Best enlarger for 35mm up to 4x5?

[RobC]

Ok, ok, thanks. Sounds good. I am just going to keep what I have. I love the 45. The 23c has sticky focus, and I heard that is what all are like, because I have another head I got cheap, and it is the same. Maybe I can fabricate a fine focus system for it.

If its sticky the focus mechanism probably just needs cleaning of old lubricant, re-lubricating and adjusting for pressure/tightness and it'll likely be good as new.

 

[RobC]

Be careful with the reference to LPL.

LPL are/were distributors. There are older, cheap, "hobby" enlargers out there that you could find under a number of different brand names, including Bogen, Vivitar and LPL. If RobC's experience is with those enlargers, they are/were indeed fairly poor.

The cuurrent LPL enlargers (sold as Saunders/LPL in the US) are significantly more refined.

It was a 4x5 unit so I assume it was Saunders but I suppose it could have been something else. I only knew it as an LPL and I didn't have it for more than a few days. Having set it up to try it out I was mighty dis-appointed with it and returned it to shop pronto.

 

[Ronald Moravec]

Buy something without motors or other devices that go bad and one that provides condensers and neg carriers now

 

[1920]

neg-flat

Haha, but your using the LPL today!! ;-).

The 45 MX II is for sale along with the Color computer head, 4x5 & 35mm chambers, condenser head, the adjus-table stand, a nega flat and a few other pieces.

As a side note, I try and sell in complete kits locally at roughly the same prices I got in order to keep machines alive and encourage analog experimentation, use, and adoption

Hi- is that the carrier that sort of grabs and stretches a 4x5 neg with no glass? Ive been looking for one, would you be interested in selling it separately?

Last time I used my 45MX I remember having a lot of problems with the standard 4x5 carrier.

Just got my 45MX out of storage after 12+ years- looking forward to getting back into analog photography!

 

[snapguy]

All wet

My wet darkroom experience goes back to the late 1950s and I helped set up the press darkrooms at the Olympics in Mexico City in 1968, worked in the dark for the world's largest photo service and blah blah blah and never heard of a Saunders. Was he an actor in the 1950s? "All About Eve" and all? Serious darkroom dudes by the thousands have been happy with Omega and Beseler for decades. I have one to this (late) date.

 

[emeraldcity_grain]

Most people in the US who are serious about printing or print a lot for enjoyment will eventually end up with a Saunders. That just seems to be the way it is. They are great enlargers. They are also easy to find parts for, not that there are many parts. Durst makes a great enlarger too, but unless you find one with every little piece you want it can be a pain to find the parts you are missing. At least that is what it seems like. I always thought the 1200 was a great enlarger. It is probably a little better than the Saunders 4550, but hard to find in the US.

If you want two enlargers, get one for the second that is a dedicated 35mm enlarger like the Leitz Focomat V35. I would love to own one someday to stick next to my Saunders. What a dream that would be!

There is a lot of dumb luck in finding these things if you can't or don't want to buy a new one. I stumbled over my Saunders a few years ago in a poor ad on Craigslist. Since it was a couple hours drive away, I waited. A couple of weeks later it was still listed so I called. I was the only call they got after a month they said. Unbelievable. I also got a bunch of other things with it (huge Rototrim, Polaroids, meters, Easels) so I got super lucky. And it only cost me $200. Again, it is just dumb luck.

If you are thinking you want to change, then go for it. Life is short.

My current enlargers, in use for the last decade, are the two described above, a V35 and a 4500II. Both connected to a Heiland Splitgrade with head modules. Now I need another enlarger like a bullet to the ....
But there are great deals out there that just can't be ignored. Within the last 6 months I've picked up the following gems.
- Focomat V35, fully fitted including the Focotar 40mm
- 2 Durst L138S, full condensers for each, fully fitted including 6 Schneider lenses
- Durst L1200, CLS450 head, power supply, 450 mixing box, glass carrier
- boxes of 'just take this too' darkroom accessories for free

Everything included, I've spent less than $400. Just a little sweat, time and gas picking it up.

Like Patrick says, keep an eye out. If you want a change, go for it.

 

[eng1er]

I'm all about a multi enlarger darkroom. It allows for easier multi-format work and lets to have multiple printing projects going on at the same time without having to change set ups. And obviously, some enlargers are better suited to certain tasks. My bench currently has a V35 (best 35mm enlarger ever), a Beseler 45 MXII with Zone VI multi-contrast cold head (also have condenser and Aristo cold heads), and an Omega D2 with condenser and cold heads). In reserve I've got an Omega B with condenser and dichroic heads, a Durst M301 (with a glass carrier--Newton ring nightmare), a Beseler 45MXCR with dichroic head, and half a dozen oddball/hobby enlargers.

But to answer the OP's question (with my opinion), I'm partial to the Beseler 45MX as a 35mm to 4x5 solution. The things are tanks and the motorized chassis is the bees knees. I've always found the 23C to be clunky and kind of rickety, despite an appearance of sturdiness. But I've never owned one--all the ones I've spent time with were in shared labs, so they were probably abused.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have a beseler 45 with colorhead that fits the bill, and is really nice. I have a 23cii with colorhead next to it that does 35mm and 120. I am thinking I have no need for 2 enlargers.
Being that most, not all of this stuff is pretty cheap anymore, what is the best enlarger out there? I have beseler hd and rodenstock lenses.

I am thinking of replacing the 23c with saunders, but they are still pricey. I wonder if it is worth thinking about it.

The best multi-format enlargerclearly isthe Durst L1200

 

[ac12]

... They are also easy to find parts for, not that there are many parts. Durst makes a great enlarger too, but unless you find one with every little piece you want it can be a pain to find the parts you are missing. At least that is what it seems like.... .

