Enlarger Dreams

[srtiwari]

Have the urge (GAS) to buy an enlarger ( 35mm, 6x6 , and 6x7 negative carriers) with the best compromise between compact size, price, and image quality.
Tempted to buy a Leica V35, but it is massive and does only 35mm.
The Leica Valoy is smaller, but can only make small prints (apparently)
Would like to set it up in a small bathroom, to do only B+W work.
Any ideas ? and what lens ?
Appreciate any help.

 

[tomalophicon]

I started with a Kaiser VC66. It is a great little enlarger. It won't do 6x7 though I don't think, only 6x6. They are cheap but well made.

The Schneider Componon lenses I use are great but I have nothing else to compare them to.

 

[PKR]

Omega B22 EL Nikkor lens

 

[thomasw_]

Check craigslist, etc., APUG for a focomat 1c + focotar-2 lens = the best 35mm printing machine made and it was also the finest deal i ever had the luck to come my way, as it was FREE. it would have been a steal at 1000x the price🙂

Seriously, just be patient and look...they do show up 😉

 

[shadowfox]

Subhash, I'd recommend any *working* color diffuser head enlarger. Brand is not that important. Color head so you don't have to mess with filters, and diffuser head because it's more forgiving about dust and scratches on the negative.

Keep it simple for starters, that way it'll motivate you to print more, the more you print, the more you know what you want later on.

Look for Vivitar 356, it'll go up to 6x7 with easy to find bulb. People tend to give these away because it's not Durst or Beseler. But it's just perfect to start your darkroom with.

 

[Steve_F]

I have a Meopta Opemus 6 that I have put on an Opemus 7 colour head (for b&w multigrade paper contrast ). The Opemus 7 takes 6x7 neg carriers.
It is serving me well for wonderful prints for the past 12 years. Image quality is superb as I print 35mm through an EL Nikkor 50 2.8 lens and my 6x7 through a 100mm 5.6 Schneider Componon-S.

They are good well built enlargers and can be found very cheap on EBay (like all darkroom equipment).

Steve.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Meopta Magnifax. We use two. And they do full 6x9cm.

Or a IIc if you can get it.

Warning: good enlargers are quite heavy.

Cheers,

R.

 

[PKR]

Check craigslist, etc., APUG for a focomat 1c + focotar-2 lens = the best 35mm printing machine made and it was also the finest deal i ever had the luck to come my way, as it was FREE. it would have been a steal at 1000x the price🙂

Seriously, just be patient and look...they do show up 😉

I have a 1c.. do you know model number for a replacement lamp?

 

[aizan]

beseler and omega are easier to get stuff for, which sounds pretty great right about now. durst, de vere, saunders/lpl, meopta, leitz...stuff for all of these are thin on the ground. i wanted to "live the dream" and got 4x5 enlargers from de vere and durst, and it's more of a prolonged, low level nightmare.

 

[v3cron]

I have a Valoy, and have made prints up to 16x20. It can be a little awkward depending on your easel, because the head does not stick out very far from the post. This has only rarely been a problem for me.

The Valoy is a solid choice, but keep in mind it has no filter drawer. I use mostly graded paper now, but when using VC, I have just put the filters on top of the condenser. Works fine so long as you don't need any split-filtering (in which case you would need to go below the lens).

 

[JohnTF]

Ask at the shows, I used to prefer the smaller Omegas with extended track for up to 6x6, and then the Beseler 45m. The Beseler 23c is OK, the earlier Nikkor EL's were not so hot, but as stated above, if you are patient, a good free one or two will come your way, if you help find it, I may have an Omega in the garage. ;-) Baseboard on the B22 was way too small, easy enough to make a better one from a scrap piece of counter top, just drill a few holes and fit some of the flush fit nuts?

You will want a set of good lenses, but if an enlarger at a show does not sell, they may toss it, or give it away.

Last estate sale (Few weeks ago), they gave away a nice 5x7 inch enlarger.

I think I paid $100 for a complete darkroom at SkodaFoto in Prague with a Meopta enlarger, safelights, trays, chemistry, etc. The Czechs used to make the best SS tongs as well.

