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I generally print my 6x6 negatives as square photos around 10" x 10" and use a Durst 6x7 (AC707) enlarger and RRBeard 16x12 inch easel. This is fine, apart from when I print Hasselblad and Rollei negatives, which give me two problems because they run the film vertically through the camera:
1. Minor problem: I have to compose the image on the easel at right angles. I can move around one side of the enlarger, so it's not too bad, but a bit awkward at times.
2. Major problem that I've just discovered: As far as I can tell, even though I have a 6x7 enlarger and easel, I'm limited to printing these negatives at just over 10" square. I have a few large picture frames dotted around the house which contain photos taken with Mamiya 7 and Pentax 67 cameras. They are 16" x 12" enlargements. Last night I attempted to print 6x6 images cropped to 16 x 12" paper for these frames and discovered that turning the easel 90 degrees resulted in the size limit. This is because the enlarger head protruding only around 10.25" from the column and the easel's left border being about 4.75" wide. This leaves me with just over 10" of horizontal image projected onto the easel.
This isn't a problem with cameras that run the film horizontally across the camera (Mamiya 6 & 7, Pentax 67, Plaubel Makina etc.) because the image is 'the right way' around on the easel giving me a much larger horizontal distance to play with.
A simple but very annoying solution would be to cut the negatives up as individual frames and just turn them around 90 degrees in the enlarger mask, but that would leave me with a mess of cut frames. Short of buying a different enlarger and easel, I can't think what else to do. Am I just tired and missing something obvious here?
1. Minor problem: I have to compose the image on the easel at right angles. I can move around one side of the enlarger, so it's not too bad, but a bit awkward at times.
2. Major problem that I've just discovered: As far as I can tell, even though I have a 6x7 enlarger and easel, I'm limited to printing these negatives at just over 10" square. I have a few large picture frames dotted around the house which contain photos taken with Mamiya 7 and Pentax 67 cameras. They are 16" x 12" enlargements. Last night I attempted to print 6x6 images cropped to 16 x 12" paper for these frames and discovered that turning the easel 90 degrees resulted in the size limit. This is because the enlarger head protruding only around 10.25" from the column and the easel's left border being about 4.75" wide. This leaves me with just over 10" of horizontal image projected onto the easel.
This isn't a problem with cameras that run the film horizontally across the camera (Mamiya 6 & 7, Pentax 67, Plaubel Makina etc.) because the image is 'the right way' around on the easel giving me a much larger horizontal distance to play with.
A simple but very annoying solution would be to cut the negatives up as individual frames and just turn them around 90 degrees in the enlarger mask, but that would leave me with a mess of cut frames. Short of buying a different enlarger and easel, I can't think what else to do. Am I just tired and missing something obvious here?
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