Choosing between two darkroom equipment bundles

Hey everybody! First time poster here! I am planning on purchasing darkroom equipment and am looking for advice. There are two people in my area selling complete setups and I would like your opinions on which one would be the best purchase! One is a slightly more complete setup with a Beseler 45MCRX and the other includes slightly less equipment with a Durst F60 enlarger(cheaper option).

I'd really appreciate your input! Here are my options:

Beseler 45MCRX, $475- https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/61081969

Durst F60, $150- https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/61782214

Would you all consider the extra expense of the Beseler 45MCRX kit to be worth it? Thank you so much!!!!!!

In my opinion both are overpriced. I would wait for a better deal, search eBay or try building your own if your handy (internet search brings up a number of ideas). Good luck!

The Beseler unit would be better, in that you will be able to enlarge 35mm film, 120 format film and 4x5" film. Leaves you ready for any expansion of photography you may head towards.

What could be a big caveat emptor is that there is no mention of lenses for the enlarger. Approximately 50mm for 35mm film, 75/80mm for 6x6/6x7 (or 100/105mm for 6x9 format) cameras and 150mm for 4x5" film.

I would suggest a colour head enlarger is very nice to have, they work very well with B&W enlarging, but are not a necessity. This enlarger with filters for paper grades will work quite well.

The chemicals are toast, looks like there is a bulk film loader for 35mm film.

I don't know the prices in your country, but if everything works, then with new consumables, you are off and running.

Mick.

Welcome to Photrio.
The appropriateness of the price is hard to guage without knowledge of your market and your needs.
If the Beseler is in good shape and comes with a wide selection of lenses and negative carriers, and you have need for that flexibility, it is more likely to be a good value.
The listing for the Durst specifies the lens and carrier, so it is relatively easier to say that it might be overpriced.
If you were local, and sizes up to 6x7 would meet your needs, boy would I have something for you .

If you are going to frequent this website you might as well admit to yourself that you are going to start with 35mm and grow to medium format [MF] and 4"x5" [LF] and maybe even larger. Many here got pulled in just as I was.

justin wright said:

Hey everybody! First time poster here! I am planning on purchasing darkroom equipment and am looking for advice. There are two people in my area selling complete setups and I would like your opinions on which one would be the best purchase! One is a slightly more complete setup with a Beseler 45MCRX and the other includes slightly less equipment with a Durst F60 enlarger(cheaper option).

I'd really appreciate your input! Here are my options:

Beseler 45MCRX, $475- https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/61081969

Durst F60, $150- https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/61782214

Would you all consider the extra expense of the Beseler 45MCRX kit to be worth it? Thank you so much!!!!!!

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I would offer a lower price for the Beseler set. It does show a lens on the enlarger, contact them and see if theres more than one lens. If there is you might offer a bit more. Another factor is going to be how much room you have in your darkroom as the Beseler easily takes up twice the space as the Durst.

May I add something to that last post? The Beseler enlarger works very well, and is very rugged and sturdy. But it's gigantic - the frame itself extends to 46 inches - maximum height will put the head assembly further up than that. The baseboard extends forward over 30 inches. I had a chance to buy one and couldn't fit it in my darkroom. I only need something for 6x7 negatives, but even the smaller Beseler seems massive. I'm used to contact printing larger negatives, so this enlarger stuff is a new headache - for me. Maybe I'll just go use the community darkroom downtown . . .

Good luck.

The Durst enlarger really is a "starter" enlarger. As the necessary components for medium format are hard to find it is, for all practical purposes, 35mm only. Unless the included lens is really good, I would not pay more than $50 for the outfit. And, even then, plan on replacing soon if you continue with darkroom work.

That Beseler is an older version (newer ones are black) but a decent enlarger. I see at least one negative carrier in the box of "stuff" pictured. It is quite large (as noted earlier). It's hard to fully evaluate the value when sellers just take photos of a box of stuff, but I would think if it has at least one decent lens and is clean, that outfit might be worth $300. The devils in the details. A lens could be worth $10 or $100 (more in rare instances). An easel might be worth $5 or $75. But you're not likely to outgrow this anytime soon.

Both enlargers are condenser enlargers. There is a condenser (lens) inside that is typically made up of 2 or 3 components. You want to make sure all the pieces are there and undamaged. A manual for the enlarger should help you know what to look for.

First. mty bias. I have only owned Durst enlargers, With comparable features, Beselers are not in the same quality class. However the F60 is a basic beginning enlarger, very old and hugely over priced. The related equipment is old and minimal. The Beseler is pro grade equipment, and seems to come with a complete cross-section of darkroom equipment. Between these two, the Beseler is the only item worth buying. The price may or may not be a bit too high, depending on what related equipment is included and the quality of enlarging lens(es) included. Also, parts and accessories for the F60 are non-existent; not so for the Beseler.

Although the Beselers package cost more it is much more complete and will save you time buying odds and ends, If the package is local will save a ton of money in shipping if you buy from Ebay. There appears to be one lens, no mention of focal length. But you will need room, it is motorized so make sure the motor works.

Like others have said, the Beseler set is much better, especially regarding the included equipment - equipment that will take time and effort to find. But a lot depends on the physical configuration of your space. I am a beginner in the darkroom and have found the F60 to be a nice enlarger, really easy to use. I luckily acquired a lot of equipment at the very bottom of the market and have 3 full kits to choose from, including a Beseler 23C (the 45's baby brother) and a HUGE Omega D5XL. I chose to start with the F60 because I am using a temporary bathroom setup and it fits that role perfectly. Set up and take it down are quick and easy, and it takes up very little storage space. It is not restricted to 35mm - find a 6x6 neg holder ($55 on ebay right now) and you can enlarge 6x4.5 and 6x6. I'm not sure how big it will print, but the head rotates 90 degrees so you can project onto the wall. There's a convenient filter holder included so you can use multigrade paper. I do have 6x9 and 4x5 cameras, so the Beseler and especially the Omega are still in the mix, but will wait until there's time to build out a permanent darkroom in the basement. For now, both of them are too big for my current needs.

Heck, buy them both, keep what you want, and sell the rest.