brett_m._thomas

Andrew, I have one that I've been using for about three years, for of course 4x5 work, and it works great for me. I've read that a 150 is the norm for 4x5 but the 150 if I remember was quite a bit more money. Anyway, very happy with the nikon 135, and would recommend it.

Brett

Henry, I bought a Elwood 5x7 enlarger last year. In shipping the

enlarger the frosted glass broke and my attempts to glue it back

together again were unsuccessfull. What I ended up doing was buying

a round piece of opal glass and placed that at the bottom of the

dome, right above the negative carrier. I also purchased a cold

light head from Aristo that is specifically made for the old

Elwoods. I still have it but the opal glass seems to provide more

even illumination than the cold light head. Try the opal glass, it

should correct the un-even light. The Elwood is a big piece of

equipment, but for the price, it works just fine.

Dave, I made one some time ago and it works great. I made mine by

cutting the middle away so that I had one "2 1/4 by 4 1/2" for the

dark slide. I also made a mask that sticks to my ground glass so

that I only see the section that corresponds to the cut I made in the

dark slide. It's worked great each time I've used it. I later

bought the bender panoramic adapter but have yet to actually use it.

I have verified that you do get 2 images on the 4x5 film, they do not

overlap. The nice feature of the bender adapter is of course the two

images per sheet of film. But I'm quite happy with the one I made.

Easy to make, easy to use and sure beats a 6x12 roll film back.

Paul, I use the tubes for 4x5, 5x7, and on those rare times when I

use my 8x10. I love the tubes. Even development and its great to

have the lights on for much of the process. Once the development is

over, I turn off the lights and place the tubes in water to stop

development, then transfer the film to trays for the fix. So for

about 10 minutes I sit in the dark and wait. I have never had any

type of light on after I have finished rolling the tubes. They are

also great for using different tubes for different developing times.

I must say that I've never used any other method for developing sheet

film.

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Brett

I have a Fuji 6x9 with the 65mm and one with the 90mm. I also have

the 6x7 with the 90mm. I love these cameras. The lenses are very,

very sharp, the images that I make in 8x10 are almost identical to my

4x5 images. I have a few 11x14 prints that also look great. The

cameras are well made, and I've been very happy with them. The draw

backs are few.

Bruce, I have used the BTZS tubes in 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10. Mostly 4x5,

and I love the system. Easy to use, nice even developement, easy to

control temperture, and the lights are on while you roll the tubes

like logs in the water bath. I've never used anything else so I

can't comment on other methods, but I don't ever plan on using

anything else. Watch E-Bay, the tubes come up every so often. In

fact there are some on right now.

David, I bought the Aristo V54 for my Beseler 45 about a year ago. I

did not use any other filtration than the Ilford multigrade printing

filers. The Arista V54 worked ok with most of the papers I tried.

One thing I did notice was, the light was very contrasty. Most of

the filters (2 thru 5) produced contrast of 3+. I didn't have many

options for softer grades. I was under the impression that the cold

light would print with less contrast but I found it to be a grade

harder than my condenser head. I went back to the condenser when I

couldn't get more than a 3 1/2 with my favorite paper Oriental VC.

But with Kodak Poly Max, Ilford MG, and Arista paper from Freestyle I

was getting a wide range of contrast and the top was about 5 1/2. I

still have the V54 and will probably try it again in the future.

Possibly the box of Oriental VC I tested was a fluke. As most people

say, either light prints well if you have the right negative. Hope

this helps.

Erik, I purchased one a few months ago and when I have gotten the

chance I've been getting it ready for 5x7 work. I paid about $250

for mine in pretty good shape, and they run between $200 to $300.

I've heard good things about them as far as a cheap way to enlarge

5x7 negatives. They are build like tanks and seem to last forever.

I think mine is going to work out fine. If the one your'e looking at

is in good shape, $100 bucks is a pretty good deal. I have made a few

test enlargements with mine and I'm satisfied with it. I have a

Beseler for my 4x5 work. It works out great. Hope this helps.