M Carter
Allowing Ads
OK, I have successfully braced up my old Beseler 67, made a DIY adjustable lens board, a glass carrier that's pin-registered to the neg stage (thanks shapeways!) and even had success registering masks with a 3-hole punch and silkscreen-style tape-down pins. Don't ya think I deserve a more legit enlarger? I was looking at the Beseler 23C, but as long as I'm upgrading... I do own a Cambo 4x5 after all
So by fall I'd like to be shopping the used market. I've read dozens of comparison threads, and finding one will take some hunting and some luck. But it looks like availability-wise, I'll end up with a Beseler or an Omega D-series. I don't want to wait a year to find an LPL or some other dream enlarger (though who knows what will turn up)
There may be other brands that pop up, but my main goals will be good working condition, a registered (or register-able) glass carrier, a lens board, and (hopefully) something that doesn't need a lot of other parts to change to 6x7. (I'll keep my little Beseler for 35 and maybe some 6x7 - I mean, it's a pretty badass enlarger now). I have a dedicated darkroom that's about 8' x 15', 8 foot ceilings, with an adjoining dark 3' x 5' room with worktable, papercutter, and storage so space isn't a huge issue. The room can be torn up as needed if I need to wall mount or anything - I can shore up walls like a mofo if needed.
So a few questions for those in the know:
Do all variants of the Omegas have (or have the possibility) to have a pin-registered glass carrier - as in registering the carrier to the enlarger? Or is that a given at this level? What about the Beselers?
Is there still pin-regsitering gear being made (Lynn Radeka, etc)? And can any 4x5 carrier be modded to work with a legit pin setup (those giant silkscreen pins kinda suck)? Or do I need to focus on specific models to be able to accurately do registered masks?
Any other thoughts on fairly-available brands and models? A lot of stuff you folks rave about on the "which 4x5?" threads never seem to appear unless there's a rainbow and a leprechaun. (Yeah, luck and timing )
Anything else I'm not thinking of? I like condenser heads just fine, though I see cold light heads popup from time to time. My budget will hopefully be up to a grand or so, and it seems like half of that could be for a pin setup alone. But Omega D's popup for under $500, I see Omega ProLabs from time to time for decent prices.
I'll probably be hunting Craig's List cities within 200-400 miles of Dallas, and watching eBay. I could up my budget potentially (there are several pricey LPLs on eBay today), I could potentially fly to a city within 500-600 miles, pickup, and rent an SUV to get 'er home (another $250 or more but could be worth it).
And finally, thanks all you APUGers - 2 years ago I dusted off my old enlarger after 15 years. I had never heard of masking, lith printing, knew next to nothing about split-grade and archival washing, testing film and dev combos, etc. - much less tearing apart a stuck RB lens and reviving it with step-by-step APUG messages! It's pretty amazing (not to mention humbling) to come this far based on a few books and all the generous help from you nice people.
So by fall I'd like to be shopping the used market. I've read dozens of comparison threads, and finding one will take some hunting and some luck. But it looks like availability-wise, I'll end up with a Beseler or an Omega D-series. I don't want to wait a year to find an LPL or some other dream enlarger (though who knows what will turn up)
There may be other brands that pop up, but my main goals will be good working condition, a registered (or register-able) glass carrier, a lens board, and (hopefully) something that doesn't need a lot of other parts to change to 6x7. (I'll keep my little Beseler for 35 and maybe some 6x7 - I mean, it's a pretty badass enlarger now). I have a dedicated darkroom that's about 8' x 15', 8 foot ceilings, with an adjoining dark 3' x 5' room with worktable, papercutter, and storage so space isn't a huge issue. The room can be torn up as needed if I need to wall mount or anything - I can shore up walls like a mofo if needed.
So a few questions for those in the know:
Do all variants of the Omegas have (or have the possibility) to have a pin-registered glass carrier - as in registering the carrier to the enlarger? Or is that a given at this level? What about the Beselers?
Is there still pin-regsitering gear being made (Lynn Radeka, etc)? And can any 4x5 carrier be modded to work with a legit pin setup (those giant silkscreen pins kinda suck)? Or do I need to focus on specific models to be able to accurately do registered masks?
Any other thoughts on fairly-available brands and models? A lot of stuff you folks rave about on the "which 4x5?" threads never seem to appear unless there's a rainbow and a leprechaun. (Yeah, luck and timing )
Anything else I'm not thinking of? I like condenser heads just fine, though I see cold light heads popup from time to time. My budget will hopefully be up to a grand or so, and it seems like half of that could be for a pin setup alone. But Omega D's popup for under $500, I see Omega ProLabs from time to time for decent prices.
I'll probably be hunting Craig's List cities within 200-400 miles of Dallas, and watching eBay. I could up my budget potentially (there are several pricey LPLs on eBay today), I could potentially fly to a city within 500-600 miles, pickup, and rent an SUV to get 'er home (another $250 or more but could be worth it).
And finally, thanks all you APUGers - 2 years ago I dusted off my old enlarger after 15 years. I had never heard of masking, lith printing, knew next to nothing about split-grade and archival washing, testing film and dev combos, etc. - much less tearing apart a stuck RB lens and reviving it with step-by-step APUG messages! It's pretty amazing (not to mention humbling) to come this far based on a few books and all the generous help from you nice people.