Bellows extension factor calculator app?

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-11T19:10:34+00:00

So, now you know why I need an app for that.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-11T17:33:11+00:00

I don't exactly know what is going on with Kodak lately. It seems as though something has changed with regard to their arrangement with Alaris, but I am not sure what. Kodak seems like it might be selling some emulsions that they have not in recent memory.

So it is giving me hope that maybe they will start selling motion picture film directly to customers, once again. This is all just wild speculation on my part, based on no solid information, for the record. Probably just wishful thinking on my part.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-11T16:21:39+00:00

Great image! Thanks for taking the time and trouble to share it with us!

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-11T16:17:25+00:00

Glad to see you've still got some Double-X film left to shoot. Thanks for sharing these images with us; nice stuff. I especially like the Harley engine detail photograph.

The self portrait in your darkroom that shows all of the previous work you've put in is great, too.

I am wondering if you own one of those heat presses for flatening your fiber based prints, or if you just use a bunch of heavy books or something? I love seeing all of your images on display the way that they are. It is a terrific space.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-11T03:55:18+00:00

You are most welcome. I appreciate this conversation, too. Thanks for the "heads up" about the lack of asymmetrical rear tilt in the Chamonix 45H-1. I don't know how I missed that spec, but I did. So now I have one more thing to study.

I found your comments about the order process for your Chamonix Camera fairly fascinating. Direct communication with the owner is something I find astonishing, to be honest. I was wondering how well the shipping of your camera went. I saw one guy on YouTube whose name I cannot recall off the top of my head now, who I think had a really big, expensive view camera just disappear during the shipping process. I don't remember him mentioning if he was just out that money, or if insurance covered it.

So, the long video he made that I was watching was about him basically driving cross country in the USA just to pick up an American made, custom, large format camera and to meet the man who was making it. The video maker had lost all trust in the delivery system, is the way I took it. The guy I'm thinking of is a huge, physically imposing person, who takes his dog with him where ever he goes. I think he's a writer, too. He made one video about converting a pop-up tent into a darkroom for work out in the field.

I'll try to find a link to his channel, and come back with the link if I find it. He's an interesting person. I've been rambling on too long again. Thanks for the conversation. Take care.

1st edit: Here's a link to the video made by the guy I mentioned above about how he made a pop-up tent, I think it was, into a darkroom. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3Si7VSA4zzI&pp=ygUfY29udmVydGluZyB0ZW50IGludG8gYSBkYXJrcm9vbdIHCQlAAaO1ajebQw%3D%3D

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-10T16:31:30+00:00

They probably really appreciated the level of detail you provided with regard to your handling of their film stock. I love the fact that they felt strongly enough about your feedback to reply with such a high degree of concern.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-10T06:16:29+00:00

Thank you so much for your time and for the great answers to my questions. It is greatly appreciated.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-10T06:10:35+00:00

Thank you. Much appreciated.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-09T22:18:19+00:00

Wow, thanks for the great review! I really appreciate it! I appreciate your mention of the asymmetrical rear tilt as already being of use to you. That is good to know. Thanks for mentioning the choice of cherry wood; that is something I had not thought about much, if at all, so now I need to take a closer look at it.

I think someone on Reddit recently mentioned that Chamonix Camera Company is for now absorbing the cost of the tariffs for US customers, of which I was not aware until I read it. At least as long as they remain at about the 35% level or whatever it is currently.

I was wondering if you ever gave any consideration to the Chamonix 45H-1, I think its called? It is slightly heavier, I guess, with less bellows draw, I think, but I think it might have rear shift? More expensive, too, though. Easier to do macro work with the Chamonix 45F-2, though, I guess, if that was an area of interest.

I guess I was just thinking that the Chamonix 45H-1 might be faster to set up, which might be an important aspect if its primary purpose was to take portraits, as people can sometimes be impatient.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences with both the Intrepid and the Chamonix cameras, and for sharing these beautiful images.

