Durst 606 vs Beseler 23/67C

[Grim Tuesday]

I have had a Durst 606 for a little while now. It is small and it works. I had an Omega D2 that came with a lot of paper on Craigslist, but I sold it off because I thought I was going to move and lose the darkroom. But I've ended up not moving, and I get to keep the darkroom. Yay! At least for another year. There is a person on the local Craigslist selling a Beseler 23 and a 67C for a nominal amount. Would either of these be an upgrade over my Durst in any serious way and worth getting?

 

[MattKing]

Both will do 6x7. The 23 will do 6x9. Your 606 is, I believe, limited to 6x6.
I believe that in the USA it is easier to find accessories for the two Beseler units.

 

[Grim Tuesday]

Yes, the durst is nearly impossible to find accessories for. I was lucky to get one almost complete but I did have to get a friend with a lathe to modify the lens tub to fit my lenses.

I'm in a kinda funny position about 6x7, because I intentionally don't own any 6x7 cameras. But I might if I had an enlarger that could print from them!

 

[mgb74]

The 606 is very compact for a 6x6 enlarger. If that's not critical, I'd go for the 23c.

 

[Grim Tuesday]

The 606 is very compact for a 6x6 enlarger. If that's not critical, I'd go for the 23c.

Compactness is a plus for me right now but I could be swayed. Are there any advantages that the 23c would have over the 606 when printing 6x6?

 

[MattKing]

A focus knob on both sides - perfect if you are left handed.
A choice of light sources that may be more accessible than for the Durst.

 

[mgb74]

A focus knob on both sides - perfect if you are left handed.
A choice of light sources that may be more accessible than for the Durst.

And would probably print larger sized prints.

But you have a 606, so what doesn't it do for you? And what is the 23c you're looking at and how "nominal" a price? For example, if it's a blue 23cII in decent condition with condenser head for $100 I'd say you could probably find one a year from now in any major metropolitan area if you're patient. If it's $50, I'd say it's a really good deal and you might want to snap it up. If it's the black 23ciii with a color head at $100, I'd say snap it up.

 

[voceumana]

If you wanted to try a diffusion head, you could get one for either Beseler but not for the Durst, I believe. I had one of the 67 versions (the one with the 23 girder/carriage) and liked its build and performance with a color head (for B&W),. I tried to get condensers for it but even some new ones I ordered came in scratched, so I never went condenser.

After trying different light sources( condenser, cold light, and diffusion) I prefer a diffusion head.

 

[markbau]

The Durst is a much better engineered enlarger and would be my preference in a heartbeat. But if accesories are important the Besseler might be a better choice in the US as they were as common as dirt there.(Disclaimer, I once had to keep about 8 Besseler's aligned and it was a never ending job)

 

[choiliefan]

I just purchased a Durst 606 from the local Salvation Army store. It came with a 50mm Componar lens and masking negative carrier. It even has a filter drawer. It's a handsome machine.

First impressions are that it's well made but the column to base mount is a bit rickety and wants to turn about its axis when raising the head or turning the generously proportioned lensmount when focusing. My lensboard is limited to the tiny early diameter Schneider lenses so a modern 39mm threaded lens is a no-go without some machining or home-brew method. Column height is pretty low.

The 23C enlarger is much more versatile and a heck of a lot more solid and as stated earlier accessories are plentiful. Of course the 23C is much heavier. The Durst was designed to be taken down and stored on a closet shelf when not in use. It's more of a hobby machine for occasional use. It's also a handsome thing in the same way a Rolleiflex exudes quality and iconoclastic design.

This Durst is a welcome addition to my collection but I'll go with the Focomat 1C, Omega D or Zone VI or similar for printing pictures.

 

[M Carter]

While the 67C isn't as popular as the 23, it is fairly compact for what it does - make 6x7 prints up to 16x20". It can go bigger if you ditch the baseboard and mount the column to a raised box. If you print big with it, it's a good idea to make a bracket to hold the column to the ceiling or wall to make it sturdier (plywood box screwed into the ceiling joists will do). It's a monorail enlarger, but it's a sturdy extruded aluminum rail. Takes the same lens boards and neg carriers as the Printmaker series. I did some solid work with one before I got a 4x5 machine.

 

[Paul Howell]

I've used both Durst and the 23C, at one time owned a Durst. Of the 2 the 23C is a pro level work horse, easy to keep in aliment, rugged, with good aviablity of parts and heads, color, cold light ect. If the enlarging gods are with you the 23C on C list is an XL model. For small space the Durst may be better, and if you have to move in a year or so it is small enough to be kept packed away in a closet until have a new darkroom space. My choice would be the 23C as you have option of 6X7 or 6X9 in case you want to move up to a larger MF negative.