8×10″ enlarger. A DYI solution for the Secret Forest Darkroom

I finally tested the 8×10” enlarger that I made here in the Secret Forest. It is conceived as an extension of the previous enlarger from 1900 that I had restored and will remain in use for the smaller formats and with which it now shares the vertical movement system (rail, counterweight, gears) After tinkering a lot, the simplest possible solution won, the one you have under your eyes but you don’t immediately see. There are still a lot of details and pieces that I am working on to make it more practical to use but it works, I got a projected image which is sharp from corner to corner and evenly lit. The overall geometry is also correct. It is without a condenser which for me represents a lot of advantages. The other enlarger also has a patented system that avoids the use of a condenser. Today, with the help of LEDs, everything is easier. I will later consider if to add the convenience of a color mixer to avoid the use of filters and have more power. I don’t know how many 8×10″ enlargers there are still in use out there, but I don’t think many. From today there’s one more! The negative in the video was made with the same bellows (Intrepid super light 8×10 camera) and the same lens with which it is now enlarged. The lens (a 250mm) will later be replaced with a lighter one suitable for darkroom work. The photo is part of the project currently in production “Les Eglises Oubliée de Corse”. However, it will not be used in favor of others.