thoughts on 6x9 format

Peter Schrager · Nov 2, 2020

I'm thinking of buying a 6x9 camera but concerned about how I'm going to print the negatives
my current enlarger only goes 2+1/4
I have another that does 6x7
I'm assuming that you need to use a 4x5 enlarger??
anyone here printing with 6x9??
love your thoughts!!
thank you
Peter

summicron1 · Nov 2, 2020

Most consumer shooters with those cameras -- tourists, family snappers and so forth -- just had contact prints made. The beauty of a 6 by 9 neg is that it makes a fairly decent contact print.

If you don't mind a bit of a crop you can print with that 6 by 7 but you do lose a lot.

i recently printed up some negs shot with an old Kodak that actually gives slightly larger than 6 by 9 -- and, yeah, i am fortunate to have a 4 by 5 enlarger that my brother bought for commercial work and realized, lo these many years later, that it wasn't worth the hassle of selling and shipping off so he is "storing" it in my darkroom.

You need a glass neg holder unless the enlarger has a film holder for 6 by 9 but, yeah, you need a 4 by 5 enlarger. Fortunately, like all such gear, they're a glut on the market. Find one nearby that you can go pick up and, no, mine is not for sale.

Oren Grad · Nov 2, 2020

Peter Schrager said:
I'm assuming that you need to use a 4x5 enlarger??
anyone here printing with 6x9??

You can use a 6x9 enlarger. The Beseler 23C series is probably best known and most widely available in the US, but I think other vendors as well made enlargers with 6x9 as maximum format.

I started printing 6x9 with a Beseler 23CII, currently use an LPL4500II for enlarging all formats from half-frame 35 up to 4x5..

Mike Lopez · Nov 2, 2020

Sell me some of that amidol and I'll show you what a 6x9 contact print is capable of.

Alan9940 · Nov 2, 2020

If you like the longer proportions of 35mm, then you'll like 6x9; and, you'll get much better image quality by comparison. I use a 4x5 enlarger to print 6x9, but you can find MF enlargers (as mentioned above) that will handle this film size. You could also scan and print via the desktop. I'm assuming you want to enlarge the film, but contact printing is certainly a viable option, too.

gordrob · Nov 2, 2020

Oren Grad said:
The Beseler 23C series is probably best known and most widely available in the US. .

I agree with Oren about The Beseler 23C. It does a great job on any negatives up to 6x9 with an abundance of accessories out there on the market. My 23C is sitting in storage since I upgraded but it had a lot of use printing 6x9. I use a Mamiya Super 23 with 6x9 backs and a full set of lenses. The roll backs have a reputation for film flatness and it shows in enlargements, It is a great camera with the 50mm, 65mm or 100mm lenses and it is not as heavy or awkward to use as a lot of people say.

David A. Goldfarb · Nov 2, 2020

4x5” enlargers seem fairly plentiful out there, and if space is a concern some like the Omega D series are relatively compact. They’re sturdy professional machines and have been around long enough that there are lots of accessories for them as well that are easy to find (3 lens cones/plates, every possible size of neg carrier open or glass, light sources, tilting film stage, etc.).

Peter Schrager · Nov 2, 2020

thanks everyone I have a beveler 23C11 and have access to 4x5 enlargers as well at the VCP ( Vermont center of photography; plug here!!)
already used 6x7 but had to sell my mama 7 so thinking of grabbing one of the Fujis!

ic-racer · Nov 2, 2020

I got the 4x5 enlarger first, before I had any cameras larger than 6x6cm. However, I did notice my old folders were 6x9cm, so that is when I started re-spooling and using those. The rest was a slippery slope toward 8x10 format....

DWThomas · Nov 2, 2020

It appears the "9" part of 6x9 varies noticeably between different makers or models. I have an Omega B-8 which nominally goes to 6x9, but the 9 is a bit short for the negatives out of my Ercona II, so I would not recommend it if 6x9 is your primary interest. (It works great on 6x6 -- and probably 6x7 if I had any!)

Mike Lopez · Nov 2, 2020

Peter Schrager said:
thanks everyone I have a beveler 23C11 and have access to 4x5 enlargers as well at the VCP ( Vermont center of photography; plug here!!)
already used 6x7 but had to sell my mama 7 so thinking of grabbing one of the Fujis!

Which Fuji?

Nokton48 · Nov 2, 2020

Auto Makiflex 21cm f4.5 Heliar 120 6x9 Maki Back 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Auto Makiflex 21cm f4.5 Heliar 120 6x9 Maki Back 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Auto Makiflex #3 with 21cm f4.5 Auto iris Makiflex Heliar. 1/60 F11 Ilford FP4+ 6x9cm Makina Back ADOX BORAX MQ Developer 8x10 Arista #2 RC print Multigrade developer. Full sun Key Day. Waiting for the Lily in my front garden to fully open up. I am enjoying looking through the 21cm Heliar.

I printed these this morning with my 4x5 Omega DII with Omegalite Diffusion Head and 180mm Black Rodagon

pentaxuser · Nov 2, 2020

Yes when 6x9 folders were still common in the 50s and even into the early 60s contact prints were the order of the day and depending on what the scene was, a contact print was OK. It was a great size of print to be placed in a wallet

It seems to me that unless you really want a 4x5 camera then 6x9 gives you the economy and convenience of roll film with the ability for very big enlargements.

pentaxuser

NedL · Nov 2, 2020

pentaxuser said:
It seems to me that unless you really want a 4x5 camera then 6x9 gives you the economy and convenience of roll film with the ability for very big enlargements.

