Which enlarger to get

[AlanJarvis]

I want to try printing again and I'm wondering which enlarger to go for. As a young man I had a Krokus 66 but I remember having a lot of trouble with dust on the glass negative carrier. I would like to do both 35mm and 120, black and white only. I need to get something second hand off ebay relatively cheap (say under £100). Any suggestions? there are lots of enlargers (and complete kits with trays safe light etc - which would be ideal) on ebay but which would be best?
Cheers, Alan

 

[pentaxuser]

Just for the benefit of our U.S. APUGers I think that the OP is U.K. based as he quotes prices in GBP. Unless my experience is different from others in the U.K. I'd say that Omegas are very rare beasts here so unless he is willing to import from the U.S. e-bay then info about Omegas might be academic.

It might take you over your budget Alan but I'd check out Secondhand Darkroom Supplies and Nova Darkroom for secondhand equipment. You have a guarantee of quality with a warranty period that way.

Key to enlarger performance is the lens and I'd certainly ask the seller what lens, if any, is being sold with the enlarger

You are right that occasionally a whole darkroom kit comes up for sale at a very good price and has been owned by a genuine enthusiast but unless you can ask enough questions of the seller to ascertain his/her status I'd want to collect the stuff so I could see it and preferably in action.

A Durst 605 will cover negs up to 6x6 and is a well made machine but you might struggle to get it for £100 with a good lens such as an El Nikkor or Rodenstock.


pentaxuser

 

[Ian Grant]

Might be able to help Alan, I have a few enlargers spare. PM me.

Ian

 

[markbarendt]

Where you at Alan?

Like Ian I have a spare or two I'd be willing to part with but sending it across an ocean might not make sense.

 

[Rafal Lukawiecki]

From my personal experience of 4x5 (which will do the smaller formats), being based in UK and Ireland, I'd say a 2nd hand DeVere 504 or a Saunders/LPL 4550 XL would be great. If you are patient, they come on UK eBay from time to time, if you don't want to buy a factory new or reconditioned. However, if Ian can help, even better.

 

[AlanJarvis]

Thanks for the offers and suggestions. I'm in Dunstable, UK, but often in London and occasionally elsewhere in the UK.

 

[Groundloop]

Since I don't know what might be the most common in your area, I won't suggest a particular model or brand, but I will suggest that you don't limit yourself to eBay. Keep checking your local Craigslist and you might find a great deal. I just picked up an Omega D-5 with Super Chromega Dichroic II head, Saunders 11x14 4 blade easel, a couple of lens boards and neg carriers for $80 CDN (a little over 51 GBP). Large format enlargers seem to be going cheaper here than medium format, that might also be the case for you.

 

[Rafal Lukawiecki]

I'm not sure if there's a Craigslist in UK... However, a call to Odyssey Sales or a visit to Mr Cad might give you an idea about the cost of a "more fully priced" one. Anything less than those would be a deal. Not sure if Loot still lists enlargers.

 

[eddie]

Another consideration is whether, or not, you're going to have a permanent darkroom, or have one which you'll need to set up in the bathroom each session. If permanent, I agree with Rafal's suggestions. You can't beat a solid 4x5... It will also allow you to go to larger formats, if you choose.
If a temporary space, you'll need to consider ease of set up/break down. A smaller enlarger may be better for that purpose.

 

[fmajor]

This is a great topic for newbs like me! Just sorting out which film/developer combination is quite a challenge, but printing is a whole different "ballgame". B&W is just amazing and i can only imagine what/how a "real" print would look.

I'd also *love* to try printing, but here in the States it seems folks believe their darkroom stuff is gold-plated based on asking price. It's like the ideological difference between selling a "home" (a person's emotionally-attached dwelling) and selling a "house" (a simple structure)...

I'm currently in a cash-crunch season so even entertaining the idea of learning about darkroom stuff is outta the question. I have a Mamiya RB67 that I love using, but scans just don't seem to do the negatives "justice". One day...

 

[M Carter]

fmajor, I see deals often on CL; I'm in a big city (Dallas) so there's a fair amount of inventory. Yep, there are guys who bought a killer enlarger new for over a grand who can't see selling it for peanuts - I can understand that, but an item is only worth what someone will pay for it. Keep your eyes open, check regularly, and keep an eye on eBay as well, though shipping can get pricier than the gear with enlargers. I regularly see entire darkrooms on CL, usually the seller doesn't even know what all the stuff is, it was "dad's" or whatever. But it would be easy to get started.

For 35mm the Beseler printmakers are decent beginning enlargers (I used mine professionally in the film days, though my commercial work was 90% E6) and there are tons of 'em out there. They'll do 6x7 with a condenser set & lens which is still sold new (but cheaper to find the parts on eBay). There's a lot of 35 enlargers out there used.

There are plenty of enlarger parts on eBay, great deals on things like Nikkor lenses, neg holders... and timers, trays, etc that are easier to ship. A friend gave me her late father's Beseler 67; I was able to replace missing things like heat absorber and filter holder - and get Nikkors for 35mm and 6x7 - for about a hundred bucks over time.

 

[Richard Jepsen]

Warning. Buying parts on eBay is expensive. Much better to purchase your enlarger complete with negative holders, lenses, condensers, and power transformers. There is increased risk when buying a color enlarger related to special lamps and bad power converters. In the states a Beseler 23 is a common condenser enlarger with a range from 35mm to 6x9. The baseboard is large enough for most applications. The light source is common. The condensers self contained so less risk of missing parts. Two weaknesses are the elevation gear which is easily replaced and alignment. I prefer the LPL 670 enlargers but if you are new to enlarging B23s are a good choice and better than an Omega B22. The older Omega enlargers for 120 or LF are very sturdy but have separate cones required when changing from 35mm through the MF neg sizes.

All this said, the enlarger to buy is one that supports your film format and printing size. Considerations are growth from small format to MF or LF. Footprint and build quality of the enlarger are other considerations. If you only shoot 35mm a Leica enlarger is recommended.

 

[yellowcatt]

Richard make a good point about getting a complete enlarger with all the accessories you need.
Many on Ebay are sold with only one condenser or neg carrier and it can be difficult or expensive to find other parts. Another thing to be aware of is the lamps that the enlarger takes, most 120 enlargers in the UK will take either a Photolux P3/3 ES 240v 75w E27 Lamp or a 100W 12V Quartz-Halogen Lamp. If you shop around both of these lamps can be had for under £10 each including delivery.

The Philips Tri-one system enlargers can sometimes be found on Ebay at a reasonable price, however they take a set of three 35w 14V lamps(all three should be changed at the same time), the only other use for these lamps is in dentistry equipment, they are about £16 each plus postage which can add to your costs.

 

[paul_c5x4]

Indeed, one or two enlargers require obsolete lamps - The Leitz Focomat V35 enlarger prior to (I think) 1987 used a Philips 6604 which went out of production around the same time. The larger Dursts use a P3/4 150W lamp in the condenser heads such as the L1200 which is no longer (generally) available in the UK.

It is worth checking which lamp is used before getting any enlarger just in case.

 

[cliveh]

How about an LPL 6700?

 

[yellowcatt]

The LPL 6700 is a nice enlarger, I used one for a while before getting a LPL 7700.
They come up on Ebay fairly often, the thing to look out for is that it has the neg carrier formats that you want. For some reason the individual neg carriers can sell for as much as the enlarger. If you can get the universal carrier with inserts that is worth having.

I see there are a couple on ebay at the moment:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_t...13.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=LPL+6700+&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

[ac12]

Paul
For the condenser head Durst L1000 you can use a G30 bulb (60 or 100w), I think the L1200 can also use the G30 bulb, and the L138 you can use a G40 bulb. I don't know what the equivalent bulb in GB is. The G series bulbs are not photo bulbs, but someone tested and verified that the G40 works well in the L138.

I had to find a usable bulb for my L1000.
And best of all they are relatively inexpensive.

 

[ac12]

I agree with Richard.
If you do NOT get ALL the parts with the enlarger, you can easily spend much more than you planned.

This happened to me. I got a basic Durst L1000, but it was missing a bunch of parts (negative masks for the negative carrier, condensers, lens boards, etc). In the US, Durst parts are difficult to find, and when you do find them the parts tend to be expensive. I had to get certain parts from Europe. And there are some parts that I will have to make, because I can't find them. When you add up the cost of all the missing/replacement parts $$$.

Even a common US enlarger like the Omega D5, when you need to get missing parts, the cost of those individual parts (negative carriers, lens boards, lens adapters, etc.) add up fast $$$.

And of course you need the lenses for all the film formats you want to print. Again it would be nice if it is part of the package.

