Intrepid Enlarger Prototype Review

[@berg58]

Really good product, I "ordered" the package yesterday for 35 and 120 mm. Even though I have worked with photography for about 50 years, this is really an exciting product.

[@Andrew-wb7wn]

Yeah, honestly, even though i have only worked with an enlarger for a few months when i got one just before my 16th birthday, this is honestly really exciting, i have never even used contrast filters but the fact this basically has a variable one built in just seems really nice to have, and also it's tiny, like look at it, right now I am using some kind of czech giant of an enlarger so this is a really nice thing to see. I ordered one too, and I'm really excited to get it.

[@user-um9rw5ov7l]

how much?

[@bigdogdougcambridge1008]

Great video Lina. Very informative especially about your LED research. I often wondered about LED spectrum with respect to multigrade printing. This is the nail in in the coffin for this enlarger for me. I do split grade printing with 5 and 00 filters. Contrary to your comments about who needs the 5 filter I have made some prints in fog that were printed entirely on the 5 filter and I wished for more contrast.

[@vermeer7]

Very relevant and beautiful analysis especially the limitations of LED. I am a fan, The unpleasant aspect of blue/green systems is how dark the image appears on the easel while focussing and dodging and burning. Ilford Multigrade 500 is the father of all these b/g systems. Often for cheap on eBay. About the issues of glass carriers, pro labs and precision enlargements needs perfect flatness to exploit to the max the quality of your nice Schneider Componon S lenses. Focomat enlargers have a top glass at the minimum. Pro Durst and DeVere also. Dust management can be learned in a few minutes and saves spotting and improves local contrast by keeping sharpness. Beseler Negaflat carriers were the only ones to my knowledge to address flatness without glass. They are hard to find and they damage the very edge of the negative. Thanks again!

[@mjones410]

thanks for the detailed explanation on the grade 5 filtering Lina.

[@avivdelgadillo1208]

This was a very helpful video! Almost none of the videos I've watched reviewing this enlarger have touched on this topic regarding the high contrast functions of the enlarger. As someone who often prints at grades 4 and above, this is really important information.

[@linabessonova]

Happy it was useful! I just spent a lot of time studying light sources, so I simply knew the "weakness" of LED lights. Others might have not known about it!

[@SebastianSchröder-i8i]

hi @linabessonova - do you have any update on the blue LED issue? Did intrepid solved this in their final product? or is the max grade still around 4.2 ?

[@michaelsherck5099]

Very helpful, thank you! There are several review videos which cover this thing; I'm glad you took yours in a different, and very useful, direction!

[@Uwe_Ludolf]

It's so great to the the passion and enthusiasm in your videos.

[@linabessonova]

Thanks! )

[@RichardSwift]

What a fantastic review. Thanks!

[@linabessonova]

Happy you enjoyed it!

[@toulcaz31]

Thanks for the extra work to include those visuals in your videos lately. It's really nice. I would consider carving out the section on contrast filters and publish it too on YT for people to find it easily.

[@linabessonova]

True, maybe I should do an extended video, showing all the filters. I have spectral graphs for all of them. For now, I just published the graphs and the text from the video www.linabessonova.photography/videos#/light-and-contrast/ here :)

[@KharlamovAlexander]

Great overview. For ilford emulsion to reach maximum density without any trace of emerald green it needs purple instead of royal blue which has a tail into the green spectrum that affects the low contrast layer, I have developed multiple led conversions

[@linabessonova]

wow really interesting, can I find you on instagram?

[@KharlamovAlexander]

@@linabessonova I can send you some matching LED for ilford multigrade if you want, you would need to add a driver. My IG is ak4rts

[@TristanColgate]

I've picked one of these up as my darkroom space is my tiny office/dining room. I don't have space to keep a traditional enlarger head around. I've got all my trays, the enlarger, and the rest of my fear in a small box stuck away under a chair in the corner. I've not managed to print yet, but have tested the setup and focusing, and it all seems good. I'm not going to be printing a tonne, and I'm not selling my prints, so this should suits my needs well enough.

[@ikonseesmrno7300]

That is exciting news! It would sure beat dragging around my Beseler 23c. I shall look into investing in on of those. Thanks for the review!

[@linabessonova]

Yeah it absolutely is MUCH more portable than anything done before.

[@DannerPlace]

Lina, love your chance, great video. I also have a nice darkroom that gets regular use. But I will, 100%, buy an Intrepid when it becomes available. What a great gift for a student too!

[@linabessonova]

Oh yes, as a gift it's really excellent!

[@SteveKleinheider]

Thanks for the video!

