Portable Enlarger - Durst RS-35 'Newporter' - info/thoughts?

[ryca]

Hi All!

Has anybody ever used a DURST RS35 "Newporter" Portable Enlarger?

Are they any good?
Worth buying?
I'm in the market for my first enlarger and have been offered one... so have searched high & low for information pertaining to it to no avail. Just curious as to part availability and quality of enlarger as a whole. Any information actually.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

I remember them - mid-late 60's(?). The Newporter was a very nice enlarger, as I recall, but could only enlarge to 8x10 or so. It was made to be portable and was aimed at photojournalists who needed to make prints in their hotel rooms in the evening - not sure what sort of a market that was. The 606 6x6cm enlarger was also suitcaseable. Either would be a good choice for a temporary darkroom, one that had to revert to being a kitchen during the day.

Check out the lens that comes with the enlarger - ideally you want an El-Nikkor (50mm f4 ok, f2.8 better), Rodagon or Componon. Durst private labeled some lenses, someone else can probably fill you in on recomendations - usually something ending in 'on' is the top-of-the-line.

Durst doesn't make bad enlargers so it is hard to go wrong. Be sure it has all the lens cones/boards/adapters, the negative carrier and all the other parts and pieces.

 

[jolefler]

Ooooohhh!! Major Flashback!!!

I remember them - mid-late 60's(?). The Newporter was a very nice enlarger, as I recall, but could only enlarge to 8x10 or so. It was made to be portable and was aimed at photojournalists who needed to make prints in their hotel rooms in the evening - not sure what sort of a market that was. QUOTE]


Can't help with the specifics on your machine, but hey, I was one of those guys! Seems to me I had a similar Besseler to tote around. Yep' 8X10 capability max, and a couple of wingnuts to drop the column.

Dragged a cooler with everything necessary into the hotel bathroom. Shoot all day at a sporting event, then back to the room to run film & proofs that night. Enlargements on the editors desk before daybreak. Shoot while selling to exhibitors from the proof file the next day...repeat process. Even ran E6 in the bathtub, but Cibachromes had to wait 'till ya' got home.

Ya' know, the "good old days" don't seem that appealling anymore :rolleyes:

Jo