Pontential fun with disc film

[CSundt]

I wanted to thank everyone for welcoming me here, and of course I have questions.

I am working on a collaborative project with a friend involving sense of place and memory, for part of my contribution I am attempting to make fairly large (20x24 and if possible, 30x40) c-prints of a number of my Kodak disc negatives.

I have an Omega Disc carrier being shipped (I'm quite sure someone at B&H is ecstatic to sell one)-I am trying to print at these sizes on a wall-mounted Omega D5xl, at the moment, the shortest lens I have access to is a 50-
Will this enable me to print at the size I am hoping to? A while back, I made 30x40 prints of 35mm negatives and could barely, even with a focusing extension, reach the enlarger.

I could remove the table in the room and print on the floor, but I thought I would see if anyone has experience making large prints from sub-miniature negatives.

While I'm one it, has anyone ever tried to scan one of these negatives? Short of cutting the plastic spindle out and maybe using a glass carrier, I cannot figure out how this might be done. Finally, does anyone know if some form of sleeve or protective something-or-other exists for this format of film, or is that too much to ask, I've become quite attached to these negatives, and the little envelopes that they're in don't look very good for them.

Thank you in advance,
Collin

 

[srs5694]

I have no experience with disc negatives; however, based on experience with 110 negatives and general principles....

If you have problems focusing with your 50mm lens, I've two suggestions: First, you could enlist somebody's help. One person handles the focus knob and the other views the projected image and gives instructions on how to adjust the focus. I'm sure this would be awkward and slow, but it'd probably work. Second, you could pick up a wider lens. These were certainly made at one time. I'm not sure what the optimal size would be for disc negatives. In a pinch, you could even use a non-enlarger lens. I've made enlargements from 110 negatives using a 37mm M39 lens intended for early Zenit SLRs. In principle, Leica-style rangefinder lenses should work, too. Non-enlarger lenses might not produce optimal results, but depending on your standards and budget, the fact that they're readily available on eBay might make them an appealing option. (I used one because I wanted to make a grand total of two enlargements, I had the camera lens on hand, and it just wasn't worth buying a subminiature-format enlarger lens for these two enlargements.)

As to scanning the negatives, I'd think a flatbed scanner with transparency support should work. I take it from your comments that there's a central spindle attached to the negative disc, so the film won't touch a scanner's glass bed. That might be fine. Flatbed negatives scanners have carriers that raise the negative a bit off the glass, so they seem to be designed with some distance between film and glass in mind. If you wanted to get fancy, I imagine you could rig up a carrier that consists of a thin piece of wood with a couple of holes cut in it, a circular one for the spindle in the disc's center (if I understand that detail correctly) and a rectangular one for the single negative you want to scan. You might also need another calibration hole, though; the flatbed scanners I use expect a hole at one end of the scanner through which the scanner "sees" light from the overhead lamp.

Finally, you might want to check out the Sub Club. This Web site has all sorts of information on using subminiature cameras, making enlargements from their negatives, etc. I'm not sure how much is there about disc film, but I figure it's worth a gander.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

I am attempting to make fairly large (20x24 and if possible, 30x40) c-prints of a number of my Kodak disc negatives. Omega D5xl

25mm enlarging lenses aren't hard to find. You may need a recessed lens mount to let it get close enough to the negative.

The frame size is 8x11mm, so at 30x40" print size and a 25mm lens you are going to be about 9 feet lens to easel. A close focusing telescope might help with focusing.

If you are using a color head the image is going to be dim. I don't know about the availability of condenser sets for disc film.

An alternative is to send it to a service bureau and have it scanned and a 6x9cm copy negative made.