Takita Blow-Up machine

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The Lab is equipped with a Takita printer, model OP 5100 B.
It is meant to make blowup prints from super8 to 16mm, reduction prints from 16mm to super8 or 16mm contact prints. Super8 contact prints might also be made with it. It is a stepprinter: original and unexposed printstock go through it synchronized with an intermittent movement, at a speed of 6 frames a second. At each frame the light is cut off by a rotating shutter and both films are transported to the next position. During the exposure the films are kept in place by claws.

In between the super8 side and the 16mm side there is a lens (Micro Nikkor 1:5, f=7 cm ). These three are in a fixed position, it is not possible to make a zoom. There is a frameline adjustment on both sides. The machine cannot print one single frame. It has no flashframe when the printing is interrupted right in the middle of a scene, though.

The machine has 2 feed- and 2 take-up spools on both sides, which makes bipacking easy. The lamphouse unit( 110 V-1000 W-2900 K) is connected to the super8side (for making blowups and 16mm contactprints) or to the 16mm side (for reductions) The lamp is set to 80 V by a dimmer. The lamphouse has a filtertray and a filterpocketband for a series of filtercombinations, operated either manually or by a cue-mark sensoring system.

Contactprinting.
Original and unexposed film get sandwiched with the emulsion sides touching each other. A lens is not necessary, and there is always a magnification of 1. The film format cannot change, 16mm stays 16mm. There is a difference with contactprinting in a continuous printer. There the film gets exposed at a high speed and without the intermittent movement. In that way also the frameline area is being exposed which is very visible in a positive from a neg. A negative has transparent framelines and edges. In a positive print from a continuous contactprinter they will become black, made with a stepprinter they will stay transparent.

Other tricks many variations are possible: bipacking, super8 and 16mm at the same time, double exposures, traveling mattes etc. A double exposure can be made at one frame precisely. The Lab has a wet splicer for super8 and for 16mm available, so A/B rolling can be done very well. Filmloops can be printed with a loopbox.

Filmstock.
All kinds of filmstock can be used to print on. Generally official printstock has a fine grain and a low light-sensitivity. Visit the Kodak website for Kodak printfilms. Leaking light from the machine itself has been reduced so any other camerastock can be used without fogging.

Tests.
Many tests have been made and many more will be done. The optical path is clean now and the lamp has been adjusted more precisely to improve even illumination of the filmframe. Testresults are reported in the testbook, including samples of the film itself. Shots of a Kodak colorcard and greyscale have been made on different stocks and with different exposures. These originals are then used to make a printtest, again on different stocks and with different exposures. The book will give you a direction, however it doesn't delete the necessity to do your own testing and improvising.
Examples:
7276 (wedge) super8 B/W neg onto 7302 16mm B/W pos.
7276 (wedge) super8 B/W rev onto 7234 16mm B/W interneg
7276 (wedge) super8 B/W rev onto 7231 16mm B/W neg
7240 (wedge) super8 col rev onto 7399 16mm col rev
7240 (correct exposed) super8 col rev onto Fuji 16mm col rev 400 asa
7276 (wedge) super8 B/W rev onto 7302 16mm B/W pos 7276 (wedge) super8 B/W rev onto Kahl Titelfilme 16mm B/W neg
7276 (wedge) super8 B/W rev onto 7378 16mm sound B/W Hicon rev
7274 (wedge) super8 col neg onto 7383 16mm col POs kodachrome (1 stop underexposed) super8 col rev onto 7248 16mm col neg
7231 (wedge) 16mm B/W neg onto 7302 16mm B/W POs
7278 (wedge) 16mm B/W rev onto kahltitelfilme 16mm B/W POs
7278 (wedge) 16mm B/W rev onto 7378 16mm sound B/W Hicon rev
7231 (wedge) 16mm B/W neg onto kahl pos.printfilm super8 B/W POs

Quality.
The amount of dust that will show up on your print depends mainly on your own hygiene. It is hard to exclude all dust without a dustfree space and without a wetgate. Clean your film well. Do not aim for the impossible; your print will always differ from your original. Look at it not as a exact copy, but more as a new original. Please visit the company page to find high quality (wetgate-) blowups.

Do it yourself.
Much attention has been paid to make the machine easier to use and accessible. A written and illustrated manual is available and the controlpanel and the machine have clear signs for direction. A solution has been found for the enormous power of the takeupmechanisms, so the film is not torn anymore by it. To make the process of testing more convenient there is a standard ND filterpocketband with 0.10 ND steps (=1/3 stop) from 0 ND unto 1.70 ND and a standard CC filterpocketband (75 steps) with subtractive filtering. ( 0Y0M0C - black - 0Y0M10C - black - 0Y0M20C - black - 0Y0M30C - black - 0Y10M0C - black - 0Y10M10C - etc )

Standard available.
Blowupmachine with spare parts, bulb, fuses etc.
Filters: (0.10 ND t/m 1.00 ND) ; Cyan/Yellow/Magenta filters (05 t/m 50)
Testbook
Plastic 16mm cores, 2 big super8 spools
Cleaning supplies: canned air, orange wood sticks, liquid filmcleaner etc.
Lightbox, magnifier 8 x
Super8 tape splicer, 16mm tape splicer
Plastic loopbox for 1 or 2 minutes of film
Scissors, tape etc
3 buckets for processing a test

At request.
metal loopbox for max. 10 minutes film
wet splicer for super8, wet splicer for 16mm
super8 viewer,16mm editing table
synchronizer (3 gang 16mm/1gang 35mm )
russian filmprocessing tank 2 x 15 m (only after completing filmcourse 3-processing)

Course 4-filmprinting basic level.
In order to get authorised to work on the blowupmachine, you go through the one-day course 4, in which you will learn how to operate the machine. After this you can rent time on the machine by appointment.

Prices.
You 'll have to work independently, no assistance is available. You need to take care of your own filmstock and processing. There are buckets to process a short test, bring your own chemicals then. Of course you can have your film processed by the Lab in the regular routine. The Lab can order camerafilm by request and sells super8 spools, white leader etc. It is also possible to buy certain filmprintstock by special request.

The courses will be held by appointment only, so please contact if you are interested. Also send her an e-mail if you would like to receive more information about the blowupprinter, or about the other courses.

Francien van Everdingen December 2000.
[The workshops are cancelled for this moment because of lack of time.]

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