Darkroom Renovation Phase II Started

Beauty Lighting 790mm F14 Apo Ronar 5x7 Norma by Nokton48, on Flickr
  • Setting up to use the big 790mm F14 Apo Ronar on the 5x7 Sinar Norma. 47 inches of bellows extension equals 1 1/2 stop bellows factor. Will try some horizontals, using HRU XRay and also Ilford Ortho Commercial.

    I placed a large order for 13x18cm B&W (buying a variety) from PhotoImpex in Germany. Should be shipping soon as Ilford delivers to them 13x18 Delta 100. Ordered FP4+, Fomapan 200, Fomapan 100, Adox CHS 100 II, and Delta 100 all in 13x18 format. I have pelnty of 13x18cm Sinar Norma holders

    5x7 Bergger 400 I just ordered from Adorama
Digitest Balloon Beauty Light and Fill by Nokton48, on Flickr

Digitest of lighting setup Sky Blue Seamless Broncolor Beauty Light at F32 45 degrees, Broncolor Balloon at a 45 degree F16 providing soft overall fill to the set. Silver Fill Panel camera light angled to 'feather' the fill. So far I have tried Hasselblad with 100mm, and also with 350 f5.6
with 8mm Extension Tube. Both TMax 100 bracketed f32 to F11. Also I have set up 5x7 Sinar Norma with my longest LF lens, a 790mm F14 Rodenstock Apo Ronar. 47 inches of bellows draw measured/required, with 1.5 stops of Bellows Draw calculated. I'll leave it set up for a while until I am satisfied with what I have gotten. 5x7 contact prints are the goal on this one

Starting with small format and slowly moving up
 

500mm Tele Xenar 5x7 13x18 Sinar Norma XL Bellows Now I have bought, and modded to old Pulso fitting, two Broncolor 30cmx120cm Strip Lights. These "kickers" will be used for strong backlight effect, rim-lighting the subject subjectively. I am just learning how to use them in my small width studio. For portraiture they will be dramatic and amazing. I like this look very much and am looking forward to getting this comfortably into what I am already doing.

Every studio needs a couple of strip lights 🙂
 
Petzval type unmarked brass projection lens Makiflex No iris by Nokton48, on Flickr

Unmarked Petzval type beautiful brass Projection Lens vintage late 1800's? Central stop removed, very swirly beautiful bokeh. I'd guess 200mm focal length, I wanted speed and I'd guess about F3.5 wide open. Sharpest in the center, central bouquets were focused on and are sharp! Depth of Field is near nil. Orwo NP22 9x12cm I bought in bulk from Bulgaria. Voigtlander Makiflex Plate Holder pretty good match. RADA made plates from Plaubel and were hooked up with them for a good while. These tend to light leak and I'd retrapped a lot of plate holders, could maybe be improved? I also have some French and Russian Plate holders that seem to work good as well. The Normalfalz designation is what works good with the Makis.
 
Makiflex 9x12 Voigtlander Plate Holder Maki Plate Back D23 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Makiflex 9x12 Maki Plate Back Voigtlander Plate Holder 9x12 D23 Omega DII laser aligned Arista RC #2 Multigrade dev. This plate holder is prolly a hundred years old, yet it works! I was enjoying morning coffee and sunshine when I exposed this one. I think I used the automatic iris Makiflex 210mm f4.5 Heliar that came with my camera from Prague shoppe.
 
18x24cm Mammo Norma 121mm F45 18 pops C171 Beauty Light Grid by Nokton48, on Flickr

Testing Kodak Mammography 18x24cm in HC-110 "H" 6.5 mins at ambient. 8x10 Sinar Norma 121mm F8 Sinar Norma Schneider Super Angulon on Norma Vertical Copy Arrangement. Shooting straight down at F45. Broncolor C171 Monolight with Broncolor Blue Pulso Beauty Dish, popped eighteen times with shutter on "B" to build up the density. Contact printed Omega DII with Omega;ite Arista RC #2 Matte paper Multigrade developer. Digital background shot by Tim Layton and was blown up by me at Costco. It was dark red so I guess I should have expected a lack of density on the right. Live and learn. Highlight tonality looks decent to me. 18x24 XRay film is easy and fun to shoot. So this is approximately an 8x10 contact print on 8x10 RC Matte paper.

8x10 18x24 Sinar Norma Overhead Shooting Table 165 Norma SA by Nokton48, on Flickr

New Overhead Shooting Stage straight down 35mm to 8x10. FOBA Combitube system is very elaborate and works great for tabletop. This is the beeg 165mm F8 Norma Super Angulon 18x24cm+ lens. On the table are my matched pair of 360mm F5.6 Schneider Componon which will go on my 5x7 Norma TLR reflex. SK Grimes is CNCing a copy of the rear mount which I sent them. Should be ready soon it's similar in size the mount shown below beneath the two lenses.
 
18x24 Sinar Norma 300 Xenar F4.5 Rembrandt Lighting by Nokton48, on Flickr

The cool thing about having multiple Normas, is that you can leave them set up for a while. Getting ready to shoot this one. Classic Rembrandt Lighting, Broncolor Beauty Light pointed straight down from up high as possible. Silver reflector on the floor tilted towards the subject. Lens is 300mm chrome Schneider Xenar, on custom made Norma board. Xenars are lovely to shoot through at near full aperture. The focus blows out behind the front row of petals which I find attractive. Strobe meter says F22 at EI 50 so just one pop will do. Canvas Background is by David Maheu "Kelly Grey" Like it Stormy Grey middle key with no corner vignettes. I can vignette with light if required
 
Dan,

Lots of cool stuff here. I’m kinda dizzy from all the different developers and combinations you use. You seem to have so much experience that you can pull all this stuff out of your rear pocket.

I was looking at maybe trying to get another 3 1/2 gallon hard rubber tank. The supply is very limited on the big tanks, and the prices are kinda insane.

Anyways I feel lucky enough to have what I already have, and it’s almost impossible to replicate what you have.

You are a lucky dog.

Cal
 
If you haven't done so already, you may want to take some time to do an accurate inventory of everything you have, as well as prepare detailed instructions for your wife and/or children as to how to dispose of all of your stuff when the inevitable day arrives. It would be a shame if the task overwhelmed them, and they just ordered a dumpster, filled it up, and waved a fond farewell.
 
Nokton48 said:
Yep back pocket is getting full. I need to make more room to store things away in clever ways. Bought some background supports from B&H and I need to do more carpentry to get them installed.

Rembrandt Broncolor Beauty Light 8x10 by Nokton48, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Dan,

A full back pocket is a good thing to have.

My approach though is practicing the same thing like a deadly kung-fu move.

I think because of digital I went crazy that way. Perfect exposure in digital records more data. Bad exposure looses data.

Anyways you are more crazy than me. LOL.

Cal

Do you have some OCD tendencies like me?
 
I've been shooting digital almost exclusively since 2008. When I do shoot film (a few rolls a year) I send it out and have it scanned to a disk. Wish I could say I miss the darkroom experience; I really don't! But OTOH seeing your first-class set-up does bring back some fond memories.
 
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