I just bought a used Bogen T-35 enlarger. Seperately I purchased a Wollensak 90mm Enlarging lens. I tried them out today and everything seemed fine until I put a neg. into the carrier. I couldn't see anything projected. I ended up unscrewing the lead piece to the lens: i still haven't figured out what THAT does. It helped, i could at least see the image. But when I try to print i do not get a perfect retangular box shining down on my paper. The short sides are straight, but the bottom and top sides are curved and when I try to focus the center the edges go blurry and vice versa. I tried looking at the insides. I took out the condenser lens hoping that would help. Nothing. What does the condenser lens do anyway? I have no idea what to do. I'm really confused if you haven't noticed. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!

-- Gil C (gilc99@hotmail.com), December 17, 2000

Answers

Response to Help with enlarger!

Knowing nothing of the T-35 I'm guessing here. If it's a 35mm only enlarger, it may not have enough bellows travel to work with a 90mm enlarging lens. Nor are the condensers really optimized for that long a lens. You need a 50mm lens. Other possibilities- the curved image and focus problems might also indicate a problem with the lens like a missing element. What's the "lead piece"? The condensing lens should focus the light from the bulb through the negative and to a point aproximately where the enlarging lens sits. Try focusing with the enlarger head as high up as it will go. If the 90mm will work at all, it might work there. Also, stand in front of a window and see if you can project a nice image on a piece of white paper by holding the lens about 90mm away from the paper. It should be reasonably crisp and clear. An enlarger is just a simple projection system- no rocket science here!

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), December 17, 2000.

Response to Help with enlarger!

I would also suspect that this enlarger does not have enough bellows draw to us a 90mm lens. If you enscrewed the front element of the lens you have shortened the focal length, and may be able to focus the image, but you will never get sharp prints this way.

-- Ed Farmer (photography2k@hotmail.com), December 18, 2000.

Response to Help with enlarger!

So I guess I should consider selling the 90mm and opting for a 50mm. It is a small enlarger. tkanks.

Gil

-- Gil C (gilc99@hotmail.com), December 18, 2000.