Beginner setting up 1st darkroom: colour enlarger advice

[nexus]

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie here and to photography. I'm wanting to set up a darkroom in my laundry and I've been wanting some recommendations for good old secondhand enlarger I should look out for. I'm wanting to get a colour one and have been scouring ebay and the trading post (i live in melbourne, oz).

Could you please give me recommendations for a good colour enlarger? I was told the durst m67o was a good one, but i have no idea about these things, let alone brands or models. I use a 35mm camera and want to be able to make enlargements - pref bigger than 8x10 if i can.

I'm on a budget of course, so cheap would be good! And if you can tell me their specifications that woul dbe most helpful

Thanks for your help.

 

[Dave Miller]

Durst M670 are good as is their M707. Look for one with a Colour Head, since these are easier to use for both colour and black & white work. Either of these will allow 16" x 12" prints. Gook Luck.

 

[Nige]

Hi nexus, a fellow Melbournite here too!

Are you intending to buy from the Trading Post? There's been some decent buys in their recently. What's your budget?

 

[nexus]

Hi Nige,

I've noticed a few where people are selling everything for about $500. I'm trying to stay under $300 for the enlarger hell less if I can because I know I can get the other stuff seperately as well. I already have a paterson developing tank from a CAE course years ago, all I need is another reel. I have a friend who has a heap of that stuff she rescued from her dad, i'm sur eif i made an offer she might sell them to me. For now I would be happy with the enlarger.

Nige if you have any recommendations from whats in trading post i'd love to hear them.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

 

[Adrian Twiss]

I use a Kaiser VP6005 for colour work. It is a very sturdy enlarger which uses a combined condenser/diffuser system. Light is passed through a double condenser and then through a diffuser. I find it very easy to use and with the right lens gives excellent results. My own enlarger will do up to 6x6. The Kaiser is a modular enlarging system that allows you to tailor the enlarger to suite your needs. You can buy the necessary condesers and the same enlarger will do up to 6x9. Other items available are long columns to allow prints up to 20x16, VC heads if you are only doing monochrome.

If you are on a budget you could also do a lot worse than the Meopta Magnafax. This enlarger will do up to 6x9 and, again, there are a lot of easily obtainable accessories for it. It is an all metal enlarger that is very substantially built. The negative carrier is superbly made. I used a Meopta Opemus 6 for a long time and was very satisfied with it.