Meopta Opemus 5
Robert Zuch
my local 2nd hand shop for a very low price. The glass looks good, but I'd
probably shop around for a Nikkor lens. I am planning to use it as my first
enlarger, and specifically for 6X6 film. Opemus 6 seems to be getting good
reviews for a beginner's enlarger (which is what I need).
Robert Zuch
Stéphane Schmuck
>Does anybody have any comments on Opemus 5?
I have a 5a since 3 years, and have only made 2 ehancements:
- for 6x6 I only use glass on 1 side of the neg carrier, the upper
side with an anti-newton glass.
- for 24x36 I have buy an second neg carrier with glassless masks but
only twice times the upperside.
With this "trick" I can made full format enlargements with an black
Border.
I dont' know if the 5 have an Filter carrier, but the 5a have one and
I found it usefull...
Greets.
Stéphane
-----------------------------------------------------
-- Stéphane Schmuck - Photography
-- Bredowstr. 39 - D-10551 Berlin
-- Homepage: http://www.sck-photo.de
-- E-Mail. S.Sc...@berlin.de
eric boxall
writes
So far as I understand things, the Opemus 5 (now 5a) is for 35mm only.
The Opemus 6 is what I think you require ... 6 x 6 _and_ 35mm.
I have now used an Opemus 6 for 12-15 years and have found it very good.
I certainly wouldn't disparage it as "a beginner's enlarger". It is
simple to use, very robust and stable and I just can't fault the
performance when used with the 50 and 80 mm EL-Nikkors. Perhaps
Componons or the Rodenstok lenses would be better but I've never tried
'em on the machine, so I don't know. Other recent posts in this
rec.photo.* hierarchy have indicated that there just isn't any practical
differences between all of the good lenses at a working aperture of
(say) f=8 ... which is where you will be using them.
The Opemus 6 also has some nice features usually found in professional
enlargers ... true perspective control is possible, according to
Schiempflug rules ... negative stage and lens panel both tilt and the
latter can be displaced sideways and ... the negative carrier has
integral masking strips on all four sides. These really do contribute to
image contrast and the clarity of the highlights by eliminating
scattered non image forming light, which would otherwise bounce about
all over the darkroom. They're not sharply focussed (as they would be in
a more-expensive neg carrier) but they do most definitely work. The neg
carrier also pulls forward to bring a split field rangefinder into
operation. I've set focus using the rangefinder and then checked this
with a grain magnifier and I can't see any difference between the two
methods. The rangefinder is much quicker ! ... and you can always put a
magnifier on the easel as a final check before starting the exposure.
As I say ... I think the Opemus 6 to be good value for money ... the 5a
I am less sure about because I haven't tried it.
May I suggest that you log on to www.meopta.com ? Most of the site is in
English and from this you can get Part Numbers and descriptions of
additional goodies to order. They do not list any dealers for New
Zealand but there are two in Australia. Since I was in NZ during the
70s, I know just how important it is to get proper Part Numbers when one
has to order from Aussie.
Best of luck !
--
Eric
Email to:beric@fenris99(dot)demon(dot)co(dot)uk
eric boxall
<ericb@abc_fenris99.demon.co.uk> writes[All snipped ...]
Further to my previous message, another site you might like to look at
is -
Perhaps more helpful than going on the Czechoslovakia ? ... better
English, anyway.
Alexander Röhlich
> So far as I understand things, the Opemus 5 (now 5a) is for 35mm only.
> The Opemus 6 is what I think you require ... 6 x 6 _and_ 35mm.
Nope, the Opemus are all for Medium Format, the Meopta 35mm only
Enlargers are called Axomat!
Alex
--
go not unto usenet for advice, for the inhabitants thereof
will say: yes, and no, and maybe, and I don't know, and fuck-off.
- From the .sig of att...@primenet.com
eric boxall
<walds...@hotmail.com> writes
>Hi eric, you wrote:
>
>> So far as I understand things, the Opemus 5 (now 5a) is for 35mm only.