I can vouch for this statement. I bought a Durst L1000 at what I thought was a great price, but by the time I finished getting most of the missing parts (lens boards, condenser lens, etc., it wasn't such a deal after all. And I still have the negative masks to find/make. Also some of the older enlargers use bulbs that are no longer made. Example, the bulb for the Durst 138 is no longer made, so your source is the overpriced eBay/old market. Similarly the bulb for my L1000 is no longer made, so I have to make do with a generic G30 bulb.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I've owned my Beseler 45MXT with a Dichro 45S for over 30 years and overall, it hasn't given me any serious issues. The color head had a bad optiosiolator which a replaced. It's a solid enlarger. Bought it when I was in college, used it when I was a pro and very happy with it as an amature photographer.

 

[Ronald Moravec]

D5 or 6 Omega

 

[Kilgallb]

The focus on my Beseler changed when I removed the neg carrier. Then I found an ever tightened screw that prevented the top bellows from falling back into place. That fixed it.

My big issue is getting the 4x5 mixing chamber to fill a 4x5 negative.

 

[fotch]

.................. I've always found the 23C to be clunky and kind of rickety, despite an appearance of sturdiness. But I've never owned one--all the ones I've spent time with were in shared labs, so they were probably abused.

I still have one that I purchased new and can attest to it being a sturdy, precision machine. When I picked up a used Beseler 45, one of the early ones with the struts out front, and motorized lift, it became my main enlarger. Still used the the 23 however, the 45 was so much nicer, it became the main machine in my darkroom. Still have the 23C, like brand new, 35+ years later.

 

[Red Tractors]

I think it's an impossible question,

From my limited experience, 35mm is far easier on an LPL4500 than it is on an Omega D5XL.

I have a pair of D5XL's, If I ever ran across an affordable LPL4500, I'd snag it.

 

[ac12]

With the price of enlargers as low as they are, I would get 2 enlargers
#1 - 35mm to 6x6, this would be smaller and easier to use than a 4x5 enlarger.
#2 - 6x7 to 4x5, while this enlarger could go down to 35mm, I would limit it to the larger formats.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I'd choose (and use) at least a 4x5 enlarger for everything. They're likely to be a lot more seriously built to begin with, and obviously more
versatile, though I don't think I've ever used one of my 8x10 enlargers for anything other than 8x10.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'd choose (and use) at least a 4x5 enlarger for everything. They're likely to be a lot more seriously built to begin with, and obviously more
versatile, though I don't think I've ever used one of my 8x10 enlargers for anything other than 8x10.

+1

But I do not have an 8"x10" camera nor enlarger.

 

[mikestr]

I agree with Drew: One 4x5 enlarger that you like will be fine. All 4x5 enlargers are fairly solid and built to last if treated with respect. Any of them will turn to junk if abused. The only enlarger I ever used that couldn't hold its focus was an Opemus, ca. 1970. That was probably an exception for that brand. The Omega D series, in spite of one comment to the contrary, are fully professional and highly productive enlargers, by far the most abundant in pro labs and schools in North America. They are easy to align and repair. It's not true that Dursts are all cast parts and Omegas all sheet metal--they both have a bit of both. Beselers are fine, too, very solid. Both brands are now common and cheap on the used market. Larger Durst models are harder to find here, and yes, it's now a pain to locate all the needed accessories as well as repair parts. But once you have them they should last forever. You can't wear out an enlarger in normal use. Everyone has this own priorities. For me it's important to have even illumination and a glass carrier that accommodates a strip of 120 or 35 mm film without damaging it. I currently have a couple of Omega D5XLs (one of which will probably be sold) with the Chromega II and condenser heads, a ZBE Starlight closed-loop head (don't ask me about it because I haven't used it yet), a Durst Optocom (industrial motorized 4x5), and a Durst L1840 for 8x10. I don't plan on getting anything else. I haven't used the Deveres or Fotars, but I'm sure I would be happy with either.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Any 4"x5" enlarger will do. I use a Chromega II 5D-XL enlarger.

 

[Paul Howell]

I agree with what has been said, Omega, Bessler, Durst, Sanders all make very fine professional enlargers, in the day of the wet darkroom the Air Forced use Omega D5 LX, they took a lot of abuse. I have a D3, I have had it for almost 40 years and I got it used. I would stay away from the amateur level 4X5, such as Federal or Dejur they don't have cranks to move the head up and down, there is a long spring in the column that assists with travel, but does not very well.

Federals are sheet metal, they don't have adjustable condensers, really slow when enlarging 35mm. I have a Federal 6X9 stow away enlarger that packs into a case for travel, this summer I plan on taking it with me on a photo vacation to set up in the motel so I can make working prints, but it is pain to use compared to my Omega.

 

[nworth]

I have a Beseler that does the job well. The Omegas are also well respected for this large range. With the Beseler, you can adjust the condensers for optimum coverage of the negative. You may have to swap condensers with the Omega. With a dichro head on the Beseler, you have to swap mixing chambers for 35mm on my enlarger (the other sizes all use the same mixing chamber). I don't know how other enlargers handle this. I eventually found it convenient to get a dedicated 35mm enlarger for 35mm film.

 

[Sirius Glass]

With my Omega I do not have to change the dichroic head when I go between 35mm, 120 and 4"x5".

 

[mikestr]

With the Omega you just open a door and change the position of the condenser--pretty easy. Speaking of Beseler, has anyone mentioned the 45V-XL? Pretty solid chassis. It doesn't come up on the used market very often, but it should be on anyone's short list, I should think.