Taxi was $5, was not in the mood to haul it by subway. ;-)

Try to get all the film holders you need, they are expensive if you have to buy new.

Am thinking Omega had a successor to the B22 that went to 6x7?


Regards, John

 

[dap]

beseler and omega are easier to get stuff for, which sounds pretty great right about now. durst, de vere, saunders/lpl, meopta, leitz...stuff for all of these are thin on the ground. i wanted to "live the dream" and got 4x5 enlargers from de vere and durst, and it's more of a prolonged, low level nightmare.

Yeah - what he said 😀

Seriously, I would steer towards common as dirt Omegas and Beselers (in the US). They were popular for a reason. As enlargers get passed from owner to owner parts tend to get lost along the way. It might not seem like a big deal at the time of purchase until you start looking for the missing parts. There are also more aftermarket "upgrade" parts available for these brands (color heads, custom carriers, and other doo-dads) when compared to imports.

Focomats v35 and ICs are really nice if you are happy doing 35mm only. Parts are not that scarce. Both are easy enough to pack/unpack if space is a concern. While more expensive than omegas/beselers they are still reasonable. I would not even consider a IIC - the prices for these things are insane (more so than any other enlarger they tend to coast a lot on reputation and the prices reflect it).

Durst, LPL, and De Vere are great enlargers, but you better make sure they are complete when purchasing. Hunting down parts can be a major PITA in the states.

 

[Freakscene]

I have a 1c.. do you know model number for a replacement lamp?

http://www.replacementlightbulbs.com/lampph211.html

unless you have the rare Walver colour head, in which case it's:

http://www.replacementlightbulbs.com/lampefn.html

Marty

 

[Roger Hicks]

beseler and omega are easier to get stuff for, which sounds pretty great right about now. durst, de vere, saunders/lpl, meopta, leitz...stuff for all of these are thin on the ground. i wanted to "live the dream" and got 4x5 enlargers from de vere and durst, and it's more of a prolonged, low level nightmare.

Parts for Leica enlargers are available from Kienzle, new.

Parts for De Vere enlargers are available from De Vere, new.

Parts for Meopta are available from RK (New, old stock)

Durst were always unhelpful. Omegas and Beselers are substantially worthless outside North America.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Edward C. Zimmermann]

Have the urge (GAS) to buy an enlarger ( 35mm, 6x6 , and 6x7 negative carriers) with the best compromise between compact size, price, and image quality.

For highest quality you need a large measure of stability and precision. Small lightweight amateur enlargers just can't deliver the quality of a heavier built professional unit. Since the technology is widely considered obsolete among the professional class enlargers these days compactness and price run hand in hand: the less compact and transportable the enlarger the less they tend to fetch.

Tempted to buy a Leica V35, but it is massive and does only 35mm. The Leica Valoy is smaller, but can only make small prints (apparently)

None of these are suitable for 6x6. For 35-6x7 I'd look to one of the Durst enlargers such as the M805, DA900 or L900 models. These, however, are all more "massive" than the V35. There are small, compact amateur 6x6 enlargers from the 1930s and 1940s but their image quality is.. well.. "retro".

Would like to set it up in a small bathroom, to do only B+W work.
Any ideas ? and what lens ?
Appreciate any help.

Then I'd limit the print size of 8x10" and start off with 35mm. A Valloy or a even a Soviet era suitcase enlarger is a good choice. To keep the space demands and set-up time down I'd strongly recommend something like a Nova processor. The 8x10" size is quite compact.

 

[dap]

Parts for Leica enlargers are available from Kienzle, new.

Parts for De Vere enlargers are available from De Vere, new.

Parts for Meopta are available from RK (New, old stock)

I can also buy new parts for Omegas and Beselers, but it doesn't make a lot of financial sense to do so. New parts for any brand enlarger are going to cost you a LOT of money. Enlargers cost big bucks if bought new and the prices of the spare parts reflect this fact. I would much rather have a large pool of second hand parts to choose from.

