Oh choices..... enlarger help please!

Looking at either a Omega C760 XL with colorhead, or a Omega Dii.

I have a Focomat ic for 35mm but it is limited in print size.
Interested in large prints. Nothing crazy large but for sure bigger then 40".
Really looking for a companion for it to cover my growth with film size as I'm eyeing a RB67.
The Dii looks like it will handle just about every format I may want to do. Seems very robust but also a bit older then the c760.

I would be open to other choices but this it what's available in my area at the moment.
Also, how risky is it getting on from eBay? Mostly concerned about shipping and it getting knocked out of alignment.

Thanks!

I have a Dii and I like it a lot but don't make anything larger than 14x21. Projecting onto a wall is a whole different ball game. How are you going to develop those prints?

Either make large trays or pvc pipe capped at both ends and build a custom motorized roller.

An Omega DII is a much more robust choice, and I would hazard a guess way more big prints have been done with them than with a C760XL.
You would most likely want to wall mount it, with a drop bed or other provision for floor or near floor projection.

This reminded me of the scene in Jaws where the guy sees the shark and tells the captain "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

In other words, if you want to print that large, you need to plan ahead. That means a bigger enlarger and a brighter source than a medium format enlarger will give you. You are also probably going to have to wall mount the enlarger or build a drop table like Matt suggested. If you have the space, you are much better off getting an enlarger that was designed to do big prints, like a Durst floor standing one. I forget the models.

You can get the ventilation adapter for your 1c and put a 250 watt bulb in it, then turn the column around and project the image on the floor. I'd put a glass carrier in there though otherwise you will never get a sharp print. Replace the lens too. That could get you to 40" with a bright enough light so you don't have to wait all day. It will still be a long exposure, but won't be too bad.

Hope that helps give you an idea of what you will need.

Patrick Robert James said:

You can get the ventilation adapter for your 1c and put a 250 watt bulb in it, then turn the column around and project the image on the floor. I'd put a glass carrier in there though otherwise you will never get a sharp print. Replace the lens too. That could get you to 40" with a bright enough light so you don't have to wait all day. It will still be a long exposure, but won't be too bad.

Click to expand...

Years ago, I taped a cheap flash unit to my condenser door (Beseler 67c) so it illuminated the frosted bulb. I used this to dupe color slides onto Velvia sheet film (since my condenser wasn't daylight), and used ND gels in the filter drawer to fine tune exposure, and also used things like 1/4 CTO to fine tune the color. It worked remarkably well, to the point I'll likely try it for large prints someday (nowadays it's an MXT and I have a Rodagon G 150).

If you're trying to make prints that big from little 6X7 negs, you're apt to be underequipped. If you have a high ceiling, you could mount an Omega D high up a wall and enlarge onto a table. You also need quite a bit of wattage for that amount of magnification. A better strategy would be hunting for a good deal on a more serious enlarger and colorhead built for this kind of purpose to begin with, like a Durst 138. And this is a machine portable enough to transport in a pickup.

SeaPhile206 said:

Looking at either a Omega C760 XL with colorhead, or a Omega Dii.

I have a Focomat ic for 35mm but it is limited in print size.
Interested in large prints. Nothing crazy large but for sure bigger then 40".
Really looking for a companion for it to cover my growth with film size as I'm eyeing a RB67.
The Dii looks like it will handle just about every format I may want to do. Seems very robust but also a bit older then the c760.

I would be open to other choices but this it what's available in my area at the moment.
Also, how risky is it getting on from eBay? Mostly concerned about shipping and it getting knocked out of alignment.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

the only 4x5 enlarger I ever liked was a Durst L1200 the Omega DII and other where too flimsy for me.wall project its an option but again rigidity is key and yes.shipping is a danger to alignment unless the enlarger is boxed up for shipping which adds even more cost good luck. try to buy locally or consider long-distance pick up.

I have a A D2 and a little Durst. The Durst is dedicated to small format (35mm) and the big D2 is used for 4x5 and 6x9 negatives. It may be just me but I really find no joy in using the big D2 to print little 35mm negatives...I've done it but really much prefer the little Durst.