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office888 · Joined: 19 Feb 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Southwest Michigan

I've been after a 4x5 enlarger for the past year, But i'm afraid that my modest budget can't afford an Omega D5 =P. I found this one for an extremely good price and are wondering if it can handle 4x5? I know the Model #312 can accomodate only upto 6x9, but what about the model #315?

Can somebody shed some light on this?

Also, I'm think about getting into color development now. I'm deadset about using Kodak Film & Chemicals, specifically Portra 160 4x5 film. Can somebody tell me what chemicals I need? Also, what are the developing times at 68 degrees F?
Develop how long?
Fix how long?

Nick · Joined: 16 Oct 2002 Posts: 494

Rangemaster · Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2004 12:32 am Post subject:

If the federal does not have a color head, you will be in for a major headache, I have not seen one with a color head and I have owned three of them, I know, I have been there done that and unless your real familer with blending colors with color gels, you will waste a ton of paper, I would also suggest getting a color wheel and a set of Kodak Color filters for viewing your prints after development, they will help a lot in understanding how to make your color corrections.

In addition to the RA-4 process, you will have to have a C-41 process for development of the film which can be very temp dependant, when I used to do color darkroom work, I had temp controlled valves as well as complete running water washing systems, color paper is far more successful in developing if you also have a uni-color drum and drum rotator, I eventually purchased a machine called a Hope, that was a god send, but also was ungodly expensive.

I have done a lot of color darkroom work and was the darkroom guy at the store I recently left, color work at home is a pain, and it is expensive to get set up correctly, and it does not pay to try and shortcut what things you need, getting it set up right and making sure you know all about the different processes will go along way to ensuring success.

Another thing to remember, color chemicals can be more caustic, hense more dangerous than the normal B&W chemestry, so making sure your careful is important as well.

If I can help, let me know

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glennfromwy · Joined: 29 Nov 2001 Posts: 903 Location: S.W. Wyoming

Any Federal enlargers are going to be in the neighborhood of 50 years old. Not the thing for color work but they still produce an acceptable B&W print. The Federal lenses aren't too bad. I still have a Federal 6X9 portable enlarger stuck away in the closet. Wish I could say if the 315 would take 4X5. If you are relatively new to darkroom work, I would encourage you to get some B&W experience under your belt before contemplating color. Color is much more demanding. Costly, too.

_________________
Glenn

"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"

45PSS · Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2004 1:47 am Post subject:

[ This Message was edited by: 45PSS on 2005-12-26 18:44 ]

office888 · Joined: 19 Feb 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Southwest Michigan

*Laughs*

Well, that got quite a bit of a response. I'll say it this way: The enlarger is for my black & white work.

I'm just thinking about doing color. I'm going to start off with 35mm and get used to printing it first.

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Nick · Joined: 16 Oct 2002 Posts: 494

I'll describe my home setup for color. It's not free but it's not that expensive either.

A 50 quart picnic cooler. I sort of wish I'd gotten one that was longer and lower instead of this one that's taller. OTOH it's good enough just a little tight for C-41 when I've got all the bottles of wash water in it.

In the bottom of the cooler is a 350 watt fish heater. Might be 250 watts I forget.

I fill it with warm water put the chemical bottles in and turn the heater on. The setup will maintain chemicals at the right temp by just setting the dial. The dial isn't accurate so I needed to calibrate it. On mine 32C marked on the dial is about 37C in the water. If I'm lucky when I add the water the temp ends up just below the target. If I'm really lucky I hit it exactly. You can add cold water but then it takes awhile to come up to temperture.

I use various Jobo tanks on a unicolor motorbase. I do that for both C-41 and RA-4. The base is plugged into a Gralab 300 timer.

