Enlarger Recommendations?

kully

kully

Happy Snapper
Local time
6:30 AM
Joined
May 4, 2006
Messages
2,504
Reading about Ash's setup and an article in B&W Photography this/last month about a lady who has darkened a tent has given me the impetus to setup me own darkroom in my loft.

It'll be a light-sealed tent with an enlarger and then the paper will go into a tube and downstairs for processing.

So, I've been looking around for an enlarger but I have no idea what is good, bad or ugly. I've seen De Vere, LPL, Meopta...

I've seen the other thread about the lenses and I've been given a Nikkor 50/2.8 so I'm sorted on that front - are the lens mounts all the same?

cheers,
kully

PS 35mm will be the main, but I'd also be doing 6x6.
 
Devere's last forever if you are only going to print up to 120 then the 203 series can be found at reasonable prices with a variety of body chasis (bench, wall mounted or floor standing) and several really good enlarging heads (cold cathode, mutigrade, split grade heads, condensor, point source etc..) the later ones were gunmetal grey the earlier ones a sort of beige with brown trim. You can get different negative holders and file them out of you need a full frame also the lens mounts are interchangeable - you can get flat or reccessed.
I have a 504 i purchased brand new in 1989 still in pristine condition today and it's had very hard use. If i was to go with only one system it would be this.

Also very importantly it can be aligned in all axis (lens stage, negative holder, baseboard and base level adjustment) so you can ensure edge to edge sharpenss - not many enlarger offer this degree of flexibility.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Enlargers are selling for practically free on ebay. Look around and you may find folks locally literally just giving them away.

I bought an Omega C-700, a simple basic unit good to 6x7, brand new in the box for $60. Make a list of acceptable units and grab the first one you see for a "steal" price.

I feel terrible saying this, but our treasures are someone elses junk. I think there are a lot of "junk" out there for us to grab when you talk about enlargers.
 
As Simon said Devere's are fantastic and what I learnt to print on but probably a bit big for a Nova tent setup. Meopta's are pretty rock solid too. I use an Opemus 6 (up to 6x6) and have used an Axomat (35mm only). both are sturdy and easy to align and adjust. If shopping for a Meopta b sure to get one with the metal negative holder, the plastic version is junk. RK Photographic often have used stock as do Nova and www.secondhanddarkroom.co.uk. Lens boards are usually all 39mm screw fitting these days. The EL-Nikkor 50 f2.8 is a great lens and won't need upgrading.
 
Beselers are good as well. I have a 45MX (large and not suited for a tent) but the smaller 23C would be a good choice if you can find one and it's in the budget. Pretty solid machines; I like the support construction. The enlarger head rides on two frame members rather than a single middle post.
 
kully said:
It'll be a light-sealed tent with an enlarger and then the paper will go into a tube and downstairs for processing.
Click to expand...

Kully i didn't read your post carefully enough the devere models may be too bulky!
Try Alex Faulk at Mr Cad's he's an old friend of mine and has many different enlargers all at different prices better to go and see him rather than browse his website as often pics aren't shown his stock is fast and turnover rate fast also.
He's in Croydon. Just a thought :)
 
Simon Larby said:
Kully i didn't read your post carefully enough the devere models may be too bulky!
Try Alex Faulk at Mr Cad's he's an old friend of mine and has many different enlargers all at different prices better to go and see him rather than browse his website as often pics aren't shown his stock is fast and turnover rate fast also.
He's in Croydon. Just a thought :)
Click to expand...

Oh, I forgot Alex. Yeah, go to Mr Cad jut for the experience :) The web listings just can't keep up.
 
I just picked up a Durst F30 at a garage sale. It is very basic and is only good for 35mm, but on the plus side it is tiny, and can be moved out of the way quite easily. Durst has a good reputation for making solid, quality enlargers in different sizes, and this one is 90%metal. I got it for $20, including two lenses, safelight, tiimer, trays, everything.

I have since tested it and it makes very acceptable prints for a beginning enlarger, and this is without filters, which I will soon get.
 
