Using Enlarger as a Copy Stand

Through the years I have used a number of means to make copies of my work to send via mail and recently e-mail.

My most recent setup is shown here.

I place the photograph back in the easel in which I used for the initial print.

A light-weight camera is affixed to the shaft on my lensboard that contains the 'swing-in' red filter.

12" reflector lights are brought in from the sides at 45 degree angle.

Make sure to turn off any room lights.

When I had the Beseler CB7 I can remove the lamp house and attach a tripod head to the carriage. That way I can attach even a big and heavy camera.

Good solution ic-racer.

I have been on the lookout for the a complete copy attachment for my Durst L1200. Haven't found one yet; then again, not sure how often I would use it.

I got hands on a spare enlarger head some time ago and buit this for attaching cameras to the enlarger column.

This was my first copy stand before I got into darkroom stuff. Just a piece of aluminium rod machined and attached to the enlarger column (my personal copy of a Durst Siriocam):

I have used 'heavier' cameras with setups like shown. For example my Philips enlarger converts to a conventional copy stand for a 'heavier' camera.

What amazed me is that the 'light weight' camera produces images that I have found satisfactory for all electronic transmission of 0 and 1 that I need. That includes the images posted in #2 in this thread, friends, family and, most importantly contest judges.

I adapted my own L184 8x10 enlarger for almost instant back and forth conversion between its normal function as an enlarger and as a deluxe copystand. Both the upper portion and baseboard have motorized controls. I simply interchange the usual big lens turret disc with a strong black phenolic disc with a 3/8 hole through it, which accepts a my big Bogen tripod head, which in turn accepts either film med format or 35 film or digital cameras. This enlarger chassis handles all the weight with ease.

I like the Df Nikon because it has manual controls on the top, easily accessible in this setup, as well as a right angle SLR-style fine-focus optical viewer, equivalent to my copystand accessories for my P67 and film Nikon. The enlarger baseboard is equipped with out-of-the-way strong arm supports for my mid-pro-level LED rim lights. But none of this interferes with my routine use of the machine for color enlarging clear up to 40X60 inch prints. In fact, it's saved me a lot of my limited floor space in the lab. The only downside it that it's not intended to accept a 4x5 view camera like my old copy setup. If ever needed again, that could be improvised in another manner. But I wanted this more for print collection cataloging and web illustration purposes. The LED lights themselves are perfectly adequate for that kind of use. I'm glad to get my old Lowell hot light copy system out of there, cause that's what they were - hot !

DREW WILEY said:

I adapted my own L184 8x10 enlarger for almost instant back and forth conversion between its normal function as an enlarger and as a deluxe copystand. Both the upper portion and baseboard have motorized controls. I simply interchange the usual big lens turret disc with a strong black phenolic disc with a 3/8 hole through it, which accepts a my big Bogen tripod head, which in turn accepts either film med format or 35 film or digital cameras. This enlarger chassis handles all the weight with ease.

I like the Df Nikon because it has manual controls on the top, easily accessible in this setup, as well as a right angle SLR-style fine-focus optical viewer, equivalent to my copystand accessories for my P67 and film Nikon. The enlarger baseboard is equipped with out-of-the-way strong arm supports for my mid-pro-level LED rim lights. But none of this interferes with my routine use of the machine for color enlarging clear up to 40X60 inch prints. In fact, it's saved me a lot of my limited floor space in the lab. The only downside it that it's not intended to accept a 4x5 view camera like my old copy setup. If ever needed again, that could be improvised in another manner. But I wanted this more for print collection cataloging and web illustration purposes. The LED lights themselves are perfectly adequate for that kind of use. I'm glad to get my old Lowell hot light copy system out of there, cause that's what they were - hot !

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Curious about your LED lights and set-up. Is this something you put together or readily available?

Most LED panels don't work very well. You get a grid pattern. Rim lighting bounces the LED's off a perimeter rim, and then diffuses them, so much better evenness. Mine are oval. Mid-quality (or top quality within the Savage brand itself), around $800 for the pair. I can't afford the real-deal pro studio types just for web applications or personal print cataloging. And if critical color were involved, I could aways directly exchange my Lowell hot lights; I designed it that way. So it's a hybrid system. But if you have extra space at the sides, you could obviously just set up the lights on individual stands rather than a dedicated arm system I like I did. But that makes it faster to operate and hold correct position; takes up less space too.

A couple facts of life about LED panels besides the potential pattern drawback to many varieties I already noted. The actual output color temperature is going to be different from the advertised BS version, at least for lighting below Hollywood-quality lighting expectations, which most film crews rent around here instead of outright buying it. Both my lights are the very same model, purchased at the same time, yet don't match each other at the pre-sets. Since they're variable color-temp as well as variable lumen, it's easy to adjust them to exact match using a color temp meter and standard light meter with gray card or gray disc. But neither comes up to the advertised 5500K Daylight standard, not even 5000K. But I got them both to match at 4800K, and only a modest amount of filtration over the camera lens, or in the program of the digital Nikon, can easily correct for that shortfall. That because most manufacturers just have installed this or that rated LED itself, or rather, mixed multiples of them, and don't bother to factor in the yellowing of the diffuser background and overlying plastic panel itself. The same is also true for most light boxes, unless you buy the very best.

I wonder if you throw a diffusion panel over the LED panel, maybe even add an additional diffuser, if it would eliminate the grid pattern. I only need to copy b&W prints, so color balance is not a factor for me. But evenness of illumination is really important.

That approach should work fine for b&w copy work. You could use ordinary diffusing fabric or frosted gels. Or if you have enough light output, get 1/16th inch "Sign White" acrylic from a plastics shop. It allows more light through than regular white Plexiglas of the same thickness. Just don't trust advertised lumen ratings either, when buying garden-variety LED panels. I went to the store along with my color temp and lux meters before dropping a penny. They knew me well, so I had right of return too - one of the advantages of real brick and mortar photo stores versus web ordering. You might pay a little more, but save in the long run. Or deal with a web house that understands your need to test, and carefully repackage the item for return if you're not happy with it. The cheaper the product, the higher the BS coefficient is likely to be.

You need to have your lighting below the height of your lens, otherwise, you can illuminate your camera and may get reflections of it in the copy work.

I remember a simple way to test for reflections of camera and/or lights (this was before digital) was to put a sheet of black paper/card the max size of your copy work and place a sheet of glass on top of it. If you couldn't see the lamps or the lens reflection when looking through the viewfinder, then all was ok.

Another simple test for even illumination on the baseboard was to use a light meter and move it around the area that was to be copied and check for any variances in lighting.

Good tip on the reflection test, thanks. My darkroom/scanning setup is in a white shiny-tiled laundry which is always challenging.

Reflections require you to cross-polarize the lighting in relation to the lens, which can have some unwanted side effects. I cover up anything shiny around of above the copy station with studio velvet or something else black. Even the camera is covered except for the lens opening itself. A 45 degree angle is the old standard advice for copy lights; but that doesn't necessarily apply to diffuse sources. You really need to test, and adjust as needed.