Price of 8x10 enlargers in 2026

[drew tanner]

What both Koraks and ice-racer seem to be describing is NOT a L184 chassis, but the 184/138 hybrid, which has its own specific model no. I can't remember what that is, but might stumble back onto it with a bit of search time. Durst actually has an enlarger museum with all kinds of rare and unusual examples in it. I think they made an early Commercial L as big as 12X16.

I believe they called the 183/138 hybrid the G139.

 

[mshchem]

What both Koraks and ice-racer seem to be describing is NOT a L184 chassis, but the 184/138 hybrid, which has its own specific model no. I can't remember what that is, but might stumble back onto it with a bit of search time. Durst actually has an enlarger museum with all kinds of rare and unusual examples in it. I think they made an early Commercial L as big as 12X16.

Enlarger museum

 

[koraks]

What both Koraks and ice-racer seem to be describing is NOT a L184 chassis

You're mistaken.

 

[ic-racer]

L184 vs L1840, but there were many other Durst enlargers in the 10x10" and larger range. How can we convince Drew to post a picture of his much touted setup??

 

[DREW WILEY]

I already mentioned that there was a lineage of 184's, not just a single model. Mine is later than the one just posted, and has full thickness double columns all the way up, instead of a reduced diameter upper pair. It's also motorized and was equipped as a color unit from the get-go. Fortunately, all the dichroic filters were still in excellent shape and only needed a minor cleaning. I have a complete manual on the machine, and somewhere in my archaeological pile of literature, a broader catalog. But there were just so many variations and hybrids and even one-offs (plus the remodeled variations by Durst Pro here in the US, including UV heads, that the whole lineup or museum or whatever would make quite a candy shop for we darkroom gear enthusiasts.

I've even seen the most advanced of the Durst 8x10 colorheads which were never sold to the public, but only to a particular Govt agency (NSA, for 9X9 aerial film). Those were RGB and ran so hot that the filter sets had to be replaced every 6 months. That's why I built my own V-head RGB concept instead, which runs dramatically cooler. It's a very heavy bulky head, with its own customized chassis also built like a tank. The machined steel vac easel alone weighs around 300 lbs. But the electronics are temperamental and need some maintenance at this point. I'm a bit too lazy to bother, and intend to work with my conventional CMY Durst 10X10 colorhead this season, plus my 5X7 RGB head for smaller film sizes. Additive vs Subtractive filtration made a distinct difference for Ciba printing, but not so much anymore with recent Fuji RA4 papers.

Somebody on this forum did once take a picture of my 184 setup, back when they purchased a 20" Thermaphot processor from me. One of these days I'll get around to it. It almost instantly switches to a fancy copy stand, with the camera retainer going onto a special lens disc, once the standard Tripla is removed. It will accept either my P67, my film Nikon, or a DLSR Nikon. I have right angle finders for all of these. The lights are LED rim style, medium quality (around $500 apiece) - plenty adequate for JPEG or print cataloging work, which is all I had in mind, but still don't have time to get around to as a project. Still have a big backlog of B&W drymounting, plus plenty of worthy color negs I want to print before it's too late. Many non-photo projects too.

Thanks, "other Drew" for recalling the model no. of the 184 lower/138 upper hybrid, G139; but it's probable there was even more than one flavor of those. The one I was offered resembled the "184" ice-racer just posted, with reduced diameter dual upper columns, but a 138 5X7 negative stage etc atop that, then a CLS301 colorhead, with a 5X7/4x5 mirror box intermediate; oversized baseboard.

 

[mshchem]

L184 vs L1840, but there were many other Durst enlargers in the 10x10" and larger range. How can we convince Drew to post a picture of his much touted setup??

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Yes Please Drew, I would love to see your "hotrod" RGB head. These enlargers are amazing. I don't know if I have seen more than one of these in the decades. I visited Darkroom Aids in Chicago, early 80's remember seeing a couple monsters. Lovely machines

 

[DREW WILEY]

My 8x10 RGB enlarger is completely custom, built from the ground up; 14 ft tall. My 5X7 RGB colorhead sits atop a conventional Durst 138 chassis (with some customization); it's in a different room, along with my 138 with a 10X10 high-output cold light modification atop it. The smaller room doubles as a true clean room for film work, provided I swab and mop it all down in advance of highly fussy film projects. The room with the taller ceiling also houses my Durst L184 with its conventional 10X10 CMY colorhead, plus my big roll paper cutting station. A third room has the darkroom "wet side", with its sinks and related setup. A fourth room holds my 500T drymounting press, my 48" cold mounting roller press plus picture framing area, a deluxe retouching station, and my large plastic/glass sizing setup. A fifth room has my shop per se, with its own dust control system.

I don't know how realistic it would be; but when I finally have to give it all up, it would be interesting to see if another photographer would want to buy the entire property as is, with its commercial building, rather than going through the nightmare of me or my heirs liquidating the whole setup.

 

[mshchem]

My 8x10 RGB enlarger is completely custom, built from the ground up; 14 ft tall. My 5X7 RGB colorhead sits atop a conventional Durst 138 chassis (with some customization); it's in a different room, along with my 138 with a 10X10 high-output cold light modification atop it. The smaller room doubles as a true clean room for film work, provided I swab and mop it all down in advance of highly fussy film projects. The room with the taller ceiling also houses my Durst L184 with its conventional 10X10 CMY colorhead, plus my big roll paper cutting station. A third room has the darkroom "wet side", with its sinks and related setup. A fourth room holds my 500T drymounting press, my 48" cold mounting roller press plus picture framing area, a deluxe retouching station, and my large plastic/glass sizing setup. A fifth room has my shop per se, with its own dust control system.

I don't know how realistic it would be; but when I finally have to give it all up, it would be interesting to see if another photographer would want to buy the entire property as is, with its commercial building, rather than going through the nightmare of me or my heirs liquidating the whole setup.

Yep, housing this stuff is a topic onto itself. I wonder what my wife would say seeing a 10"x10" enlarger head coming up through the floor from the lower level.

 

[btaylor]

L184 vs L1840, but there were many other Durst enlargers in the 10x10" and larger range. How can we convince Drew to post a picture of his much touted setup??

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Never happen.

 

[mshchem]

Never happen.

I'm hopeful.