I've been very pleased with an LPL C6700 which has been used mainly for B+W and some colour, the latter in the dim and distant past. I'ts reasonably compact and can handle up to 6x7. Not the ideal solution but I've used the colour filters very effectively for Multigrade printing.
The majority of enlargers from the last 20 years or so will have the same 39 mm thread so the 50/2.8 El-Nikkor (excellent lens!) should be fine
 
I have used a Bessler 23C and a Zone VI 5x7 (in current use). I would go for something like an Omega D2. Will print up to 4x5 and there are so many of them out there that you will always have a ready source for parts. You want to be able to allign the enlarger stages (light source, negative holder, lens, baseboard). The best lens in the world won't give truely great results if the system is not alligned. With negative enlargement, final print quality is governed by the _weakest_ link in the workflow.

enjoy!

Ben Marks
 
Ben: Do you prefer the Omega to the Zone VI? I've used an Omega 4x5 (with Chromega head; I was printing in a custom colour lab), but don't remember the model. It was good, but I preferred my 45MX.
 
Cheers everyone, I've got my list. Now it's time to look around.

The tent will be a standard camping tent - not the hideously overpriced Nova one. I guessed I wouldn't need ventilation if the chemical stuff is done downstairs.

This really is a great time to get into film photography - everything is sooo cheap.
 
Trius said:
Beselers are good as well. I have a 45MX (large and not suited for a tent) but the smaller 23C would be a good choice if you can find one and it's in the budget. Pretty solid machines; I like the support construction. The enlarger head rides on two frame members rather than a single middle post.
Click to expand...

Second that. Might not be common in the Old Country.:D

Congrats on the Nikkor. Sweet lens.
 
Enlarger

Enlarger

I am using my Durst F30 since 1980 and bought a few years ago the larger model F60 since I bought a Bronica for MF. Both are fitted with an excellent Nikkor lens. I am getting just amazing results from these small and compact enlargers which seem to be made forever.
 
BBonte said:
I am using my Durst F30 since 1980 and bought a few years ago the larger model F60 since I bought a Bronica for MF. Both are fitted with an excellent Nikkor lens. I am getting just amazing results from these small and compact enlargers which seem to be made forever.
Click to expand...

Good to know I got so lucky. Eventually, I'll be adding a nicer lens. Do you use filters in the little drawer? If so, what kind?
 
Trius said:
Ben: Do you prefer the Omega to the Zone VI? I've used an Omega 4x5 (with Chromega head; I was printing in a custom colour lab), but don't remember the model. It was good, but I preferred my 45MX.
Click to expand...

Trius - Actually, I prefer the Zone VI (although I wonder what I will do if an important part ever breaks). They are nominally supported by Calumet, but for how long, I wonder? They are fairly robust, but not all that common. I recommended the D2 because they are relatively inexpensive used, sturdy and will take a long time to outgrow.

My current set up is a Zone VI with a two-tube VC cold-tube, 50mm and 80mm Schneider Componon-S's for 35 and MF and 135mm and 150mm Rodenstocks for LF through 5x7. I use zig-align to align the lens and baseboard stages before each exposure. I do get some light fall-off at the corners for 5x7 negs, which is annoying. If I had unlimited funds, I'd probably go for one of the really large DeVeres . . .
 
LPL/Saunders are great enlargers. I have a dichro LPL 670DXL that I'm planning to move to the darkroom at work, and replaced it with a used LPL 4500 color enlarger at my home darkroom. If you are just going to do B&W a VCCE head would be good for VC paper; you can just dial in the paper contrast you need and forget about filters and filter factors. LPLs are very solid and not as fiddly about alignment as Besselers. Durst and Meopta enlargers are supposed to have very similar simplicity and quality. I like the Rodagon 105mm, 135mm and Apo-Rodagon 50mm lenses best.
 
Last edited:
SDK, it'll just be B&W for me.

I won an auction for a LPL C6700 with all the required darkroom goodies for a grand total of £21. And it's only a 20 minute drive from my house.

Thanks again, expect some very silly questions when it comes to my first enlargement.
 
They're going cheap alright.
My mint Durst 670 is not worth the effort of trying to selll, it'll only fetch peanuts. Might as well keep it to back up my Magnifax.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom