What do you get in a 'better' enlarger.

dancqu said:

What a hassel. I've had to completely dismantle
my glass negative carrier in order to clean the carrier
and two glass plates. Tweezer size machine screws
and lock washers to match. So, which enlarger has
the easiest to clean glass negative carriers?
That's the brand to buy. Dan

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For my Magnifax 4, several seconds to change negative inserts (pull out negative carrier, take out inserts, put another inserts and return negative carrier back - usually 10 to 15 seconds) - and you can't mix upper or lower glass (non antinewton or antinewton) or glasless inserts, they physically can be mounted only correctly, under minute to change mixing chamber in colour head (unscrew two screws - only fingers needed, not tools, lift head, take chamber out, put another chamber in, return head back and screw those two screws back), under five seconds to change condenser in b/w head (just pull drawer with condensor lens and put other condensor lens drawer in).

With Opemus 5, you can't change condensors in b/w head, or mixing chambers in Meochrome colour head, so you can only change inserts in negative carrier, and it is same as for Magnifax.

I must say Opemus has better negative carrier, with clicked stops for negatives positioning, so you can easily correctly place negative. And for 35mm glassless negative insert, it has insert with precise profile, so 35mm negative is extremely easy to move and place. Magnifax don't have so good carrier (negative stops are not clicked) or inserts, and unfortunatelly 35mm inserts for Opemus can't be used in Magnifax...

I don't belive there is any "faster" enlarger for those things

David H. Bebbington said:

Meopta scores well here - takes about 3 sec. to
fit or remove mask or carrier glass.

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I've a Meopta 6 with color head 3; new from Freestyle
several years ago. Then I've a Meopta 6? from an in
town dealer; 1961, missing a part. Last and least,
I've a Meopta 5 from ebay; yet to give it a try.

The 6 with color head was shelved years ago do to
uneven lighting. The center portion of the head's
bottom diffuser actually causes a fall-off of
light in a prints center.

What I'd like is the condenser head for that 6.
I was very satisfied with the now 46 year old 6?.
All the Meoptas are in dry safe storage and AFAIK
could be put into operation with a correct part
here and there and some dusting off. Are they
still in business? I've up to 6x9 to do and a
Magnifax may be of interest. Dan

dancqu said:

All the Meoptas are in dry safe storage and AFAIK could be put into operation with a correct part here and there and some dusting off. Are they
still in business? I've up to 6x9 to do and a
Magnifax may be of interest. Dan

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Meopta is most definitely still in business. Freestyle still carries their enlarging lenses, though no enlargers.

So glad I'm not alone in loving the Meoptas - quick to change carriers, easy negative loading , brick built quality and that oh so simple split line focussing that gets me almost spot on focus everytime.

The Eastern Block could do some things really well - shame about the rest of it.