Hi,

I'm not sure if I'm in the right place, as this is a strange question, but what the heck.

I have an Omega B22 medium format enlarger. I recently purchased it used and I'm not even sure how old it really is.

Anyhow, when I first started using it thungs were fine. Yesterday I tried to print some 120 negs. I started out with a proof sheet and that looked fine.

Well, I put a neg in the carrier and projected it down on the base. It looked as though one edge of the projection was in a circular pattern, as if something was in the way of the projection....the remaining three sides looked normal.

I have never seen this phenomenon and have very little knowledge of enlargers. Something tells me that this has to do with the way the light is projecting, maybe a part got moved and is interfering with it?

Btw, as a side note, I don't use this enlarger very much. I do move it onto my counter and then back to its storage spot....because I have an enlarger I use for almost all of my photographic work. Maybe that has something to do with it.......

Thanks in advance. :)

Erin

-- Erin C. (ericon_22@hotmail.com), September 17, 2000

Answers

Response to problems with enlarger

Seems to me that you are using the wrong enlarging lens. Check wether you have 50mm enlarging lens. If so, you'll need a 80mm lens for 6x6cm.

-- Marc Leest (mmm@n2photography.com), September 17, 2000.

Response to problems with enlarger

3 things may be wrong.

1) Perhaps your condenser has moved and is off cernter. 2) You have the supplementary condenser for 35mm and a 50mm lens installed. 3) Your moving the nlarger has somehow messed up the alighnment between the negative carrier and lens board or baseboard or any combination of mis alighnments.

My guess is that it is #2, especially since it sounds like this is the forst time you are using 120 with this eenlarger.

-- Robert Orofino (rorofino@iopener.net), September 17, 2000.

Response to problems with enlarger

Could be even simpler. You may have moved the lamp setting. I don't know this particular enlarger, but there's usually some means of centring the bulb on most older enlargers. If the bulb is off centre, then the effect you've described is the result.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), September 20, 2000.

Response to problems with enlarger

Erin, I use a B-22 with 120 negs. It's a very good basic enlarger. Remove the round 35mm condenser lens from the black lamp housing. There are two round 1/4 inch posts at the 9 and 3 o'clock position about an inch above the carrier holder. They turn to release the top head. Remove the filter drawer and you can reach the round 35mm condenser. 120 requires a 75mm or 80mm enlarging lens. The 50mm lens used for 35mm will not have a image light circle which evenly illuminates the negative corner to corner and the enlarging head will seem unusually close to the board vs your other enlarger used for 35mm.

-- Richard Jepsen (rjepsen@mmcable.com), September 24, 2000.