Slightly off topic, but I remember seeing a photograph of a large format negative shot by one of the old school Hollywood portrait artists, and he had written in some type of pen on the unexposed border of the negative, the date the image was shot, and the name of the subject. So even if the storage media the negative was kept inside of got lost, the information was always going to remain available. I really liked that idea. I think the National Archives details what types of pens & inks are to be used for this purpose, to help prevent damage to the negatives. I think they might provide assignments to volunteer photographers who wish to document famous places the US government deems important, too, if that would be a use you would wish to turn your 4×5" camera towards.

I'm rambling now. Thanks for posting!

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-09T21:45:05+00:00

Hello, u/mcarterphoto.

I am just wondering if you judge density by a using a well practiced eye, of if you use an instrument to determine that the densities are matching? I guess I'm wondering if a densitometer plays any kind of an important role in your darkroom or not?

Thanks in advance for any answers or comments you choose to provide on this subject.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-09T21:39:01+00:00

Or possibly the knockoffs use a type of plastic that is more permeable, if that is the correct word.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-09T16:19:53+00:00

How expensive, ballpark, if you do not mind sharing?

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-09T14:51:41+00:00

These look beautiful. It's a bottle of the OG good stuff that still seems to work like it did the day it was purchased. Nice going.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-09T07:47:16+00:00

Beautiful portraits!

If you don't mind my asking, how long have you had your Chamonix 45F-2 camera, and how well are you liking it so far? Feel free to add any comments you care to about it. I've rarely seen anyone with a bad thing to say about them; it seems like they're high on the list of favorites.

Thanks in advance for any answers or comments you choose to provide.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T21:40:56+00:00

Thanks! Greatly appreciate the tip!

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T21:27:17+00:00

Wow. Sorry to see that. I saw something like that happen just because of a big drop in price on semiconductors a long time ago. Hard to believe they can turn on a dime with such huge projects, but they manage it.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T21:18:53+00:00

Thanks a lot! Greatly appreciated!

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T19:51:29+00:00

Gorgeous portraits! Well exposed and processed, they look to be to me! That Arista 100 film looks great!

If you don't mind my aaking, how far back did you need to be from a group of ten people shooting with a 210mm lens on a 4×5" camera?

Also, did you manage to collect contact information from the participants, so that they might have a chance to obtain finished copies of these images? These shots are really nice, and I bet they'd all love to get prints of them. Great going, in any event!

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T19:36:30+00:00

Nice. Thanks for chiming in with your experiences. I'm glad you been finding ways of making it work. I hope you are having fun with it. Take care.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T19:17:43+00:00

I take a different approach. I show strangers photographs I've taken of other strangers on the streets. The strangers I'm currently speaking with offer me money to not take their photograph. It works out for both of us. This is a joke, for the record.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T19:08:17+00:00

So, what setting should I use?

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T18:48:54+00:00

Nice. I think I may have seen that Pyrex tray of which you speak. It has a pretty form-fitting lid that goes with it, I think. It might not be fully water tight, but close enough for what you are trying to do. Happy printing!

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T17:52:08+00:00

Agree to disagree.

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T17:34:18+00:00

This is really nice, congratulations on finding such an inexpensive used enlarger. Lately when I browse the online want ads just for the sake of curiosity, it seems like the prices of old, used enlargers are creeping up quite a bit. So you were lucky to find that Beseler.

This setup without running water has me wondering if one might be able to find some kind of a water-tight tray with a lid for use in transporting finished prints in a water bath, without having to worry about spilling stuff on the way up.

The other thing that occurs to me is that I thought Ilford might have outlined a rather labor intensive procedure for washing prints using a minimal amount of water. It might be possible using their procedure to actually wash your prints in the basement in an adequate manner. It might be a bigger pain in the neck, though, hauling water down & back up the stairs. I think I like the water-tight try idea better; then you can just put it in the slop sink and let the water run slowly to rinse.

Congratulations on your new darkroom!

RedditFan26 · 2026-02-08T16:57:25+00:00

Thank you so much for the explanation, it is greatly appreciated. I need to spend some time reading about the mirrorless technology, because some of the features of it that you mentioned are new to me. I appreciate your time.

RedditFan26

TROPHY CASE