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A look back at what Omega said about some of those enlargers when they were new.

Click on a thumbnail below to view larger picture.

Omega C760 1985	Omega C700 1978	Pro-Lab B66 1975	Omega B22 1970
Super Chromega B 1970	Omega A3 1969	Pro-Lab D6 1967	D-2V XL 1967
Omega Enlargers 1966	Automega 1957	Omega B8 1956	Omega D-II 1951
Omega Enlargers 1950	Omega Enlargers 1950	Omega B-4 1949	Automega B3 1949
Automega E3 1948	Omega D-II 1945	Omega Enlargers 1939	Complete Enlarger 1936


"Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon"
Probably the first, and perhaps most unusual, appearance of an Omega enlarger in a major motion picture was a D-II in this Universal Pictures 1942 film, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.

In this movie, the D-II is used twice, but in neither instance as an enlarger! In the first scene, early in the picture, the enlarger is used to represent the "secret weapon" of the title, a revolutionary new bomb sight. During the war, filmmakers were not allowed to photograph such closely guarded types of real military equipment, and given the limited budgets and short shooting schedule of these "B" pictures, the production companies had to be inventive to come up with substitutes. The scene depicts the weapon's inventor, Dr. Franz Tobel, conducting a test of the bomb sight. He stares intently over the enlarger lamphouse at the "viewing screen" and uses the lamphouse lifting lever to make adjustments to the "bomb sight". The inline switch on the power cord is then used as the "bomb release". Later in the picture the D-II is used to represent a copy camera as part of the process to reveal an invisible coded message. During this sequence, Holmes is describing the processing of the sheet of paper and says, "If we immerse the sheet in a solution of fluorescent salts, dry it, and then photograph it by ultraviolet light..." as he lowers the lamphouse onto the negative carrier. Despite these cinematic misrepresentations, the D-II went on to be a highly successful enlarger for Simmon-Omega.

"Flags of our Fathers"
More recently, an Omega D-II appeared in this 2006 film from Dreamworks / Warner Bros. / Amblin, directed by Clint Eastwood.

Very early in the movie there is a brief scene depicting the first print being made of Joe Rosenthal's iconic image of U.S. soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima. The technician can be seen adjusting the lens on the Omega D-II, and the now familiar image appears on the easel as he widens the lens aperture. The enlarger and vintage easel used in the picture were restored specifically for this film by KHB Photografix. Although they don't appear as prominently as we might have hoped, we are nevertheless proud to have had a small part in the production.

If you happen to spot an Omega enlarger in other movies, please drop us a line with the details.

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