I previously shared how I converted my Afghan box camera into a slide projector. The principle of the slide projector is to place a light source behind, and its light passes through some condenser lenses. The light then passes through the slide, passes through the projector lens, and is projected onto the projector screen in a larger size. Typical amplifier design. Illustration of きたし, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5.
I began to think that the darkroom photo enlarger would be based on roughly the same principle. In the magnifier, we also have light passing through some condensers (depending on the design), it will pass through the negative, through the lens, and project a large sheet on the photo paper.
I think I might try to convert my Afghanistan box camera into a photo enlarger. In this case, it is a horizontal magnifier, and I can use it to project the image horizontally onto the wall surface.
I decided to use my photo paper holder in the Afghanistan box camera for this conversion. I used some black PVC tape to glue a 6×7 cm window. If this is a more permanent setting, I will make a suitable load body. Now, that’s it. I used some small pieces of tape to fix the 6×7 negative to the glass.
In order to focus, I will move the focus lever in the usual way when using the Afghan box camera, moving the negative film toward or away from the lens.
Unlike the light source of the slide projector, the magnifying glass is smaller, so the light source power of the magnifying glass is relatively small. So I used a simple 11W warm color LED bulb. Since I don’t have a timer, I just use the light bulb on/off switch to control the exposure time during printing.
I don’t have a dedicated magnifying lens, so I use my trusted Fujinon 210mm lens as the magnifying lens. For a safe filter, I dug out an old Cokin red filter and a Cokin filter holder. If I need to block light from reaching the paper, I will slide the filter and holder onto the lens.
I use Arista Edu 5×7 inch resin coated paper. Since it is a variable contrast paper, I can use the Ilford Multigrade Contrast filter to control the contrast of the print. Again, this can be done simply by attaching the filter to the rear element of the lens during the printing process.
The results show that by making some changes to it, the box camera can easily become a photo enlarger.
1. Add a light source. 2. Replace/convert the photo paper holder/into a negative holder.3. Add security light filter and contrast filter.
1. A better way to fix paper on the wall, not just using masking tape. 2. There are some ways to confirm the squareness of the magnifying glass to the photographic paper. 3. A better way to save security filters and comparison filters.
Horizontal magnifiers have existed for a long time. If you need to quickly print out from the negatives, box camera users can consider turning the box camera into a photo magnifier.
About the author: Cheng Qwee Low is a (mainly) Singaporean cinematographer. In addition to using cameras ranging from 35mm to ultra-large format 8×20, Low also likes to use alternative processes such as kallitype and protein printing. The views expressed in this article only represent the views of the author. You can find more of Low’s work on his website and YouTube. This article is also published here.
Post time: Oct-22-2021