ironhorse
Joe DuPont
I am interested in black and white printing and am looking for my first enlarger. The Ilford MG-500 looks like an interesting choice. Does anyone use this system or have thoughts about it?
Thanks
Thanks
jbrianfoto
Established
Great head, I have been using one for a few years. There are a few variations, mainly to do with the controls. One version had a push button (like the spacebar on a keyboard) that you depress to start the timer, the other version has a touchpad instead. Mine is the pad type, which is badly worn. It has always worked, but worries me.
Inside the head there are two rare pieces of glass which act as filters. They are colored and need to be in great shape. Inspect them for any damage or deteriation. They are VERY hard to find if you need them, last time I looked I found some on eBay and they were $120 each.
The light bulbs are cheap and easy to get.
I really love my 500 head. It is a lot like a cold light head (I have a 14x14 cold light on my Durst l184).
Stay away from the MG600 heads, they are a PITA. The 400 series are also. Ice, but have a bigger control module because the owed supply is interval.
Price is all over the place. I got mine for free. But I have seen them from $250 up to $1000, so take your time. You will need the proper mounting brackets for your enlarger. If missing they could be fabricated, but it would be best to find one that is already minted on an enlarger you want. They do use mixing boxes, I only use one box, the 4x5 one but it works for all of my formats of film down to 35.
Hope this helps.
Inside the head there are two rare pieces of glass which act as filters. They are colored and need to be in great shape. Inspect them for any damage or deteriation. They are VERY hard to find if you need them, last time I looked I found some on eBay and they were $120 each.
The light bulbs are cheap and easy to get.
I really love my 500 head. It is a lot like a cold light head (I have a 14x14 cold light on my Durst l184).
Stay away from the MG600 heads, they are a PITA. The 400 series are also. Ice, but have a bigger control module because the owed supply is interval.
Price is all over the place. I got mine for free. But I have seen them from $250 up to $1000, so take your time. You will need the proper mounting brackets for your enlarger. If missing they could be fabricated, but it would be best to find one that is already minted on an enlarger you want. They do use mixing boxes, I only use one box, the 4x5 one but it works for all of my formats of film down to 35.
Hope this helps.