[@linabessonova]

Absolutely welcome!

[@EdwardIglesias]

Thanks so much for this. I just finished taking a b&w printing workshop and am thinking of finally setting up a darkroom. This is definitely a contender.

[@linabessonova]

Good luck! Setting up a darkroom is so much fun

[@ribsy]

Great examination of the contrast settings. I had a feeling about this 😄

[@linabessonova]

Yeah, someone else texted me about this too. It's just something hard to really prove without a spectral light meter.

[@gretawilliamsschultz]

Was the Grade 5 issue resolved in the production unit?

[@lostintransitphoto]

Great video and I agree the team at intrepid are awesome. I will buy it for the simple reason that it is nifty and they build great stuff. I learned allot on the light spectrum so again, thanks for the education!

[@Meteotrance]

OK thanks for the review, so less contrast as tungstene on ilford black and white multi grade paper, but for color print it's probably less an issue with fuji Ra4 cristal paper, this last one is perfect with laser and led light because it was formulated to use with there frontier minilab that can print digital photo on those silver paper.

[@bobadams1064]

A very informative video. Well done Lina!

[@linabessonova]

Thank you!

[@jonjon1217]

I look forward to purchasing Intrepid's 4x5 camera on the near future. They're an awesome company who is making the medium and large format camera world, relatively affordable for newcomers. However, I would like to ask you about a 35mm/120mm brand of film you spoke highly of in another video. Adox CMS 20 B&W film in 120 and 35mm rolls. I cannot find any of these film rolls (in 35mm specifically) here in America. Nor can I find it's corresponding developer. I absolutely fell in love with the depth of the black and white images you displayed in that video! Would you be able to recommend a place where I could buy both the Adox CMS 20 black and white film in 35mm, as well as the proper developer supplies? I would so greatly appreciate any help that you can offer. Thank you

[@elenaschoerling]

What’s the soviet suitcase enlarger called?

[@billhackley3540]

would you share what LED light source you recommended to intrepid, i plan to buy an enlarger for b&w with the ability to use 00 through 5 filters for split grade prints the intrepid would be great for my small space but.......

[@agylub]

I wouldn't call it entry level but Hi Tech Pro. I have a Beseler 23 with Color head but have ordered this because of the ability to use it as a neg scanning light as well. Really looking forward to getting it.

[@davidadrien4369]

Very informative!!!! I love it!!!!

[@gretawilliamsschultz]

for the grade 5 test did you do the grade 5 setting on the intrepid controller or did you use a white setting with an under the lens grade 5 filter?

[@Maxwelljets]

Do you happen to know if they switched out the blue LEDs like you suggested?

[@linabessonova]

Unfortunately, I do not know this :(

[@gerardodalchielelueiro6818]

Hi Lina I have one of the soviet enlarger I was my first enlarger and I continuous to have it because I love it and I remember my beguinings

[@mbranagan4277]

Enlarger in a case: My first enlarger was an Opemus IIIC and it had a "case". Eventually tossed their lenses for Nikkors. Also had glass and glassless negative carriers. The enlarger had a very nice focus aid.

[@randallstewart175]

In one form or another, those Opemus models have been around since I took photography in high school in 1961. Quality design and construction unmatched by any Beseler or Omega model. Better than the small Dursts (and I use Durst exclusively). Harder to find in good shape these days, but a value if acquired.

[@BillSmith1]

Lina, I hope you can do a follow up review of the Intrepid Enlarger. I'm curious because while I have a 40 year old Devere 504 with a condenser head, a Leitz V35 and an Omega something or other in boxes. I know my living arrangements are going to be changing so the Intrepid makes more sense over the long haul. The Devere takes a tungstan buib and I have only one spare left. I do hope there are other enlarger companies looking into using LED lighting going forward.

[@darcyfreakthomas]

You say many of the LEDs you have tried are not 'blue' enough. I am curious if you have tried any UV LEDs, which peak at a shorter wavelength?

[@NicosPhotographyShow]

Great video Lina, I didnt yet check the different filtrations, but will soon.

[@linabessonova]

Thank you! I'm curious how it works out for you!

[@Resgerr]

5x4 would do me but wouldn’t say no to 10x8!

[@alfredozappetelli1473]

Lina tks for your videos, doesn't the package include the lens? Does it mount a L39 ones? tks

[@linabessonova]

No, the package has no lens! I think it's best to ask the Intrepid guys directly (on instagram maybe?) about your specific lens, they are very nice and will surely answer

[@alfredozappetelli1473]

@@linabessonova tks; I sent a message to them by Instagram.