+1 I think 6x9 is a great "sweet spot" for enlarging, even if you're not going very big enlargements.

138S · Nov 2, 2020

Peter Schrager said:
I'm thinking of buying a 6x9 camera but concerned about how I'm going to print the negatives
my current enlarger only goes 2+1/4
I have another that does 6x7
I'm assuming that you need to use a 4x5 enlarger??
anyone here printing with 6x9??
love your thoughts!!
thank you
Peter

Long ago (1990s) I had been using a Durst M805 for 6x9cm, it worked perfect...

Anyway a 4x5" enlarger would be a good bet for the case you decide to shot some 6x12cm, which is an interesting format for landascape. Today it is a very natural format because we are all day long looking at 2:1 aspect ratio devices, and what is not printed but scanned matches TVs, monitors phones and etc. and etc.

As you shot LF possibly you may have (or consider) a 6x12cm roll film back, for color it is a sound choice as color (and some BW sheets) are well more expensive and difficult to process...

Not saying at all that you should shot 6x12cm, just pointing that a 4x5" enlarger instead a 6x9cm one would keep your choices open also for potential 6x12cm.

DREW WILEY · Nov 2, 2020

4x5 enlargers are more common, are capable of more even illumination, have more options and accessories, and allow you to size up to 4x5 if you ever decide to. I actually use a 5X7 inch enlarger for all my smaller neg work - 4X5 inch film, 6X9 cm, 6x7cm, 35mm. But for a long time before my deluxe current darkroom I simply used a basic Omega 4x5 enlarger and colorhead. Bought it well-used, and it still lasted another 30 years before any problems. Now I have much more serious enlargers, including several 8x10 units. But I did use an actual medium format enlarger for only about six months, right at the beginning, and quickly figured out it was going to paint me in a corner.

Peter Schrager · Nov 2, 2020

I have a great 6x7 enlarger made by Minolta
Its one of the best I've ever used and machined so well. I'm looking at any of the latest 6x9 rangefinders by fuji. I'm not going to use a reducing back on 4x5 as that defeats the purpose of mobility. Honestly selling my Mariya 7 sucked as it did everything perfectly but they have gotten ridiculously expensive so I'm seriously considering the 6x9 format.
I realize I will get better coverage with a 4x5 enlarger
I did manage to find a holder on ebay today...
I've had a Hasselblad for quite a number of years now but we never became friends

Peter Schrager · Nov 2, 2020

You are all amazing and I certainly appreciate all the feedback!!

MattKing · Nov 2, 2020

There are 6x7 and 6x8 versions of those Fuji rangefinders, and in essence they are the same camera, with a different film mask and film advance and film counter.
I'm in a similar position, Space constraints forced me to stop using my 4x5 enlarger and transition to a very compact 6x7 enlarger.
I'm just going to crop in the viewfinder my 6x9 camera.
Think of it as built in rise or shift.

mshchem · Nov 3, 2020

I have 3 Fuji 6x9 these are my favorite cameras. Fuji made a lot of 6x7, and 6x8 versions. A lot more of these from Japan sellers. 23c is a obvious choice for 6x9

There's a lot of really nice 6x7 enlargers maybe find one with a VCCE Head.

Paul Howell · Nov 4, 2020

I shoot a lot of 6X9, my preference over 6X7, the Bessler will work with all the formats you shoot. At some point you decide to upgrade to a 4X5.

Prest_400 · Nov 5, 2020

I love when 6x9 full frame works properly. I print at a shared darkroom space where the 13x18 (5x7") enlarger does best for me. Dichroic filters with a digital timer make split grade a breeze.
Then there is a Durst M801 which supports the format but I rarely use it, given the advantages of the 5x7 enlarger.

Rick A · Nov 5, 2020

If you have a 23C series Beseler enlarger, all you need is the proper negative carrier and dial the condensers to the 6x9 setting and you're good to go.

SJC1952 · Nov 23, 2020

I have a Fuji 690 111 and use a De Vere 203 varicose enlarger which does everything from 35mm to 6x9. I have to change the condensers and obviously the lens for 35mm.

RalphLambrecht · Nov 23, 2020

Peter Schrager said:
I'm thinking of buying a 6x9 camera but concerned about how I'm going to print the negatives
my current enlarger only goes 2+1/4
I have another that does 6x7
I'm assuming that you need to use a 4x5 enlarger??
anyone here printing with 6x9??
love your thoughts!!
thank you
Peter

Yes, I print it witha Durst L1200 4x5 enlager;better quality than 6x6 and almost as good as 4x5.

thoughts on 6x9 format

Peter Schrager

summicron1

Oren Grad

Mike Lopez

Alan9940

gordrob

David A. Goldfarb

Moderator

Peter Schrager

ic-racer

DWThomas

Mike Lopez

Nokton48

pentaxuser

NedL

138S

DREW WILEY

Peter Schrager

Peter Schrager

MattKing

Moderator

mshchem

Paul Howell

Prest_400

Rick A

SJC1952

RalphLambrecht

thoughts on 6x9 format

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency