What should I look for in Beseler 4x5 enlarger motorized version

Hi, I was offered a Beseler 4x5 enlarger the motorized version for $250 along with 3 Schneider lenses on moving sale. I'm not sure about the exact model and if it has the color head or not.

So the question what should I be looking for in the enlarger? I wanted a 4x5 because eventually in the next coming years I'd be stepping up from my medium format to large format.

Thanks for your help

Pretty much the same as any enlarger, holes in the bellows, make sure the motor works, no missing teeth
on the drive gear. Head level on the track. I've seen one that the gear on one side somehow skipped a
tooth.
Are the lenses newer or older? Older are highly polished metal, (chrome or nickel) and somewill have odd mounting
threads. Newer one will be black and use a common mounting thread, usually 39mm, longer fl's may have larger.
Make sure it's got lens boards and negative carriers for the formats you're using,

B&W head make sure the condensers aren't scratched & lamp works, turn on/off, that's pretty much it.
For the color head, someone else should pop in & give a hand, I'm not conversant with them.

I'd think That $250 is reasonable and would include some accessories beyond what you've mentioned but that's my
inner cheapskate talking. Moving sale? Motivated seller.

The best thing is you can check it out in person and won't have to ship, that's a PITA

Enlarger values can vary by location. Here, $250 for a basic Beseler 45 with b/w condenser head would be high unless the 3 Schneider lenses are higher quality, such as the componon-S. But a lot depends on condition. Many that are sold cheap or even given away have been in a damp basement for years, as opposed to being used and cared for. Around here, you'd be hard pressed to get more than $75-100 for just the enlarger.

As John said, negative carriers make a difference. Not just the number, but the format. 4x5, 6x6 and 35mm are common and tend to be cheap. 6x7 and 6x9 less common and are usually more expensive when you find them.

Older version have the frame braces angling forward (towards the operator) more recent versions angle to the rear. Some info here.

Lensboards are common and relatively cheap; at least the typical 39mm hole size. Easy to convert to a cold light if that's your bent.

Additional things to check: that the head moves up and down smoothly with no odd sounds or smells from the motor.

For $250, I'd expect a later version of the 45 that's clean and operates smoothly and the 3 high quality lenses (at least Componon), with one being a 135mm or 150mm. A working dichro head would be a (big) bonus.

The biggie (if ya ask me) - the lens stage bellows will be square, or will taper towards the lens. You want the newer, square version, which allows adjustment at the lens stage.

Other than that - the enlarger should go "up" without a lot of groaning or effort from the motor; the angle from the baseboard to the riser frame arms should be the same on each side (I check mine with a plastic angle-checker used by carpenters to install crown molding, cheap and I had one already - this angle can be adjusted). If the carrier isn't level, they can skip a tooth and still run - you remove the lower stop pin, lower it carefully until the carrier drops from the frame, lift it back into place and kick the motor "up", sometimes trying 3 or 4 times. A hleper is handy but not 100% necessary.

Also make sure it has both upper and lower stop pins (on the right side, they align with the motor switch and kick it off if you go too far). These can be found on eBay or replaced with a simple bolt of the same thread, but without them, it's easy to run the enlarger off the tracks.

I picked up my two Beseler 45s for $40 and $30 from a thrift store and craigslist. The 1st one came with a Beselar 50mm and 3 or 4 neg carriers. The 2nd one was just the enlarger. Check craigslist before spending $250 on one.

Thanks guys for the info, the enlarger came with Aristo cold head and the chrome old Schneider lens. I actually ended up not paying anything yet cause the guy couldn't find the neg holders, he said that they must got shipped by the movers and he will look for them.

amellice said:

Thanks guys for the info, the enlarger came with Aristo cold head and the chrome old Schneider lens. I actually ended up not paying anything yet cause the guy couldn't find the neg holders, he said that they must got shipped by the movers and he will look for them.

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So what happened? I've got 5 of these Damn things. I love them. Last 3 I got for next to nothing.
So much of this stuff has been scrapped. A shame.

Check that the motor works for the whole of the height range. Sometimes the u-shaped frame can twist or warp and the motor will jam/
T