[@MD-en3zm]

If you have a color enlarger, do you still need to use filters for variable contrast paper? I’ve never had a color enlarger myself so I used filters.

[@TristanColgate]

Old comment, but no, I don't think you do. If you have a colour head you can use that to work with multi-grade B&W papers. I think The Naked Photographer has a video covering this topic.

[@briansavage932]

Thank you for doing the Led breakdown! It's good to know what the benefits and the limitations are. I think I'm going to give this thing a try because I have a tiny house with a tiny bathroom, but I think I can make this work. I've been dying to do some printing instead of just digital scanning of my 35 and 120 negatives. I just can't fit a full sized enlarger in my home.

[@linabessonova]

If you have well-exposed negatives, you won't need a filter 5, it will always be filters 1,5 - 3,5. As a beginner's enlarger it's more than well-built.

[@briansavage932]

@@linabessonova great! Thanks!

[@donaldgenenavarro]

great video. would i be able to print 16"x24" with this enlarger? also, are the neg carriers full frame?

[@IntrepidCameraCo]

We have negative carriers that have frame borders as an add on :) You can easily print 16x24 if you project onto a wall

[@svigil4617]

I wish they would make an 8x10 kit

[@lostintransitphoto]

If we keep supporting them they might find a way...who else would try? Also, I believe they have a way to turn their Intrepid camera to a enlarger. Check them out. Not perfect but might work.

[@linabessonova]

Scaling up is easier than scaling down, so I surely do not exclude they would do that, if they have enough demand!

[@ivans8332]

Здравствуйте, купить уже где-то можно сей гениальный девайс)?

[@NathanMaid]

When is it available to buy?? Looking forward to getting it!

[@linabessonova]

There is a kickstarter here www.kickstarter.com/projects/1436129614/the-intrepid-compact-enlarger-print-and-scan-35mm-and-120?ref=7n1oon !:)

[@NathanMaid]

@@linabessonova so we can't buy it straight away? It's a bit confusing i feel

[@fanjan7527]

Make a film back for that enlarger and boom, mini bellows camera

[@nickfanzo]

How stable is it and does it move easily once you are printing?

[@linabessonova]

It depends on the tripod you use. My tripod head was sturdy and held the enlarger well, I didn't experience any inconveniences really. The enlarger head itself holds perfect. I really like how it is built!

[@provided4]

Great review but you did not give a conclusive, I would by this enlarger - or wouldn't, comment. Intrepid themselves compare this enlarger's prints to De Vere 504 prints so they are not seeing their enlarger as a toy as you described it. Do you feel it is capable of the professional results you demand of your own darkroom enlargers and would you spend your own money to buy one? Many thanks.

[@linabessonova]

I don't give a conclusion, because I don't have one honestly. I am just not their target audience, I have seven working enlargers, plus three in my basement and three more of my husband. If I was a beginner with just a bathroom - I would either build mine, or get theirs. it's a super entry level thing. For professional use, it has to be a permanent setup with leveled table and head, and of course I would like to see the vignetting issue solved, and a different blue LED. They compare it to a DeVere with an Ilford Multigrade head, not to a tungsten bulb with fresh gelatin filters. I have never taken apart a Multigrade head, I have no clue how it is inside, and whether it has some filters that could have faded over time, or there is something that could have affected the spectrum. The result their current blue LED gives is NOT bad by ANY means. Even some heads from the past had such lights that didn't give a filter 5, but people still bought them and lived happy.

[@provided4]

@@linabessonova I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Thank you!! I also appreciate your technical and analytical approach to the darkroom, which is why I sought your thoughts on this enlarger. I had previously watched the other reviews but I was happy to see yours, as I figured you would dig deeper and approach it from a technical data perspective rather than feel. I have backed the kickstarter and I am also in the market for a De Vere 504 with a colour or multi grade head, so the comparisons were exactly where my thoughts are. Thank you once again and I look forward to seeing more from you and your channel.

[@ezekielkokspeaks]

Sadly with a 500sgd price tag, I’d still need a copy stand and a m39 lens to get them working

[@florian_kopr]

i wish it would be one for large format and not like all stopping by 6x9

[@linabessonova]

Scaling up is easier than scaling down. If they feel enough demand and are well-funded (judging by the Kickstarter, they are;)), I don't think making an 8x10 would be that much of a challenge. The only big difference would be glass negative holders.

[@florian_kopr]

@@linabessonova that's of course true, I just find there are loads of 35mm and 120 film used or even new enlargers available, but for the bigger formats is basically nothing left and as they are producing bigger format cameras themselves isn't it in their self-interest?

