Small enlarger for 35mm that breaks down easily

[michaelbsc]

Hey gang, I'm looking for a small enlarger to recommend to a college student that breaks down to store easily. 35m only, and no there is not one available on campus. But there are roommates, so it can't be set up in the bathroom and just leave it there.

I took a look at sleazbay, and the only "portable" one I saw was commanding a premium price, probably because it's cute in a nice wooden box.

What's relatively easy and fast to set up and break down that isn't fragile. It doesn't have to be designed to be portable, just no so much trouble that it can't be disassembled and stored under a bed easily.

Thanks,
MB

 

[Jon Shiu]

Hi, Durst F60 is a one I have used that works well and stores easily. Durst also makes a very small one called the Magico, but I haven't used it.

Jon

 

[bdial]

The Durst 301 is another 35 only that breaks down to a very compact package. The 600's are somewhat more common on ebay, and such, and are only slightly larger (the 600 goes up to 6x6).

 

[2F/2F]

Check out the Craigslist for your area for a while. A tiny one is very likely to turn up for very little money, if not for free.

I find the Omega B22 to be very convenient to disassemble, although I am sure there are others that are even better. Mine is an XL, which has a taller column, but the shorter one will be more convenient. They are dirt dirt dirt cheap.

To disassemble and store, you just unscrew the column from the baseboard by hand with the plastic-tipped thumb screws. Keep the enlarger body installed on the column, wrap it up in some bubble wrap and put it in a box under your bed. You can remove the body from the column with a bit more hassle if need be.

 

[elekm]

In its latest catalog, Freestyle Photographic Supplies is advertising the LPL 3301D for $199.99. I'm not sure if that would fit into your budget. It doesn't come with a lens.

It appears to be a relatively compact model with an 12x14 baseboard and a column that appears to be about 24 inches high.

50mm enlarger lenses cost very little these days. You probably could get an el-Nikkor for about $25 or so and another brand for even less.

I also agree that you could find a perfectly good used enlarger for one-fourth of the price of the LPL, and it probably would come with a lens.

 

[David Brown]

I find the Omega B22 to be very convenient to disassemble, ...

I'll second this. Especially, as he said, if you get the shorter version. Craigslist is a good source for these smaller enlargers. Many of them can't be "given away" so maybe you can do someone a favor and take one off their hands.

Make sure whatever you get is complete and has neg carriers and such. Lenses can be had seperately, but lens boards may be harder. This is one thing about the Omega - parts and accessories are plentiful.

 

[Ian Grant]

The Russian suitcase enlargers are really small and pack away easily & neatly, I have one I'd give you but my guess is you're to far away to collect

Ian

 

[John Koehrer]

Omega C-700 is light & compact. If everything's with it. It should come with condenser & carrier. Lenses as mentioned above are plentiful & cheap.
This would be similar to the Durst F60 mentioned earlier. The Durst is probably a more robust machine & the C-700 lighter. Accessories will be more common for the Omega.
You're not going to need much in the way of accessories though once you have the carrier & lens of your choice you should need VC filters. Everything elsein terms of equipment is common to the darkroom, not the enlarger.

 

[2F/2F]

If budget is not a huge issue, how about a Graflarger? Then you will have a 4x5 camera as well! One just sold on EBay for $217 with the stand and all three carriers. Add the price of a beater Crown, and you are good to shoot and print 4x5 as well as 35 and medium format. Heh heh. Not all that convenient or dirt cheap of an option when it comes to acquiring it, but very easy to pack up, and very practical if you think you might want to shoot 4x5 some day soon.