LPL C7700 Pro

Darkroom check

Light, carriers, bellows and lens

Light source and lamp

It's a dichroic Y, M and C head in a mixing box, lit by a 12V 100W cold-mirror halogen lamp through a separate transformer. KHB Photografix in Canada still stocks LPL's 100W 12V lamp and lists the head's panel lamp. Ask for a photo with the head switched on and each dial at its top setting.

Carriers and condensers

It uses LPL's own carriers: hinged glassless ones for 35mm, 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x7, and a universal glass carrier with masking blades. Japanese units came with the universal glass carrier, while new ones sold in Canada came with none. The mixing box covers every format, so there are no condensers to swap.

Column and bellows

The column is a 110 cm aluminum girder with a counterbalanced, twist-to-lock carriage, and it turns around for floor projection. The bellows are extra long, and KHB sells replacements for ones that have cracked, split, torn or developed pin holes. Ask for a photo of the bellows racked out with a light inside.

Alignment

The lens stage swings and shifts for distortion control and the carriage tilts for wall projection, so both need to sit at zero for square prints. Ask whether the seller has checked them with a level, and look for the locks in the photos.

Lens

It takes LPL's reversible, rotating lensboards with a 39mm thread, and LPL rates it for lenses from 38mm to 105mm. A 39mm board came with it new, but a lens didn't, so check the listing for one.

Timer and power

The head needs LPL's transformer, rated 12V at 100VA on Japanese units and sold in 120V and 220V versions in North America. Make sure it's in the photos with its cord, since the head won't light without it. Run it through your own enlarging timer.

Shipping and pickup

LPL lists it at 16.2 kg with a 45x60 cm baseboard and 1,250 mm overall height, and KHB ships new ones in two cartons. If it has to ship, ask for the head and transformer to be boxed apart from the column and baseboard. Local pickup is simpler.

Should come with it

• Dichroic head with its transformer and cord
• A 39mm threaded lensboard
• Carriers for your formats, or the universal glass carrier
• Baseboard and column
• The fine focus knob (standard on Japanese units)

Hard to find if missing

• The transformer for the dichroic head
• The MX-1 copy camera and slide duplicator kit, made for this head only
• Carriers KHB lists as discontinued, such as 126, disc and 4x4 cm

Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing carrier, condenser or lens board should come off the price.