Enlarger 6x6... what does it mean?

Silence · Mar 30, 2010

Hi everyone,

I have printed my own negatives a couple of times before, but it was always in public places and I never paid much attention to the technicalities of the equipment used.

Recently I became interested in purchasing an enlarger for personal use and have been hunting around...

I admit my complete ignorance when it comes to this subject.

I've had my eye on a cheap one, but the problem is I don't know if it will suit my purpose. It basically says in the description "enlarger 6x6".

What exactly does this mean? That it can only be used with 6x6 film? Meaning I can't use it for 35mm? :confused:

Sorry for the dumb question

Konical · Mar 30, 2010

Good Morning, Silence,

It can be used for negatives up to 6 x 6 (2 1/4 square). For 35mm you will need a 50mm lens; for 6 x 6 you will need a 75-80mm lens. The latter will also work fine with 35mm negatives, but your enlargement size will be limited.

Konical

Steve Smith · Mar 30, 2010

It means it can handle medium format negatives (from 120 or 220 film) up to 6cm x 6cm size. It should also be able to take a negative holder for 35mm film.

Steve.

Steve Smith · Mar 30, 2010

Konical said:
For 35mm you will need a 50mm lens; for 6 x 6 you will need a 75-80mm lens. The latter will also work fine with 35mm negatives, but your enlargement size will be limited.

Whilst this is true, I don't print my 35mm negatives as big as my medium format negatives so I use my 80mm lens for both.

Steve.

Silence · Mar 30, 2010

So it's just a matter of the negative holder size? Meaning that it comes with a negative holder for 6x6, but I can get one for 35mm that will work with that enlarger.

... right?

*hides*

Kevin Kehler · Mar 30, 2010

Not just the negative size holder. The larger the negative, the farther one's bellows need to be able to contract/extend in order to focus properly. Even if you could fit a 5x4 negative into this enlarger, it is highly unlikely that you could focus it except for being a 1:1 size print. If you are just printing 35mm, it is fine. If you move up to medium format, it is fine.

Anscojohn · Mar 30, 2010

Silence said:
So it's just a matter of the negative holder size? Meaning that it comes with a negative holder for 6x6, but I can get one for 35mm that will work with that enlarger.

... right?
*hides*

**********

Yes. If a 35 mm neg carrier is not available, you can mask the 66x66mm carrier with a homemade adapter.

fotch · Mar 30, 2010

Best to make sure it is a popular enough enlarger so you can find parts and accessories needed. For 35mm, best way would be 50mm enlarger lens and 35mm negative carrier. You could make smaller prints with a 75mm lens that may be on it and mask the existing 6x6 negative carrier to accept 35mm.

Maybe state the brand/model as others who are familiar with that exact model can comment.

Good Luck.

Silence · Mar 30, 2010

fotch said:
Maybe state the brand/model as others who are familiar with that exact model can comment.

Good Luck.

Good idea

The one I'm interested in is a Durst M605.

Image provided by the seller is attached (hopefully).

Is it a good choice?

L Gebhardt · Mar 30, 2010

That should be a very good enlarger. You should be able to find a 35mm negative carrier if it doesn't come with one.

Anon Ymous · Mar 30, 2010

Looks like a good kit, go for it, if the price is ok.

Silence · Mar 30, 2010

I'll most likely be outbid... my budget is not much... but I'll try

fotch · Mar 30, 2010

Should be very nice, very popular, parts and accessories readily available, although I am not familiar with the market where you live. If its priced to your satisfaction, go for it.

grahamp · Mar 30, 2010

It has the colour head, so the condenser should be fine. Even with the B&W head you can do 35mm with the 6x6 condenser. Find out what lensboards are provided. You need a recessed board for 35mm with the 605s.

Craig Swensson · Mar 30, 2010

Silence said:
I'll most likely be outbid... my budget is not much... but I'll try

Greetings and welcome, i see you already have about 5 pages of replies in the intro section so i`ll do my welcome here -

Back to topic - do not worry if you are outbid and do not, please buy the first you find on e-bay. Do some reseach first, for instance Meopta make very good enlargers for both 35mm and 120 using the same adjustable carrier.
It may be better to look for something that has all the peices you need in one purchase.
Also there is an APUG member in Lisbon who posted in your welcomes, he/she has a darkroom setup with many enlargers, perhaps you could visit this person to get some more `local' info.
Whatever you decide, enjoy.
regards
CW

Rick A · Mar 30, 2010

If it can be purchased locally and its in your budget, then buy it. Dursts are wonderful machines, and will last. If you only shoot 35mm or 6x6 it will do everything you need. Parts should not too hard to find.

