So Let Me Ask You Guys Something...

Stock Dektol

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That thing is serious. It looks to be in great shape. Good luck to ya.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Yes and no. On the one hand, it's a current product of excellent quality that would cost you three or four times what you paid for it, if you bought that enlarger with all those accessories today.

On the other hand, people are giving away fantastic equipment for pennies on the dollar today, so depending on how hard you want to hunt for bargains, working eBay and Craigslist, how far you're willing to drive, you might have found something comparable or better or maybe not as good but adequate for your needs for substantially less money.

If you're happy with it, then you did well and can move on from the acquisition phase, set it up, and start printing.
 

k_jupiter

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Enlargers in Black

I'm with David on this one.

While for the money you got a good deal for that product, you might have overestimated the quality of equipment required to accomplish the job.

A MX45 will print the same negatives at a lot lower cost. The inclusion of the color head allows for a lot of fancy assed split printing schemes using the dichroic filters so that is an advantage.

Me?, I like to use filters when printing MC papers, but I really love using what few single grade papers there are left.

So don't feel bad. Just use the "Last enlarger you will ever buy."


tim in san jose
 

JBrunner

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That is a great enlarger. I've seen them go for less, but not in that kind of shape, and not with a seller willing to ship, so I think you got a fair deal.
 

Bob-D659

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I'd say you did well, yes the older ones are a lot less $$$, but some(most) of them need a fair bit of mechanical work and cleaning. You really need to try some RA-4 processing as well.
 

slumry

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I just got a refurbished LPL 4550 XL from KHB for a bit more than what you paid and without lens so you did well pricewise. I highly recommend KHB, they sell parts and are excellent on service. Helps spending that much money on an enlarger a lot easier knowing there is still support. As for the model, I had been using an Omega D5 in good shape, after using the LPL at a workshop, it was a no brainer. The D5 is solid but is designed like a Buick. The LPL is thoughtfully designed and handles like a BMW. I doubt that I will ever need another enlarger.
 

mike c

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Yeeessss !!! sir thats alot of enlarger there. I like that idea of the VC function. mike c.
 

Chan Tran

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That's a lot of enlarger! I think it's worth it because of the condition. It's rich for my blood though. I got a Beseler CB7 with the dichro DG head for $100. Got a Minolta/Sargent Welch color translator for $25 and pipe the light from the enlarger colorhead to the probe of this unit using a fiber optic cable and now I have a very precise filtration and light intensity readout.
 

JRJacobs

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Feb 28, 2008
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Hard to say what is a good deal these days with enlargers - prices seem all over the map for used equipment. My Beseler 45mxt cost me $150 and it came with a dichro head and 6 carriers. I have also seen them go for much more.

At any rate, it looks like you got an excellent enlarger in excellent condition. Don't worry about anything other than settiing it up and enjoying it.
 
OP
OP

John D. Romano

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Feb 7, 2009
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Hey thanks Guys.

slumry, in reference to your analogy, I am the type who ALWAYS goes for the BMW, even when the Buick can do the job. And you are probably right. This is the last enlarger I will ever need....
except for those 8 X 10 negatives... I'm getting a little tired of contact printing... maybe some 30 X 40's might look nice a la Ansel Adams and Clyde Butcher....h-m-m-mmmmmm
 

Chan Tran

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Ansel Adams built his own 8x10 enlarger, so you will have to build one and not just spend the money.
 

rcoda

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Dec 19, 2006
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Scottsdale,
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John D. Romano said:
This is the last enlarger I will ever need.... except for those 8 X 10 negatives... I'm getting a little tired of contact printing...
Click to expand...

I have an extra Beseler 810MXT with Aristo cold light head in excellent (less than 100 prints) condition that I'd like to move! PM if interested and I'll send you the details.
 

John W

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Jul 18, 2008
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Seattle, WA
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Congratulations! I was watching that auction, nice to know an APUGger won it! Specifically referring to the LPL 4x5 enlargers, you got a good deal considering the extensive package. This from having watched eBay and other parts of the net for these for about a year. I've seen only one deal that was significantly better, an absolute steal for a very complete package... and the seller just flipped the whole kit back to eBay. Other folks are right, depending on what your needs are, there are 4x5 capable enlargers available for less. But these are delightful enlargers and you should be quite happy with it.

With luck, I'll have my 4550 XLG hung on its wall mount within the week. ;-) None else of the darkroom will be ready, but I can print in trays on the floor as soon as I can figure a way to keep an easel off the ground!
 

2F/2F

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I think you will be very happy with getting the enlarger for what you did if you end up using it a lot and using all the stuff that came with it. If you rarely use it, or rarely use all the extra stuff, maybe not so much. At any rate, it is a great collection of equipment for a small fraction of what it would cost new. Congratulations!
 

BobNewYork

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Who knows whether you could've got a better price. Fact is it's an awesome piece of equipment and to my mind at a great price with the two heads and all the accessories. More to the point you're gonna love it - so it's worth two to three times what you paid!
Enjoy it!

BobH
 

Resoman

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Jan 17, 2008
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35mm
Hi, John -
I think you did great, but I'm biased since that's the enlarger I use.

I hear people talking about great darkroom equipment being sold for peanuts on Craigslist or in the classified ads, but I've never seen a particularly good deal on anything I'd be interested in.

Anyway, nice acquisition!

Gary,
East Snook, TX
 
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