I'm getting to the point where I'd rather sink money into a darkroom rather than continue to POUR money into the local photo labs. I have been shooting with a Hasselblad 500c for the past three years and would like to purchase used equipment that will allow me to make fine-quality enlargements from 8X8 to 16X16. I also shoot with a 35mm camera occaisionally.

I've heard that the Beseler 23cII and 45m models are possibilities. Can anybody tell me anything about these enlargers? What about other manufactures?

Which light sources should I consider and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

-- noel cummings (noel.cummings@colorado.edu), April 20, 2001

Answers

The most commonly available enlargers are Beseler, Omega, Durst, and Saunders/LPL. All three make fine enlargers. The current generation of the 23C is the 23CIII. The XL version is extended length, Beseler's site says this will go to 24 x 24 with an 80 mm lens. I think the 23CII will do the same.

See http://www.beseler-photo.com for more details.

I own two Saunders/LPL enlargers, and find them very well built and easy to use. I recommend you check these out.

I've owned Durst enlargers before, and liked them, too, but it can be difficult to find parts for the older units. It's easy to get spare parts for Beseler enlargers--even the older ones, as Beseler still supports most of their older equipment.

I've not used Omegas, but many photographers use them. They seem well built and are easily available used. Spare parts might be a problem, but I doubt it would be a big issue since there are so many in use.

I don't suggest considering other manufacturer's units unless they are currently in production because of parts problems.

The topic of light sources is worth an entire book. Your choices are condensor (from the enlarger manufacturer), diffused light color head (from the enlarger manufacturer), diffused light VCCE (variable- contrast-constant-exposure, from the enlarger manufacturer)or diffused cold light (from someone other than the enlarger manufacturer like Aristo or Calumet Zone VI).

I like diffused light, and use a color head for B&W printing. Search through the other posts for discussions of characteristics of each source. My opinion is that you can do fine work with any of the light sources, but you will have to adjust your processes to optimize for the light source you have. If you have negatives done by a professional lab, you might find out what light source they use. There may be a slight chance they optimized development for that source. In any case, if you like the look of the prints that they did with your negatives, using the same type light source will minimize the variables you have to adjust from the negatives they already processed for you.

-- Charlie Strack (charlie_strack@sti.com), April 20, 2001.

IMHO you should consider a 4x5 enlarger if you have the extra room (which really isn't much). You may eventually want to try 4x5, but the enlarger will also do an excellent job with the smaller formats. The larger components are easier to align accurately and will tend to stay that way. Mechanical stability will be better. Illumination may be more even. My preference is the Omega D series. They're easily available used for a few hundred dollars. The real expense is in good lenses, lens cones, and negative carriers. The accessories seem to cost far more than they should, compared to the enlarger itself. (Worst case would probably be the D3 Automega that I have- there are multiple focusing tracks, separate condensers, and various lens cones. Be sure you have everything included if you get one of those!) There are several on-line dealers in used Omega and other enlargers. I have little experience with different light sources; condensers have always worked fine for me, but the other sources can be far more convienent and are usually preferred for larger formats and fine art work.

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), April 21, 2001.

I recently bought a used Omega D5 and a used Aristo cold light. Everything works very well.

Cheerio

-- floren (flcpge@yahoo.com), April 21, 2001.

I have an Omega C760XL that works very well. With an 80mm lens and 6x7, I can get ~ 28x23 inches on the baseboard.

-- Gene Crumpler (nikonguy@att.net), April 23, 2001.

Everybody is on target with their comments. I heartily endorse the suggestion made to purchase the Beseler 4x5 enlarger. It is bigger and more substantial than the 23C, and in making prints larger means less susceptible to any movement during exposure. It also gives you the further option of going larger to 4x5 format. Buy a used enlarger, they are plentiful and much less expensive than new.

-- Joe Lipka (JoeLipka@compuserve.com), April 23, 2001.

Hello. I have used (and still own) Beseler45 vxl and omega enlargers. I like both but the beseler is hard to keep aligned (I thought it was only my enlarger that had the problem but have read of others having it too). I ended up buying a Durst Laborator 1200. This enlarger is expensive but once you start using it you can see why. I shoped around for almost a year before deciding (mainly through other users comments) that it was the best enlarger for me. I do a lot of split- filter and multiple filter techniques, and with the microprocessor controlled head (multigraph) it is a simple task to change filtering values. I shoot mostly medium format but I agree with a previous post in that I am alredy considering large format and know that at least for 4x5 i don't need to change enlargers. Hope this helps.

-- Marcel Perez-Calisto (marcelperez@hotmail.com), April 27, 2001.