Silence · Mar 30, 2010

fotch said:
I am not familiar with the market where you live. If its priced to your satisfaction, go for it.

What is a normal price for this type of equipment in second hand?

I see people here in APUG saying they got enlargers as cheap as $5! I know it highly depends on the brand and specifications, but here in Portugal the cheaper I have seen is 150 Euros, and not even new.

Ebay is tricky 'cause the shipping costs almost never are worth it...

Silence · Mar 30, 2010

pakeha said:
do not worry if you are outbid and do not, please buy the first you find on e-bay. Do some reseach first, for instance Meopta make very good enlargers for both 35mm and 120 using the same adjustable carrier.

Hi!

I'm not in a hurry to buy this... but I'm keeping my eyes open for something that might be a good deal, just that

I've done some research before, brand wise, and I realize Meopta, Durst and Beseler are the best (?) or at least the most popular.

And yep, I've already talked to that APUG member and I'm sure to check his club darkroom soon

Thanks for the advice!

Anon Ymous · Mar 30, 2010

Silence said:
What is a normal price for this type of equipment in second hand?...

Only someone from Portugal can give you a reasonable answer. Just because prices have hit rock bottom in other parts of the world, it doesn't mean that you will pay the same.

Silence said:
...I've done some research before, brand wise, and I realize Meopta, Durst and Beseler are the best (?) or at least the most popular...

Meopta and Durst are quite common in Europe, as opposed to Beseler. As a result, if you ever need any spare parts for a Beseler, finding them could be tricky. I wouldn't say that you should ignore a good deal for a Beseler, but be careful.

jmal · Apr 1, 2010

I can't give a good idea of the price you should pay, but in the US I see these for sale for about $150 USD in second hand stores. However, when I was in Portugal (Porto, Coimbra, etc.) the prices for photo equipment were much higher than the US. Cameras were 2-3 times as expensive. Like others have said, the Durst is good, so if the price its your budget, go for it.

Silence · Apr 1, 2010

Yeah, I don't understand why that is, but it's true... everything here is more expensive... Doesn't make any sense, seeing that we have much less money here than over there... *shrugs*

Anon Ymous · Apr 1, 2010

Silence said:
Yeah, I don't understand why that is, but it's true... everything here is more expensive... Doesn't make any sense, seeing that we have much less money here than over there... *shrugs*

Living in Greece, I sympathise with you... I always went mad when I saw people saying things like "I got that 4x5 enlarger and XXX, YYY, ZZZ, ..., insert_ridiculously_expensive_stuff_here for $400". Anyway, I guess abundance of used equipment in the 2nd hand market, combined with reduced demand drives the prices to such low levels in markets like the US/UK. In places like these, it's a buyer's market. I our case, it seems it's a seller's market. I really don't think that there were many hobbyists who had darkrooms in Greece 20 years or so ago.

Silence · Apr 1, 2010

I agree Anon_Ymous... I guess there wasn't much photographic tradition in our countries, so any (now) obsolete equipment is almost non-existant.
I guess it's gonna have to be us to start the trends and sell cheap equipment to the next generation

Craig Swensson · Apr 1, 2010

Silence said:
Yeah, I don't understand why that is, but it's true... everything here is more expensive... Doesn't make any sense, seeing that we have much less money here than over there... *shrugs*

ah, but what you lack in money over there you make up in so many other areas.
anonymous is probably got it with his/her reasoning- however, somewhere in Lisbon there will be an enlarger and probably other stuff that has the right price. I live in a smallish rural area and had trouble finding anything untill i discovered two things.
1/. a retired photog
2/. a shop that used to do a lot of analoge work in the good ol days, but when digi came along they did not throw anything out, last week i got given about 2o packets of paper. Sometimes these old guys are so helpfull and generous when they see a younger person with the same interest
Have a look around Lisbon and see what you can find.
regards
CW

Silence · Apr 1, 2010

This weekend I'm gonna go to the flee market and see what I can find there... Portuguese people are very attached to their money and never let go of anything for free.
My main problem is that I'm not much of a people's person... I'm really shy and don't talk much, so it doesn't help to make people realize I'm actually interested in this or that subject... *sigh*

Enlarger 6x6... what does it mean?

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