Minolta Model 3 enlarger with Color head

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Peter Schrager said:

I have the same enlarger and have the color meter gizmo for it...so if anyone here can use it free for the shipping!
Best, Peter

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Would be cool to try it, Peter. How much for shipping to 55104?

Thomas, I had a head slapping moment after a lot of frustration not being able to fit an easel under my Saunders 6770 when I realized the negative carriers were designed to also fit in sideways. Maybe take a look at that.

p,s. Does this mean that you don't want your Leitz v35 anymore? I certainly know a good home for it!

By the way, the Minolta lenses are pretty spectacular. I did a test of a bunch of 50's a while back (Schneider, Rodenstock, Fuji, Minolta, Computar, S-Orthoplanar) and the Minolta was right at the top. It had lots of chromatic aberrations wide open but it was super sharp stopped down. One of these days I will get around to scanning the results and posting them.

patrickjames said:

Thomas, I had a head slapping moment after a lot of frustration not being able to fit an easel under my Saunders 6770 when I realized the negative carriers were designed to also fit in sideways. Maybe take a look at that.

p,s. Does this mean that you don't want your Leitz v35 anymore? I certainly know a good home for it!

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Hi Patrick,

The neg holders go in one way only. There's even a groove on each side to make sure you don't screw up.
It is possibly the dumbest design for a negative carrier I have seen. It holds the film flat for sure, because the prints are just amazingly sharp, from corner to corner, without glass (almost no dust, woohoo!), so they got a lot of things right with this enlarger. But, those little tidbits I just can't believe.

The V35 is my baby, and it stays right here... No risk of that one leaving. But thanks for asking .

Appreciate your thoughts, and your results on enlarging lenses confirm my suspicion that the Minolta lens is wicked sharp. I use it at f/8 and f/11, and am thoroughly impressed. I get enlargements at 9x9 size from 120 that I quality wise can't tell apart from prints made with 4x5 negatives in the Omega. Not even in the grain department. I'm convinced I'll come up with something that works with this enlarger, and have an idea to wall mount it that I think will work out very nicely.

Thomas Bertilsson said:

Hi Patrick,

The V35 is my baby, and it stays right here... No risk of that one leaving. But thanks for asking .

Appreciate your thoughts, and your results on enlarging lenses confirm my suspicion that the Minolta lens is wicked sharp. I use it at f/8 and f/11, and am thoroughly impressed. I get enlargements at 9x9 size from 120 that I quality wise can't tell apart from prints made with 4x5 negatives in the Omega. Not even in the grain department. I'm convinced I'll come up with something that works with this enlarger, and have an idea to wall mount it that I think will work out very nicely.

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I know you love the v35 from that old enlarging thread. I am semi looking for one although I am really happy with my Saunders 4550. I think I am going to sell my other Saunders (670 VCCE) since I have no need for it. It would be nice to have a v35 since the Saunders feels like such overkill to print 35mm.


I may be Captain Obvious here but if you mount the Minolta to the wall, make sure you put it high enough that you have a good clearance beneath it and far enough away from the wall so it won't obstruct you from making big prints. If you mount it high enough so the lowest it will go coincides with the smallest print you want to make then your largest print you will be able to do will be that much larger. Most enlargers top out at a 20" print but you may be able to get that up to 28 or 30" if you plan it right. Something to think about.

I have a Minolta 80mm in storage I am going to have to dig out... They really are massively underrated. No one ever talks about them either. Just do a google search.....

Minolta Mod III

After owning and loosing 2 different Mod III's over 20 years, here I am again!

I am looking for a 6 x 6 mixing box and any spare parts you folks may have "stored". Please let me know what I can do to make it "easier" to let loose of them. I do loooove this little guy!