Durst M 600

[baachitraka]

I have received this enlarger on today that came with almost everything(may be not). Among them are two lenses

- Durst Componon 1:4/50
- Steinheil Cassar 1:3.5/4.5 75mm

I have no idea about the second lens. May I know with what other lens I can look to replace Cassar, in case if it does not perform.

 

[ac12]

The first lens is for 35mm film, second lens is for 6x6 format 120/220 film.
To replace the Steinheil Cassar, any 75 or 80mm lens will work (Schneider, Rodenstock, Nikon, etc). Hopefully the Steinheil has a standard 39mm Leica mounting thread. Otherwise you will also have to buy a replacement lens panel for to match the mounting thread of the new lens.

If it is the same lens as this one, you will need to buy a new lens board for your new lens. 30mm mounting thread is NOT a standard size.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/STEINHEIL-7...993?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53f45c72e1

FYI the 2 common lens thread mounts sizes you will find in lenses will be 25mm Schneider and 39mm Leica thread.

ps the M600 is a nice enlarger, I still have mine, 40 years old and still working fine.

 

[baachitraka]

The first lens is for 35mm film, second lens is for 6x6 format 120/220 film.
To replace the Steinheil Cassar, any 75 or 80mm lens will work (Schneider, Rodenstock, Nikon, etc). Hopefully the Steinheil has a standard 39mm Leica mounting thread. Otherwise you will also have to buy a replacement lens panel for to match the mounting thread of the new lens.

If it is the same lens as this one, you will need to buy a new lens board for your new lens. 30mm mounting thread is NOT a standard size.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/STEINHEIL-7...993?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53f45c72e1

FYI the 2 common lens thread mounts sizes you will find in lenses will be 25mm Schneider and 39mm Leica thread.

ps the M600 is a nice enlarger, I still have mine, 40 years old and still working fine.

Yes, it is the same lens. Any idea about the performance. I target the prints to max 8"x10".

 

[ac12]

I have no idea of the quality of that lens. I never heard of it till your post.
8x10 from a 6x6 negative is not much enlargement, about 4.4x. With a low enlargement magnification like that, the lens would have to be quite bad to be rejected.
All you can do is try to make a print with it and see if you like the results. It may surprise you.

Or if you are like me, you could change the lens to one that you know (or think you know) has the quality level that you want, such as an 80mm Componon-S.

gud luk

 

[ColdEye]

a bit OT, but how do you align the thing with the mirrors (condenser?) with the head of the enlarger? It seems I can never get it to fit tightly...

 

[ac12]

I never tired to align it.
The mirror housing just slides down onto the head and that is it.
It sits on the negative carrier, but not as snug as an Omega does on its flat carrier.

 

[Paul Howell]

You can find the manual line. Page 31 "Do not attempt to undertake any futher adjustments or maintenance work on your enlager." I had a 601 and dont recall that I ever alined it.

 

[jk0592]

I have a M600, it was my first enlarger, bought it in 1968 or 1969, it is still fully operational, a really beautiful machine. I never bothered aligning the head, except to make sure that the head assembly was clicked in the vertical position, as the head can be tilted sideways.

 

[ColdEye]

I guess I used a wrong term, I meant that the head does not sit well or "clicked". Is it normal? I just thought I was using it the wrong way or maybe something is broke, it my first enlarger.

 

[ac12]

yes
The movable part of the head, that you lift with the red bar, does not sit perfectly on the negative carrier. So I think it is like 1/16 or 1/32 of an inch high. It did not seem to make a difference, so I never bothered to look into why.
Well it "might" be because I replaced the glass on the negative carrier with the aluminum glassless plate, and I put an anti-newton mask over the condenser on the top.

 

[baachitraka]

I do not like the focusing in M 600. It is not as smooth as Focomat Ic.

I do recommend a grain focuser.

Head sits comfortably on the negative carrier. No issues(atleast at first glance) with that. I will try to prints some 35mm tonight and see how it goes.

 

[ac12]

Focusing probably isn't as smooth as the Leica enlarger, but neither is the price as high as the Leica enlarger.
It is not bad, you get used to it. I found it smooth enough for me for 40 years. There may be minor adjustments that you could make, but I never did.

 

[baachitraka]

...but I did not pay much for Focomat Ic either, which in-fact costed me < 30 euros with lens.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

i have never been disappointed by durst lensesbut don't know your 2nd either.

 

[baachitraka]

First image shows the alignment and second, the lens.

 

[ColdEye]

Yours look very snug, mine is raised a bit.

 

[Richard Jepsen]

Funny, I'm at lunch looking at M600 operating instructions. I recently bought a M601 which is a quality portable enlarger. The M600 is at the top of a short list of even smaller, quality, MF enlargers.

I doubt there could be alignment issues given the 600 design. A grain focus device checking the corners would confirm alignment.

This is one of the most portable enlargers for enlarging MF 6x6 negs to 8x10 or smaller. If you routinely make bigger enlargements a M601 with taller column and larger baseboard is a better choice.

Nothing will be as smooth as the Leitz 1c but it can't enlarge 6x6 negs.