As much as I like the idea of a color head so you can simply dial in the MC filtration, if you are NOT going to print color, I would recommend getting a simple condenser head. The reason for this is maintenance and repairs. It is much easier to maintain a simple condenser enlarger than one with a color head. The extra complexity of the power supply and color head is just more things to break or go wrong. This is especially the case for enlargers where the manufacturer no longer exists or is out of the enlarger business (such as Durst and Vivitar). Although one can make an argument to get a "spare enlarger" to scavenge for parts.

 

[ac12]

fmajor
Watch Craigslist.
I have seen GREAT deals come up from time to time.
Sometimes it is just the enlarger, sometimes an entire darkroom of stuff (enlarger, timer, trays, etc).
It could even be, "come and get it FOR FREE, or it goes to the dump."
But you gotta move FAST, or someone may beat you to it.

 

[dorff]

I also can vouch for the Durst M605, if you want to go only up to 6x6. If you can get it with the dichroic head, all the better. It is perfect for 6x4.5 and 35 mm. If you want to go up to 6x7 or even 6x9, then you will have to get something bigger, like an M805 or a Laborator, but the column is going to be much taller and the whole thing much heavier. Such beasts are not really convenient for temporary darkroom setup. Some of the larger machines also have powerful lamps, and need ventilation to cool down the light box. So my advice is to stick with as small as will cover your largest negative size. At the 35 mm end there are enlargers such as Durst M301, which are just fine for printing 8x10's and maybe 9.5x12's. The M301 is tiny comparatively, and can easily be set up in a makeshift bathroom darkroom etc.

 

[yellowcatt]

You need to think about the lenses as well, if you are printing 120 then a 75mm is for 6x6 but for 6x7 or 6x9 you need a 80mm or 90mm.

 

[mr rusty]

personally I would buy what comes along to get started again, The best buys are probably the "complete darkrooms" that people dispose of as a job lot. I ended up with a Vivitar V1, lenses tanks, trays, tongs, clips for a very reasonable price. You won't find any recommendations for the V1 because it is a rare and slightly unusual beastie, but is a nice sturdy piece of kit that works well. The guy I bought it from was the retired photog for BAE systems, so I guess he knew a thing or two....... In any case IMHO the lens is as important as the enlarger itself.

I like the look of this:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LPL-6700-...raphy_DarkroomSupplies_SM&hash=item2ec85b7836

 

[dorff]

personally I would buy what comes along to get started again, The best buys are probably the "complete darkrooms" that people dispose of as a job lot.

There is some truth in this. But it would also mean having to ditch equipment everytime you want to upgrade. For darkroom stuff, this more or less means putting it in a box on the sidewalk. For all the time and effort, cost of film, paper and chemicals, civil modifications etc, it just makes more sense sometimes to pay a little more and get something that really works, and makes the craft easier and more pleasurable, not to speak of the quality of results. So buy that job lot if it contains a good enlarger by all means, but don't just buy it because it is a bargain. My approach now is to decide what I want first, and then to wait until I find a deal that is affordable. A wise old man once taught me that there will always be bargains. And I have found that to be absolutely true.

I have also learnt to put a value on my time. That way I don't end up spending a whole day in frustration trying to save $10. Whatever your own price, the principle is a good one.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

i was never sorry to have bought durst enlargers. they should be plentiful 2nd hand.

 

[Phillip P. Dimor]

Definitely Craigslist. Ebay will kill you on an enlarger if it is large, heavy and far from you.
I scored a free Beseler 23c off Craigslist, only had to drive an hour up and back. Came with a 35mm carrier, bulb and older componon 50/5.6

If I had a choice, I would seriously seriously avoid Beselers (sorry, at least the 23 and 45, never used any of their other enlargers) because aligning them is absolutely ridiculous. No real negative stage alignment. Having had an Omega D-II from the 50s, that enlarger was excellent. Everything is adjustable (a pain to do but at least you can align it), accessories and replacements are inexpensive and abundant. If I only wanted 35mm and medium format, a B series Omega would be awesome but Omega D carriers are everywhere. I was given a complete D-5 with everything and that was very, very nice. Sadly no longer own it.

I had a Durst m605 which was nice but the glass in the negative carrier was scratched. Finding the glassless insert was impossible and a replacement glass was something like $40 on ebay. I gave up. The negative carrier is excellent though. The older 606 is very similar.

If I had money and luck, it would be a Durst 138/S-45 or L-1200 WITH all the bits and pieces. I can keep dreaming. The professional Dursts are the finest I have ever used (Haven't tried a DeVere or Focomat, or that Agfa enlarger..) it's just finding parts that you need can be difficult sometimes or expensive.