>> The Opemus 6 is what I think you require ... 6 x 6 _and_ 35mm.
>
>Nope, the Opemus are all for Medium Format, the Meopta 35mm only
>Enlargers are called Axomat!
>
Sorry ! ...
You're right, I'm wrong. I don't know how the error arose but I guess it
was because I use an Opemus 6 and my brain just thinks of all Meopta
enlargers as "Opemus", even though I actually _know_ that there are
others.
However, paraphrasing Shakespeare " What's in a name ? That which we
call a rose would smell as sweet". Only joking !
However, turning to something fairly important which I did pick up
browsing the Meopta and Meopta UK sites last night to check on dealers
addresses ...
According to Meopta themselves and the "Comparison Chart" on the UK
site, all the negative carriers are of metal. When, however, I looked at
the description or each individual instrument on the UK site, it appears
that -
Axomat and Opemus 6 have plastic neg carriers, for the Opemus 7 and
Magnifax 4 the carriers are said to be metal.
I don't know how significant this is. The carrier on my now elderly
Opemus 6 is metal. Perhaps a plastic carrier would be OK but, speaking
personally, I would rather have the proven rigidity of metal if I could
get it and I would think that a metal carrier in a metal enlarger head
would be less likely to attract dust due to static electricity.
As I say, I don't really know, one way or another but it is a point I
would check were I now buying new.
Georges Giralt
eric boxall wrote:
>
............snip....................
> However, turning to something fairly important which I did pick up
> browsing the Meopta and Meopta UK sites last night to check on dealers
> addresses ...
>
> According to Meopta themselves and the "Comparison Chart" on the UK
> site, all the negative carriers are of metal. When, however, I looked at
> the description or each individual instrument on the UK site, it appears
> that -
>
> Axomat and Opemus 6 have plastic neg carriers, for the Opemus 7 and
> Magnifax 4 the carriers are said to be metal.
>
> I don't know how significant this is. The carrier on my now elderly
> Opemus 6 is metal. Perhaps a plastic carrier would be OK but, speaking
> personally, I would rather have the proven rigidity of metal if I could
> get it and I would think that a metal carrier in a metal enlarger head
> would be less likely to attract dust due to static electricity.
>
> As I say, I don't really know, one way or another but it is a point I
> would check were I now buying new.
> --
> Eric
> Email to:beric@fenris99(dot)demon(dot)co(dot)uk
As far as I know, you can buy two version of the same model:
The budget one (often sold in a kit) and often called "student" has
plastic neg carriers and reduced movements (to correct perspective
distortions)
And the "more expensive ones" which are all metal.
Meopta UK could certainly explain this.
But IMHO, if you've to buy new, go for a Magnifax. It's worth the money
!
eric boxall
<ra7...@motorola.com> writes
>
>
>eric boxall wrote:
[Snipped ...]
>As far as I know, you can buy two version of the same model:
>The budget one (often sold in a kit) and often called "student" has
>plastic neg carriers and reduced movements (to correct perspective
>distortions)
>And the "more expensive ones" which are all metal.
OK. That explains the apparent discrepancy.
>Meopta UK could certainly explain this.
I would hope so !
>But IMHO, if you've to buy new, go for a Magnifax. It's worth the money
>!
If I were starting all over again, I would probably agree with you.
However, as I have said, I have an Opemus 6 which is working perfectly
and is adequate for all my work, since I use only 35mm now.
Thanks for the clarification.
Regards,
Tiljak
European brands (Durst, Kaiser, Agfa) I found Opemus the simplest and
most user friendly of all. All metal parts is something I like the most.
Plastic tend to built static electricity, to bend, melt or broke. With
all metal parts there is no such problems, also is possible to ground
enlarger so that static electricity is taken away.
Damir
In article <t975uKA4...@fenris99.demon.co.uk>,
ericb@abc_fenris99.demon.co.uk says...