Compact [Tiny?] 8x10 enlarger?

[Nick Zentena]

The thread on MF got me to look at the Kienzle website. Look at the compact 8x10. I think the weight might be wrong. The 138 model is the same 45 to 55kg but even if it's twice that it's not much heavier then my 4x5. So much for the complaints about 5x7 and 8x10 enlargers being huge.

http://www.kienzle-phototechnik.de/home_english/enlarger/C-type/C252_type/c252_type.html

 

[Pinholemaster]

Most of the interior space of an 8x10 enlarger is air.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I hunted around to see if I could find a price on that one and found one for around 60,000 Norwegian kroner, which is about $12,000 US.

 

[Nick Zentena]

Yikes. For the compact non-autofocus? I bet the autofocus model must add a zero -( That's more then the Devere horizontal from Odessey I think.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

http://www.fotoimport.no/pg07/pg07-2.htm

 

[Nick Zentena]

Even the small 4x5 they want half that. But I wonder [Hope] if Norwegian prices are higher then most other places.

http://www.odyssey-sales.com/products/browse.asp?range=125

2500 GP pounds for that monster refurbed. I would have thought a "compact" would be less.

 

[Nick Zentena]

http://www.ideereal.ch/preisliste/pdf/Preisliste.pdf

I found that old Swiss price list. It's old and it's in German so two challenges for me.

The 4x5 Compact starts at about 5500 Swiss Francs. They don't show the 8x10 compact but the auto 10x10 is about 11K . But who knows what has happened over the years to prices.

 

[PHOTOTONE]

It would seem to be that the most "compact" 8x10 capable enlarger would be the Bessler 45mx with the 8x10 conversion head. That would still be a tabletop enlarger, rather than a floor standing, or wall mounted, although Bessler enlargers can be wall mounted. Don't know if the 8x10 conversion is still made though, and of course the 8x10 Bessler head is just for black and white.

 

[Nick Zentena]

The one from Kenzie if I'm reading the specs right is actually smaller then my Beseler CB-7. Less max height and smaller baseboard. At least for the table top model.

I'm not sure about the Beseler upgrade kit. Did it use the Arista heads? Last time I tried to find an Arista they weren't easy to order.

But the prices for those Kenzies are up there. I thought the LED heads from the other German company were expensive enough.

Kenzie does offer heads to upgrade older enlargers so that might be an option.

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

An after market 8x10 Beseler conversion kit is offered for about $800 on E-Bay. I have no affiliation, yada, yada, etc.

I have a little Elwood 8x10 that was considerably less than $12,000.

Wayne

 

[Nick Zentena]

I'm hoping to find something in Europe.

I put off getting an cold light head then they couldn't be found. Now here all I'm seeing are over priced small enlargers on the used market. The few bigger enlargers I've seen have been too far to drive and get with a small car.

 

[Maris]

By far the most compact 8x10 enlarger ever made was the Salthill. It used a lamphouse separated from the enlarger head. The output from the lamphouse was transferred to the head by a flexible fibre optic cable. The head consisted of a diffusion plate, negative carrier, bellows, and lens; all very compact and light weight. Salthill is out of business and very few 8x10 enlargers were made but they exist. I almost purchased the only one in Australia a few years ago.

 

[ic-racer]

I have a 'full-size' Durst 1840L and one of the things that requires such size is the bellows extension and lens-to-baseboard distance required to make a print with the 300mm lens.

I suspect the important elements for a 'small' table-top 8x10 enlarger are a short focal length enlarging lens and a low-profile coldlight head.

 

[Nick Zentena]

http://www.monochrom.com/cc/monoc/int/katsei/208/en/94.pdf

FWIW I think that's a current German price. Still not cheap but more reasonable then some of the other prices.

I think with a 300mm lens it only does 2.5 enlargements. 3.5 with a 240mm.

 

[rmann]

There is one for sale on the largeformat forum - it is in Canada.