[@florian_kopr]

@@linabessonova and to be clear, i would love them to make a 30x40 (11x15") enlarger

[@linabessonova]

@@florian_kopr haha nooo I wanna be the only one with such a beast :D Kidding. If you really really need an enlarger of a format you cannot find, you can build one. It won't be extra pretty, but it will work.

[@linabessonova]

@@florian_kopr I think they started with those small formats because it's also cheaper in prototyping.

[@lensman5762]

Nice review. I wish they made it to take the 4x5 neg too. BTW, I have one of those enlarged in the suitcase.

[@linabessonova]

They have light backs for 4x5 cameras I believe, so you can turn them into enlargers! And the briefcase enlargers, awww... I wanna get one now :)

[@lensman5762]

@@linabessonova Doesn't that necessitate having a 4X5 Intrepid camera in the first place?

[@daphnepk]

@@lensman5762 It should work on any 4x5 camera with a Graflok universal back.

[@Normanskie]

Look at that excitement on your face, come that should be the privilege of 'Boys with Toys' but OK OK we can have 'Girls with Gadgets' then.

[@guillermoperezsantos]

My 4x5 Chromega is getting jelous....

[@guillermoperezsantos]

Better have a traditional one...

[@dayeni5541]

440nm blue light source is better

[@linabessonova]

The more into UV the better, but do you know one?

[@DannerPlace]

'channel'

[@smitbar11]

In *Soviet times* .........Lol I bet you were not even born in Soviet times

[@linabessonova]

I was totally born in the USSR, and even remember seeing it's collapse on the TV :D

[@randallstewart175]

Other YT media has tested this "enlarger" package and discovered the the output of the LED source is so uneven that it cannot be used to enlarge negatives larger than 35mm. Intrepid has confirmed that although set up to cover medium format sizes, the light source cannot be used effectively for medium format. They hope to correct this defect "later". As a practical matter, to use this product, you have to buy an enlarger and adapt its use or a copy stand or similar to get to a working device. That could be $150 up, and the Kickstarter is $300. My evaluation is that anyone proposing to spend $450 for an enlarger, is not going to be buying this jury rigged mess. Far better used enlargers are out there for much less. "But it is so small, you can put in the box and keep in the bathroom between uses." The labor to set up and level is more trouble than that would be worth. "You can use your tripod." Anyone who thinks that has never tried it. For starters, every time you change a print size. you have to realign the whole contraption - you spend more time playing with the device than you do enlarging. Conclusion: Not ready for prime time!

[@toulcaz31]

I believe some reviewers have managed to print with a tripod. Lina is sharing some of these links. DIY copy stands made with extrusions and 3D printed parts are showing up and might soon offer a better combination with such product. Intrepid has proven in the past they can offer certain options for a specific niche in the market. I don't think your expectations are in line with that niche. I would give them the benefit of the doubt until they ship in September. Used and cheap enlargers are almost gone now as the demand for Analog is climbing up. If Intrepid manages to bring people to printing the way they brought new people to LF, it's a good thing in my books. People just need to have the right expectations and Intrepid needs to be clear about what the product can and cannot do (which I believe is happening with all these reviewers).

[@linabessonova]

All your arguments are correct, BUT what I find very important, is supporting a real, existing, living company. Yes, now those prototypes have some issues, and probably they will have to have thicker matte glass and increased height to diffuse light better, but those aren't huge changes. When you buy a used product, your money doesn't get invested into the future of the community, whereas everyone supporting companies like Intrepid is giving them (and all of us) a perspective. We simply cannot rely on used markets forever, if we want to move forward. Rome wasn't built in a day, and I am definitely hoping for improvements and other, more serious, products from Intrepid.

[@DannerPlace]

That doesn't sound like an unsolvable problem. These are prototypes, after all.

[@Disco_Shrew]

Per Interpids comments on their Kickstarter page, the light evenness problem has already been resolved. The prototypes were using smaller light panels.

[@carltanner9065]

It's a prototype. What are you expecting of it. If you want a copy stand, build one yourself. There are always solutions to problems if you care to take the time to think about it. It's not a jury rigged mess, it's a start that will improve given more time and effort...and some money to help out. I've seen some of the "cheap" used enlargers on eBay and elsewhere. I wouldn't touch them with a forty foot pole. By the time you got a working enlarger you'd have paid more than twice their sales value in repair bills. And, nearly as much again, for missing parts and accessories. That's why good working enlargers sold on eBay and elsewhere are not cheap and generally come with most of their parts and such included.

[@j.b.6360]

Sorry, this is a toy 👎

[@randallstewart175]

For $300+. it's not a toy, but it is a rook.