WTB - Enlarger copying frame

Evening

Looks like I'm going to need a copying stand on to which to fit one of the cameras (Pentax, of course!) so as to archive a huge pile of prints which would take too long to scan.

Anyone have one of those for sale, and if so a few pics and a price would be appreciated?
(NB: could collect in the Western areas of Greater London)

PS: Best thing I can find on ebay is around 50 quid (new) delivered, so as to indicate where the "price limit" might be

https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/topic/fs-pentax-copipod-63030

Is this the sort of thing you mean?

Could be - OTOH, the enlarger-based approach with a fixed column (preferably angled) and a height-adjustable bracket for the camera might be more stable and flexible as the prints to be copied are in a range of sizes.

Members' experiences with both types would thus be appreciated.

The copipod is great because it is small and light. You do need a firm surface to put it on, and make sure you use a remote and the delay. I've happily copied A4 pages that way.

The copystand approach would be less fiddly as it would be sturdier, and if you get a good one would have lights too (mine does). BUT, it takes up an awful lot of room.

There are smaller copystands that fold into a box. I have a Pentax one, probably from the 1960s, but they are hard to find.

With all three approaches the best thing to do is to sort your images into sizes. Set-up for one size, photograph the lot quickly, set-up for the next and so on. Zooming in and out for every image will slow you down no end.

Good luck, Kris.

"!With all three approaches the best thing to do is to sort your images into sizes".

This is an excellent idea (and obvious I suppose)!

I have a Krokus stands with lights on each side. The main issue is avoiding reflections from photos and trying to get colour temperature/white balance right first time rather than in post.

Many years ago I was helping a friend print hundreds of photos of archaeological artefacts (and by print I mean in the darkroom). Artefact photos are printed at 1:1 so you have to match the scale in the photograph to a scale on the baseboard of the enlarger. He'd zoomed in and out for every artefact meaning that I had to adjust the height of the enlarger head for every print. ARRGGHH. Since then, I've made sure that anyone photographing artefacts does them by size! Even digitally, its much easier if things are in batches size-wise.

K.

Not yet figured out what I'm going to buy/do - but many thanks for all the inputs and experiences

And so please keep them coming.

The cost of proper copy stands on ebay is amazing. You might be better off buying an enlarger with the right fitting.

Good idea - any suggestions as to what to look for?

Lots of ideas here:


https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/replacing-enlarger-head-with-dslr.142642/