Why are my 8x10 darkroom prints from 4x5 negatives not sharp?
Asked 6/5/2017
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I'm making black-and-white enlargements from sharp 4x5 negatives, but my 8x10 prints look softer than expected. The negatives scan well and appear in focus. In the darkroom I'm using a grain focuser, Ilford MG RC Glossy paper, Ilford Multigrade developer, and a Wollensack 135mm f/4.5 enlarging lens. I usually print stopped down to about f/11-f/22, with exposures around 16 seconds and about 2 minutes in developer. What are the most likely causes of the softness, and how can I troubleshoot it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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With a grain focuser, compose with the lens wide open. Now stop down to the aperture you will be using. Now use the grain focuser. It is likely that you are focusing wide open, it is likely that the focus is shifting as you stop down. This is not uncommon. Also, check and see which is sharper, grain focuser on easel, no paper on the easel or, sacrificial scrap of the same paper under the grain focuser. Some are calibrated, no paper, some must be on paper the same thickness as you are using. Place the grain focuser half-way center to corner. This placement optimized an improper focus due to curvature of field of non-flat field lens.
Originally by user44949. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user44949
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The most likely causes are enlarger focus/aperture issues rather than paper or developer.
Key things to check:
- Don’t stop down too far. f/11-f/22 is often beyond an enlarging lens’s sharpest range, and diffraction can soften the print. Try about 1–2 stops down from wide open, such as around f/5.6-f/8.
- Refocus at the working aperture. Some enlarging lenses shift focus when stopped down. Focus wide open to compose, then stop down to the aperture you’ll print at and check again with the grain focuser.
- Make sure the grain focuser is used at the correct height. Some focusers are accurate on the bare easel; others need a sheet of the same paper underneath to match paper thickness.
- Check focus across the image, not just the center. A lens with field curvature may look best if you focus about halfway between center and corner.
- Rule out enlarger vibration, column instability, or light leaks/fog, since lowered contrast can look like poor sharpness.
- Test the lens itself. Make prints from the same negative at several apertures and compare. If the negative is sharp in a contact print or under a loupe, the enlarger lens or enlarger alignment/sturdiness may be the limitation.
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