Help me find a 4x5 enlarger!

Jim Taylor · Apr 11, 2013

paul ewins said:
Hi Tim, I think your budget is quite realistic but you will need patience to wait for the right enlarger to come along, especially in a smaller city like Adelaide. I've got a spare Beseler 45 and a load of lensboards and carriers but I'm in Melbourne and I hate to think what the courier cost would be for something so big.

Tim, I agree with Paul - you're doing everything right - keep hanging around on eBay and the like and something will come up. I think your budget is very realistic.
I bought my De Vere 504 on eBay about 6 years ago and it was less than £200 with a Schneider Componon-S 50mm f2.8 lens. I don't know how available they are in Australia, but De Vere's are great enlargers (my opinion of course!) - built like a tank, easy to use and versatile.

HTH

Ross Chambers · Apr 12, 2013

jimbop said:
I don't know how available they are in Australia, but De Vere's are great enlargers (my opinion of course!) - built like a tank, easy to use and versatile.

HTH

Not uncommon, but I suspect that they were usually in pro darkrooms. Mine (for which I possibly paid too much but no regrets) had been property of the Defense Department.

Now let the battleship anchor jokes roll.

My anecdotal feeling is that many pros were clearing chemical photographic facilities on their way to digital 5 or 10 years ago and that phenomenon is now over, hence not so much gear for sale.

Nige · Apr 12, 2013

Ross Chambers said:
hence not so much gear for sale.

yep, it's (any gear, not just enlargers) not as common as our American friends seem to have.

EDIT : although I did see this on gumtree the other day... http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/granville/antiques/antique-dallmeyer-field-camera/1011409284

LJH · Apr 12, 2013

If I could just find a 12x20 enlarger like Clyde Butcher uses… If you haven't seen this, it's worth a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCN_WQeEKnc

(I'll settle for an 8x10 if anyone's got one…)

Ross Chambers · Apr 14, 2013

Nige said:
yep, it's (any gear, not just enlargers) not as common as our American friends seem to have.

EDIT : although I did see this on gumtree the other day... http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/granville/antiques/antique-dallmeyer-field-camera/1011409284

THAT looks like a stereoscopic camera to me. What do folk reckon? I'd be selling it on the US market for lots more than that.

Nige · Apr 14, 2013

Ross Chambers said:
What do folk reckon? I'd be selling it on the US market for lots more than that.

Yeah, you'd think the chance of selling it would be a lot higher.

ShaggyDog · Oct 1, 2013

4x5 enlarger

TimF said:
Hi all! I'm slowly building up my darkroom and am trying to find an enlarger that will take up to 4x5 negatives. Can anyone suggest places to look in Australia, particularly in SA? I'm on a pretty small budget - is it unrealistic to hope for something that at least works for $200-$400? What models should I be searching for in this price range? Or should I just build my own?
So far I've tried vanbar, local camera stores, ebay, gumtree and the last 2 issues of photographic trader but haven't seen anything at all let alone anything around my budget.

Yep, I've got one for you. It's a Durst CE1000 Laborator B&W enlarger that goes up to 4x5. It's almost new and has been in a wooden crate with straw stuffing for a number of years. I just checked it out and it's still in beautiful condition. I will have to take the crate and contents to a scale to determine the weight for shipping via truck. Unfortunately, the major problem would be the cost of shipping to Australia.

polyglot · Oct 1, 2013

So the OP has found an enlarger, but I also happen to know of a 45MX for sale in Adelaide as of this week. Any other Adelaideans looking for an LF enlarger, PM me and I will put you onto the seller.

Help me find a 4x5 enlarger!

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