you will do fine with those.

One tip about the Opemus V in case you don't already know. If you pull the negative carrier out a bit, you will see that two thin lines project onto the baseboard. As you focus the enlarger, the two lines move relative to each other. When they are lined up (creating a single line), the enlarger is in focus. I don't usually focus this way - I use a grain focusser - but the few times I have tried it seemed pretty accurate.

Thanks Andrew, I will use that board in the beginning and see what I 'll get.

Thanks about the tip, I have already seen that and seems pretty accurate to me too !! I still haven't bought any grain focusser but it might not be needed just yet.

I have come across a NIKON EL-Nikkor 75mm f.4 in excellent condition and in a very good price. Does anyone has tried it in an enlarger like mine ? I think it will fit, correct ?

And is this good enough to try out some 6x6 printing or should I look for an 80mm ?

The Nikkor 75 will be just fine for 6x6.

Thanks JeffL. Now, my only concern is if it will fit.
The lens that is on my enlarger now is a Berophot 3.5 has 39 mm thread(which I just measured) and I just found this link so I think I'm good to go.

Yes the El Nikkor 75mm also has a 39mm thread so there should be no problem.

Cheers
Andrew

Thanks Andrew !

macgreg said:

Thanks JeffL. Now, my only concern is if it will fit.
The lens that is on my enlarger now is a Berophot 3.5 has 39 mm thread(which I just measured) and I just found this link so I think I'm good to go.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I have been busy and not able to check back. I see you have the answers you need. Most enlarging lenses that I have seen have a 39mm screw mount. I ended up with a Durst Scheinder that had a smaller diameter screw mount, but an adapter for 39mm was easily found that threaded over the smaller screw mount threads.
Jeff