Talk to me about Enlargers

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sidxms

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I am thinking of a ghetto darkroom setup in the garage for printing some of the rolls I have shot over the past almost 8 years now.

Clearly I need a good 35mm enlarger but I dont really know where to begin or what to research. I want something which is reliable and easy to repair (bulbs etc) if it goes wrong.

Would any one reccomend something for blackandwhite negatives and multi-contrast paper?

Regards,
Sid
 
Difficult. You can find a reasonable range of enlargers at Secondhand Darkroom Supplies. I have a Durst M805 with black and white head which deals with 35mm (never used) and up to 6x7, and an LPL 7451 colour enlarger for 5x4. I have the impression that the Durst is better made, but there's nothing wrong with the LPL - the Durst seems sturdier. That it's also smaller may have a lot to do with this, though. De Vere are well known for quality; and I've been impressed with Kaiser enlargers I've seen at photo shows.

The big choice to make is between a condenser or diffusion enlarger; condenser types give higher contrast and greater sharpness, but make dust very obvious. A colour head will be a diffuser, so if you go this way, there's no choice. Realistically, a colour head would be the better choice if you're using multigrade papers. Filter drawers can be fiddly in use with colour, but easier when you don't need a large filter pack for black and white.

There's probably not a lot to choose between different makes, but one point I would make is before going 35mm only, you should be certain that you won't later want to use larger negatives to get higher quality results.
 
Now I always found filters easier than a colour head. Really quick and simple to swap out from grade 2 to 5 if doing split grade without having to consult a table and key in the right settings.

Mostly once you get a non-terrible enlarger they all seem pretty much the same, there'll be slight differences in build quality etc, but really it's the same technology either way
 
I used filters in a drawer when printing Cibachrome - that required (from memory) several different filters at once.

What can make a difference is the maximum size you want to print. If you need to enlarge more than the column height allows (not necessarily just for a large print) then you need an enlarger that can either be reversed on the column to project onto the floor, or turned through 90 degrees to project onto a wall. I used to use floor projection years ago.

Another feature that can be useful is the ability to independently twist the lamphouse and lens to correct converging verticals.
 
I have a Durst AC707 with a colour head. It's built like a tank and really well featured. I use under lens Ilford variable contrast filters, because like Chris said, they are much quicker to swap and less prone to making mistakes (but you may still want to consider a colour head so you can have a go at colour printing later without needing to buy another enlarger). I think the base board is set up to print up to 16x12, but you can rotate the head horizontally if you need to go bigger. I bought mine from eBay with lenses, a colour meter and a ton of other accessories for about £80.
 
If you can get hold of a Patterson 35mm enlarger you can get very good results at a knock down price. The sum of the parts far exceeds the individual parts, it looks like it should be rubbish but in fact its brilliant. It has dial in colour filters in its head and has a filter draw also, so can be used for colour and B&W. Actually all Patterson darkroom gear is brilliant, in particular the print washer both manual and motorised.

Matt
 
Keep an eye on Gumtree and just grab the best priced one that comes up, since they'll usually come with a bag of accessories as well. The Meopta range are Czech and renowned for their value, and can be fitted with a condenser head, colour head or even a multigrade head if you can find one.
 
Anything from Durst, Meopta, LPL or Paterson should be fine. Try to avoid anything very old such as those which fold up and fit into a case.

Equally important is to get a good lens.


Steve.
 
sidxms said:
Thanks for the suggestion...but I'm not really seeing a definite recomendation for something. Is that because by and large they are all good?
Click to expand...

.......don't forget the quality of the lens is important.
 
sidxms said:
Thanks for the suggestion...but I'm not really seeing a definite recomendation for something. Is that because by and large they are all good?
Click to expand...

What's your budget, and do you think that you will ever want to use a larger film size than 35mm?

On the lens front, as a good rule look for a six element lens from a "big name" like Rodenstock or Schneider.
 
Easy question to answer: Durst M305 or M605 - you can not go far wrong with either, and the 605 covers 6x6 too, with no additional parts required (unlike the 670 which you need the optional diffusion box for, and are impossible to find)

They are late model colour enlargers, easy to find. Make sure that they come with the correct transformer (I've seen them without) and haven't been stored in a garden shed or damp place (but this would apply to any enlarger of course)
 
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