The analogist
What we offer
From our own painful experience, we offer accessories and spare parts for the following legends of analog photography:
- Fuji SP3000 , the legendary laboratory scanner
- Meopta Magnifax 4 , the versatile and indestructible enlarger
- Graflex Speed Graphic , the popular large format camera in 4×5 format “
- Jobo CPP2 processor, the development machine for semi-professional use
Fascination with analog technology
What makes the fascination of long-outdated analog technology in times of digital superlatives? Why do not only nostalgic people who know photo films from their youth deal with analog photography? Young photographers and professional photographers with high demands are increasingly relying on analog technology and know how to cleverly combine both worlds.
Our guess
Of course, I can only guess and I think that the motifs for using analog photo technology are certainly very diverse.
The following reasons for the renaissance of analog techniques that have long been written off have struck me, the analogist, consciously in recent years:
Deceleration and concentration
For example, to take pictures in medium format, you have a maximum of 12 options per film and no memory card with 100 or more “shots”. In addition, it is often the case with older cameras that you have all settings and thus control over the effect of all settings yourself. Conversely, this also means that you should take time and care for each picture. Every photo taken in analogue is an interplay of many factors and requires time and effort.
Precisely this conscious photography is a beneficial recovery for many photographers from the short-lived, fast and often highly automated flood of digital images. For most analogists this does not mean a question of faith or anything like that. On the contrary, digital and analog photography exist peacefully in parallel with successful photographers and amateurs, and often with great success.
The imperfect
In the creation of a photograph with analog technology, there are a lot of factors and therefore also sources of error or, better, design sources. To a certain extent, the resulting images are often the result of a large portion of coincidence. Here is next to the actual shot too
- the chemical processes involved in developing the film,
- the film selection and condition of the film,
- the choice of paper and chemistry when enlarging the fine art prints or
- the scan quality of the scanner used in hybrid processing
responsible as a source of influence.
I have often been able to observe that it is precisely this portion of unpredictability that contributes to the special appeal of analog images.
Affordable dreams
High-quality professional technology from photo studios and photo laboratories was and is still offered on the used market at bargain prices. The dreams of yesterday are partly affordable today and can still keep up with today’s technology in terms of quality. One such example is certainly the versatile enlarger Magnifax from Meopta .
Infinite possibilities or the strength of the combination
Anyone who does not think and act in categories such as digital and analog, but rather thinks about the best technology for the current requirement, is best equipped from my experience. The strength of the combination of both worlds becomes clear not only in the popular hybrid processing, i.e. analog recording on film and digital processing.
I think the attraction here is to compensate or perfect the weaknesses or limitations of the creativity of the respective technology by the other processing technique. For example, let’s take the photography on color negative films with a possibly low resolution and a somewhat coarser graininess and a scan with the legendary Laboratory scanner Fuji SP3000 the magic of the perfect scans paired with the artisan-looking negatives leads to wonderful and unmistakable results. Colors that you could probably achieve with a hand exposure only with a lot of experience emerge almost automatically and if they are then also refined with sophisticated software for processing, the result is amazing even for digitally spoiled eyes and cannot be interchanged like them remaining flood of images in the network.
Masks for the legendary SP3000
After purchasing one of the most legendary laboratory scanners by far, we unfortunately had to find out that it is almost impossible to buy masks and the necessary diffuser for medium format scans at reasonable prices. This is a shame, as the SP3000 can only fully demonstrate its strengths in the medium format.
That never let go of us and so we went to work very laboriously and with extremely little detailed information and developed both a diffuser or mirror box 120 and corresponding masks.
Medium format diffuser for the SP3000
After purchasing one of the most legendary laboratory scanners by far, we unfortunately had to find out that it is almost impossible to buy masks and the necessary diffuser for medium format scans at reasonable prices. This is a shame, as the SP3000 can only fully demonstrate its strengths in the medium format.
That never let go of us and so we went to work very laboriously and with extremely little detailed information and developed both a diffuser or mirror box 120 and corresponding masks.
Masks for special formats for the SP3000
Special formats such as Full Pane 35mm and thus the negative formats of the popular Xpan. Nimslo or Reto3D can only be optimally scanned with the matching mask for the SP3000. We have designed a corresponding mask for this and produce these masks in small numbers in our factory.
Accessories for the Meopta Magnifax
Even if the Magnifax 4 enlarger by Meopta was obviously built to last and almost all components were made of metal, unfortunately there are also plastic parts that break with age. We have learned from painful experience and designed corresponding spare parts and are happy to manufacture these parts in small numbers for other fans of the Magnifax 4.
Lens boards for Graflex cameras
Would you also like to experiment with the Graflex Speed Graphic and unusual large format lenses? We have constructed lens boards for Heidosmat and Rodagon lenses for projectors and enlargers. If you would like to work creatively with your Graphlex, then we have the right lens board.
Location
Beibachweg 13
71384 Weinstadt
GERMANY
Contact
Hours
M – F: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
