HELP! Beginner who needs help with his enlarger.

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Lou Sars

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I have an old Solar enlarger that I found in my grandmother's attic. I have been using it for a few years now and it has been a wonder to work with. I have recently switched from 35mm to medium format and I am interested in making larger prints of some of my 35mm work. Unfortunately the enlarger cannot exceed an 8x10 print with my 35mm negatives. I was wondering if i should invest in a new enlarger, and if so what kind(model, maker, etc..). Or if I should invest in a new lense for my old enlarger instead.
 

Mark_S

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Lou

Very good enlargers can be had for a bargain as more and more people move over to Digital from wet photography.
If I were looking for an enlarger for MF, I would narrow my search to those brands and models which are of good quality and were manufactured in high volume - this will mean that parts and accessories will be readily available on the used market. Specific models that I have worked with and have liked would include the Beseler 23CII, and the Omega B22.
If you are looking for a super bargain, watch the newspapers and local ad magazines (eg Uncle Henrys). If you do find an enlarger in there which you buy, ask if there is more darkroom stuff - I got my Beseler 45 this way, and got a good price on it before they threw in 8 easels, an archival print washer, an RC print dryer, several trays, beakers etc which were all headed to the landfill.

Usually the lens in the enlarger will be about the same focal length as the standard lens on your camera - for 35mm it would be 50mm, MF 75 or 80mm - if you are using an 80mm lens with 35mm negs, it will be hard to get a large image on the easel.
 

winger

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Well, you'll get many varied suggestions since everyone has favorites. I have a Beseler 23CIII and really like it. It'll do up to 6x9cm and there are probably many good lenses out there for it. I have a 50 for 35mm and an 80 for up to 6x6. I'm pretty sure it can do 16x20 prints if you aim it at a wall. It can't do 4x5, which I thought I'd never think of doing. It's not a bad idea to get something that will do more than you think you need, in case you do someday need it.
 

Nick Zentena

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What lens are you using now? I don't know that enlarger but you might be using too long a lens. Or if you are using normal focal length lens you might be able to just add a spacer block of some sort to increase the column height.

OTOH used enlargers today are so cheap upgrading won't hurt.
 

jimgalli

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Louis, I found an Omega D2 for Tina and that's what I use at home in Nevada also. Fortunately lots of bargains can be found if you're patient. Has something to do with the digital craze just now. In the mean time, look for a 75mm Computar f5.6 or Beseler Color Pro 75 f5.6 lens. It may give you more column height and these 6 element lenses really have a lot of coverage. They'll cover 6X9cm nicely. Which MF system did you get? Tina's Dad in Tonopah NV.
 

Roger Hicks

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I have an old Solar enlarger that I found in my grandmother's attic. I have been using it for a few years now and it has been a wonder to work with. I have recently switched from 35mm to medium format and I am interested in making larger prints of some of my 35mm work. Unfortunately the enlarger cannot exceed an 8x10 print with my 35mm negatives. I was wondering if i should invest in a new enlarger, and if so what kind(model, maker, etc..). Or if I should invest in a new lense for my old enlarger instead.

Dear Lou,

ANYTHING darkroom can be found cheap or even free nowadays: I gave away a Leitz Focomat a couple of years ago, and have an Ilford 35mm that would be free to a good home but ain't worth the shipping. Look for Leica or De Vere or Meopta -- or just buy a cheap 50mm lens ($5-10) and see if the Solar is OK. If it is, buy a better 50mm lens when it comes up.

Cheers,

R. (and take a look at 'Our Darkrooms' in The Photo School at www.rogerandfrances.com).
 

Papa Tango

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As you are likely already aware, your darkroom space will dictate some of the terms for a "new" enlarger. How much height do you have to work with, does it need to be moved, bench space, etcetera. As others here have noted, lots of things are available in local deals, as well as fleabay. One source might be your school system or closest college. Many things are surplused out and sold to the public.

Think expandability as well for the future. As an example, the B22 is a great enlarger, but find a dichro head for it when you want to move beyond gel filters or into color. I will admit that I am biased; my standardization has been Beseler and the 45M series. If you do not plan to move into 4x5 in the forseeable future (or ever) the 23's are a great deal. A quick check on fleabay will show you that every conceivable carrier, head, and accessory is available in plenty and for great price if you are willing to bear out a few different auctions on similar items. In the same vein as the 45M, are Omega enlargers, and as others have pointed out, Leica, Durst, etcetera. Some of these can get expensive in terms of accessories. I dumped a Laborator 1200 because of that... Also, beware great deals on older enlargers such as Federal, Elwood, etcetera unless they are selling the carriers and other things along with them. It's getting harder to find parts and accessories for something that has been out of production for 50 years...
 

Neal

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Dear Lou,

If you have the room, a 4x5 enlarger with a dichroic head is a nice way to go.

Neal Wydra
 

DBP

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You didn't say what lens you were currently using, but if you can't get to 8x10 with 35mm, I suspect you are using a longer lens. Depending on the model, the original lens on a Solar would have been anywhere from 3½" on up. As mentioned above, the standard lens for 35mm is 50mm (~2"). So that could explain the problem. Most Solar models also rotate for wall projection. Which do you have?
 

Chan Tran

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A good condition Beseler 45VXL chassis was sold on ebay for 99 cents. I would have bought it but the seller wanted $357 for shipping.
 
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