On cost I don't think color printing is much more expensive then RC B&W printing. It's likely cheaper then fibre B&W printing. OTOH you'll end up scratching your head ALOT when you start out.

glennfromwy · Joined: 29 Nov 2001 Posts: 903 Location: S.W. Wyoming

If you just want to make color prints, the process is much more forgiving than developing film, which is very demanding. Just get yourself a set of color printing filters, a pack of paper, a Beseler RA-4 AT chemical kit, and a tube to develop it in. Unicolor tubes and roller bases go cheap on ebay. You can use trays but every step has to be done in total darkness. A pain. Uses a LOT more chemicals, too.
The RA-4 AT chemical kit will let you develop at ambient (room) temperature. Send the film out for processing. It doesn't cost any more than doing it yourself and you may preserve your sanity, and your bank account. Color film ain't cheap. Read books on this subject, too.

_________________
Glenn

"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"

Rangemaster · Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:46 am Post subject:

For what I can get 4" X 5" negs developed for, it is just a whole lot easier to send them in get developed and then if I want, I can do the printing, but actually, most of my 4 x 5 stuff gets scanned and then if needed printed on a inkjet..

Dave

_________________
Focus on the Picture, Not on the Glass.
Satin Snow(TM) Ground Glass

RichS · Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 4:27 am Post subject:

Another added opinion and a memory jog...

30 odd years ago I started doing color in my darkroom. There were no color heads, or anything else very fancy. I bought the color filter set for the drawer in my cheap enlarger and a color viewing filter set to diagnose the color correction on the prints.

I did both neg developing and printing. I honestly can't remember which was which, but I used "Besselor Two Step" for one of them and a "Unicolor" that had an "A" and "B" box for the other. I think the Unicolor chem set was for the negs?

Negs were developed pretty much the same as B&W. After a few boxes of chemicals, it became very obvious that it was cheaper to have the film commercially developed _and_ printed as that cost about the same as the color film developer alone! I stopped doing my own film...

But color printing continued for a while. I had a print drum setup (still have it someplace) that was motor driven and sat in a water bath. It had 6 plastic containers for chemicals that sat in holes to keep them from spilling over in the water bath. I also used a fish tank heater to keep the water bath at temperature. Once the paper was in the tube, everything is done with the lights on...

The end results of doing color printing were: It was great for enlargements and worked very well. Filter matching took no more than one or two prints to hit it right and they usually stayed the same for an entire roll of film. Printing a contact sheet not only helped in choosing which to enlarge, but also helped for the starter filter pack. It did not pay to do whole rolls at sizes less than 8x10... So every roll was stil sent out for regular development and printing anyway...

I could easily do enlargments better than I got from most labs and I had all the fun of doing it myself with full control over cropping and exposure which is difficult to do with a lab. It was worth it for enlargements _if_ the volume was high enough. But that's only maybe a dozen 8x10's per month. Not a whole lot.

It is worth it for personal enjoyment and hobby. Or was... Last time I looked, the "Besselor Two Step" was long gone and I could find no 'easy' print chemicals available... Nor is the inexpensive developing drum setup available any more. Although I think the filter sets are. It used to be doable very inexpensively and maybe still can be with used equipment?

I have a feeling the home color darkroom is not what it used to be... Maybe I'll find out if I ever get that darned darkroom buit...

SuperSpeedman · Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 2 Location: NE Alabama

What you're looking for is one of the model 450 series. Federal made a condenser version and cold light version

Nick · Joined: 16 Oct 2002 Posts: 494

If you're a pro then I guess the math is different. The time spent in the darkroom is time that could be spent behind the camera. OTOH the cheapest local place charges $3 Canadian per 4x5 sheet to just process. I can do alot of film for $3. Printing isn't much different. Add the time to just drive downtown to the lab and I can do a tank of film. The time to drive back and I can do a second tank.

I don't find film processing that hard. The times are short enough that the chemicals naturally don't drift too much in an insulated tank.

It doesn't make sense if you only shoot a little colour every now and again but if you shoot enough to justify buying the larger sizes of chemicals then it's great. I'm using mini-lab chemicals for film. The stuff is alot cheaper then the stuff aimed at home users.