I am a beginning photographer and building a dark room in my basement. Any suggestions for what kind of medium priced enlarger to purchase? B&W nothing fancy but good quality. Would welcome any suggestions. THANKS!

-- Nicole Avery (nicole.avery@uwcm.org), September 05, 2000

Answers

I suggest you get a used 4x5 Omega or Bessler. These are the 2 brands that I am familiar with.I'm sure others on this site will be able to help with other makes. Don't fall into the temptation of getting a smaller format, if you stay with photography you will want to go to 4x5 and will be limited by your equipment. You don't mention lenses, he too you should go for the best lens you can afford don't forget used lenses there are some very good buys. I suggest you stick with Nikkor, Rodenstock or Schneider. I've used all three brands with excellent results.

-- Robert Orofino (rorofino@iopener.net), September 05, 2000.

I don't think it's terribly crucial which kind of enlarger you get. I've used four or five in my life and, like a camera, you just learn to use it, work around its quirks, and after a while it is simply your enlarger.

What does matter, in my opinion, is the enlarging lens. This is where you should really spend your money. It'll be good for ten to twenty years and every picture you make will go through that one lens. You should look for a lens with six elements. New ones run around $300-350. I myself am partial to Schneider Componon-S lenses.

The very expensive ApoChromatic enlarging lenses are supposed to be even better and cost $500-600 new (which was out of my budget). There are some potential technical criticisms of these lenses but now we are splitting hairs. If you want to really get serious about this stuff get the book "Post Exposure" by Ctein. (The author goes by the one name, his first name is unknown to me.) This is one of the best discussions on enlargers, lenses, film and paper developing, etc. that I've ever seen.

-- Don Karon (dkaron@socal.rr.com), September 05, 2000.

Hi Nicole, I certainly agree with the above posts. A lot of it depends on how tight your budget is. When I put my own darkroom together about six years ago, I went with a used Beseler 23C and a used Schneider Componen-S, 80 mm lens. When all was said and done I think I still spent around $800.00. I got the 80-mm lens as a compromise, that way I could do 35mm and 2 1/4x2 1/4. I would not go much 'lower' than the Beseler 23C or equivalent enlarger from another brand. Do get a very good lens & a 4x5 enlarger, if you can afford it. The 4x5 is sturdier and of course gives you more room to 'grow' photographically. However, it is also a lot more expensive, and it takes up a lot more room - it is a pretty formidable machine. The way I work, I also like having a good four-blade easel and a good digital timer. That will add another $300.00 or more to your cost. Including chemistry, lens boards, filters trays & etc, etc, does add up....

Good luck!

chris

-- Christian Harkness (chris.harkness@eudoramail.com), September 06, 2000.

Hang on guys. We're talking beginner here, not LF, not state-of-the-art. Forget Cteins eccentric theories, forget Apo enlarging lenses.
I assume that you're only interested in 35mm or medium format (120 film), in which case stick to an established brand. LPL, Durst, Omega, and Beseler all make very good enlargers that you won't go far wrong with. Omega and Beseler are quite expensive new, but the secondhand price of enlargers is very low at the moment. A lot of people are giving up their darkrooms to go digital. The same goes for enlarger lenses, and I'll agree with the previous post on this one. Get the best lens you can afford, even if you have to skimp on the actual enlarger. Schneider Componon, or Rodenstock Rodagon are the ones to go for, but don't turn your nose up at an El-Nikkor if it comes along at the right price. Again, they can be had used for a fraction of their new price at Camera fairs, online auctions etc. Local camera stores seem to have an inflated idea of what enlarger lenses are worth, though.
You'll need a 50mm focal length for 35mm film, 80mm for 6x6cm, 90mm for 6x7, or 105mm for 6x9.

Go to your local library and read a few books on darkroom technique, this'll give you some idea of what's involved. Getting an enlarger is only the start of it.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), September 06, 2000.

PS. Don't feel pressured into going to 5x4. There are many, many more fine photographers that use 35mm and MF than there are LF users. No-one would dare to suggest that Henri Cartier-Bressons work would improve if he shot it on 5x4, I hope. Also, nearly all of the top-quality colour landscape work that I see here in the UK is done with MF these days.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), September 06, 2000.

I suggest a basic medium format enlarger, just because you might want to go bigger, and the light is more even over a 35mm negative. I also suggest getting a color enlarger. Not much more money, and gives you dial in filtration for variable contrast paper.

Buy used, it is MUCH cheaper. Beseler, Omega, Durst all make good enlargers, and all brands have their quirks.

WRT enlarging lens, you can't beat the El Nikor 50mm f2.8 for an inexpensive, high quality lens. Used, they are about $100. Less if you find a used enlarger with this lens.

I would shop the newspaper, flea market/tag sales, and Penny Saver type bargain papers. You can pick up entire darkroom setups for a couple of hundred dollars or less. Also let people know that you are going to set up a darkroom. You might be surprised that someone you know has a setup they haven't used for a long while and would be willing to sell it CHEAP.

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), September 06, 2000.