I am in the market for a black and white enlarger. I have currently seen two that fit my requirements: first is a
BESELER 23CII-XL and the second is a
Durst M805 B&W Enlarger With Universal Carrier.
Curious to know what folk's opinions of these two. I will print 35mm but mostly 6x7 occasionally 6x9 but this isn't a deal breaker.
I will be printing on Ilford multigrade warmtone FB
If you have experience with an alternative enlarger that you can recommend, I would be grateful of your input.
Very many thanks
Hi Neil,
If your requirements are 35mm, 6x7and occasionally 6x9cm, either enlarger are fine. The Beselers are not common in the UK - if you can find it - great however check out the baseboard max diameter size and the power unit wiring for 220Volt UK which may deter you.
I've blown up and short-circuited enough American made equipment including linking timers via American voltage systems. I don't recommend using an American made enlarger at all unless you are very good at the wiring and finding spare parts. It's more of a headache than anything. My Gralab timer which I blew up is currently in surgery waiting for resuscitation
The Durst M805 is more advanced than the Durst M670 which I used to teach on. They are alright. I still have the Compulux module timer as a souvenir although its not much use without a Durst. The M805 is quite large compared to the Beseler or alternative 6x9cm enlargers which sit less well in English cottage homes. They are fine and parts from Germany are much easier to come by than Beseler.
Like many in the United Kingdom, the DeVere system is popular for its 5x4 and step down masks. There is a 203 series 6x9cm - 35mm enlarger which is very sturdy and more robust than either Durst or Beseler series. I use a Devere 5x4 for personal work and prefer this over and above all the other enlargers for its cold cathode light and extreme beauty in rendering graded paper. Few photographers still use this approach to printing so it's hard to recommend to anyone else except the luddite fraternity.
In our public darkroom, we run 3x Meopta Magnifax 6x9cm - 35mm enlargers with different light sources. I think a lot of the old English photographer's aesthetics and printing techniques (like Barry Thornton) made its mark on me as a student and the Meoptas felt more Eastern block tank like without the refined fragility of the German Dursts. I prefer the tank like build of the Meopta Magnifax over the Dursts. The advantage of the Magnifaxes include its swappable heads. I think the Beseler choice which you have shortlisted, requires a standard dichroic mixing chamber similar to the older Ilford Ilfospeed enlargers and other dichroic light sources. If you like dichroic light sources, that's fine. If you prefer single condensers and sharper negatives, then a dichroic light source might not be the last word.
The Magnifax Meograde B&W multigrade head maps grades of paper onto Ilford's own Warmtone paper selection flawlessly. This is the only paper from Ilford which is workable in toners. The rest of their papers are weak in response to toning and alternative processes although the students love the Ilford MGIV standard.
The incandescent sources for the Black & White Magnifax (not Meograde head which is ideal for your paper selection) make the Meopta Magnifax enlargers much cheaper. The 35mm and 6x9cm condenser lenses are interchangeable (although you can print 35mm on a 6x9cm condenser lens, but not the other way around). The heads swivel and lock 90 degrees so you can project and print on the wall for super enlargements. Bulbs range from 75watt, 100 watt, 150watt - however at 75watt you will find f11 at 30 seconds printing more than sufficient for a standard density 0.55 - 0.65 negative for an 8x10inch print . LED lamps have come in now and are cheap to run and heat less than 150 watts of incandescent heat dissipation.
For your 35mm, 6x7cm,6x9cm, you will need a 50mm, (90mm) and 105mm focal length enlarging lenses to get the most out of each format. Check out the prices of the lens flanges - the Meopta Magnifax makes a lot of sense for a cottage darkroom than some of the other makes charging £60 a lens flange. Before you even consider acquiring the 35mm masks, 6x7cm masks, 6x9cm masks and glass carriers (if you print full rebate).
The ages of these machines also require some emphasis: I've seen lots of wobbly Durst enlargers, but not a wobby Magnifax after decades of use. The metal teeth of the gearing may be important but good quality nylon teeth gearing with less use may swing it.
If you can't decide you can drop in and play with one of our enlargers when we're not busy. Maybe it will give you an idea of what to look for, no matter which enlarger you embark on.
Kind regards
RJ