Omegas and Beselers are substantially worthless outside North America.

Very true, so it is a good thing that OP is located in North America. I'm not going to try to talk anybody out of a brand due to scarcity, but if they don't have strong feelings one way or another I would steer them towards a brand that is common in their area (when in Rome....)

 

[Edward C. Zimmermann]

Durst made a small, compact enlarger but I think it was limited to 35mm.

There were a few. There was the low-end "Magico"-- an amateur "student level" enlarger meant to be mounted onto a table like a Luxo lamp--- and there was the compact Reporter series (such as the R305). The "Reporter" series were meant to be professionally used by reporters on the road who would develop, print and fax (Yes fax! Fax over telephone existed since the 1920s) to their editors. The more "standard" "amateur" Durst 35mm enlargers such as a M300 and A300 (the more professional autofocus variant) are, however, also not too terribly large...
Compared to the Durst Reporter the old Soviet suitcase enlargers (UPA) are even more portable.. Based, more or less, on a pre-war Zeiss Ikon Magnifot design---- YES, autofocus!---- but in a suitcase and with updated optics they tend to have rough finish and decaying foam but for 8x10" prints "on the road" are more than sufficient.. and the autofocus works well and is quite useful.... When one finds them they tend to be quite cheap (mine cost less than a cup of coffee and a donut)..

 

[tlitody]

The last small enlarger durst made was the graduate. Baseboard 12x18in but its only good for 35mm film. The next up was the M370 which can do 6x7cm film. But you have to make sure it has the conversion kit for 6x7 as the standard version was set for 35mm format.
The M670 is the next size up and is a good size for a begginer. Not big and plenty light enough to move about. Anything bigger and you'd find it a real pain to move in and out of a bathroom on a regular basis.

Small enlargers are fine if they setup properly. Especially if you wall mount them which ensures rigidity and usually allows bigger print sizes because you can move the top of your easel below the column base giving you an extra 4 inches or so of available image height.

 

[JohnTF]

The successor to the B22 is the B66, both are limited to 2 1/2" x 2 1/4".

Durst made a small, compact enlarger but I think it was limited to 35mm. We had one at our paper in a kit we affectionately referred to as "the Road Warrior." It was a darkroom in a trunk that we set-up typically in hotel bathrooms for processing and printing away from the office.

The small enlargers are inherently wobbly. If you plan to set the baseboard on the toilet seat and trays in the tub, consider a pair of eye screws in walls opposite each other and bungee cord the enlarger column into place. That is if your spouse will allow such a change in decor.

If your ceiling light fixture takes average screw-in bulbs consider replacing them with safe bulbs rather than adding an entire fixture.

When there's a will, there's a way. 😉

Both shared a problem, albeit small one at the time, the aluminum lock screw would quite easily snap, they were commonly available from the dealers.

I guess the new name reflected the SI system? 6x6 as opposed to 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 ;-)

All this talk of repairs? Other than the lock screw, a replacement for a too small base, and some bulbs, -- most enlargers just kept on going-- I even sold my first enlarger, a Federal, to trade for the Omega, and sold that to pay for the first 45m, so all my early investments were recouped 100%, hard enough to say in most cases. Over the years I stuck with the Beseler 45m because it worked, the color head fit, it did not break, and I accumulated plenty of lens boards and film holders, which can easily equal the cost of the enlarger. I had some custom cut as well, not too difficult a matter.

Loved the Minolta color head for the 45M, you want red, you add red, -- and before that the Fred Picker cold light head for B&W, these things are probably around, but the dealers at Camera shows just hardly can be bothered to bring them around-- last Minolta color head with a complete double set of bulbs went for $125 in the box years back, and several enlargers went in to my car's trunk for delivery to the local schools for free. May be time to send them some more, in case someone still uses them. Some of the local schools do a good job in traditional photography.

Freestyle used to sell the Meopta enlargers and parts in the US, they also built one that broke down to a suitcase size box.

I do hear that big enlargers are still bringing money.

Regards, John

 

[sepiareverb]

LPL. Magnificent machines.