Enlarger Recommendations

[Dave Schneidr]

I have started looking around for a used 4x5 enlarger. The last darkroom I had s et up years agao I used a Beseler 23C. I would like to hear comments on the Bese ler 45MX/MCRX/MXII/MXT line up and also the Omega D2/D5/D5XL. I would start with a condensor head with an eye towards an Aristo Coldlight possibly down the road . Any comments on ease of use, rigidity, etc. on these models? The Omega uses a variable condensor for various focal lengths. With the Beseler do I need multipl e condensors or does the upper bellows provide adjustment adequate for 35mm to 4 x5? Are there any model variations to avoid in either product line? It appears a D2 could be had for $300, a 45MX for around $500 and a D5XL for around $800. Wh at's my best value? Thanks

[Robert A. Zeichner]

I've been using a beseler 45MXII for a few years now, first with an old Aristo D2 head, then, more recently with an Aristo VCL-4500. I love that head, by the way. The enlarger is pretty bullet proof. If I had any criticism of it at all, it would be that the lens panels require enough force to install to make routine alignment a good idea. It's really not that much of a bother though and considering the plentiful supply of these enlargers at reasonable prices, I whole heartedly recommend them. In answer to your multiformat question, yes, the upper bellows allows you to accommodate 35mm to 4x5. Of course, with a cold light, you don't need to adjust a thing. Just collapse the bellows leave it. Good luck in your search!

[pat j. krentz]

I have an Omega D2V which I converted to a Zone VI cold light about 3 years ago, have never had a problem, you can get them with base mount or wall mount, mine is a base. Changing len's is not a problem at all. Pat

[Sean Billy Bob Boy yates]

I used to own a Berkey Omega Universal Pro-lab 4 X 5 variable condensor enlarger. It was fitted with the auto-focus cams and I had no problems with it at all. Straight forward and easy to use. You can see them in labs every where.

Three years ago though, my wife found a Beseler 4 X 5 (don't know which one, but it's light blue and gray and the supports are in the back) 4 X 5 condensor enlarger with a multitude of accesories for a good price, so I sold the Omega - I don't need two 4 X 5 enlargers crowding up my 6' X 8' X 6' darkroom!!!

The Beseler is a variable condensor in that the upper bellows provides adjustment for all formats from 35mm to 4 X 5 as you suspected. The Omega required you/me to take a condensor out of the housing and reposition it for the desired format. The Omega takes the standard 6" X 6" VC filters in the lamp housing without cutting them to fit, which you do on a Bes. The auto-focus was nice but I usually checked it anyway. The motorized column of the Bes is nice but it ain't necessary. I could do a 20" X 24" on the Omega base with a 150mm, but I never needed to. On the Bes, the best I can get is a 16" X 20" but it's cropped a little. Then again the number of times I've needed to do either I can count on two fingers.

Essentially the question can only be resolved by experience - how you use it and how you relate to it, they're both good products with their adherents and detractors. For me the Beseler gets the vote as it seems more stable and is expandable to 8 X 10 with the Alan Ross designed cold light head adaptor. Also, Beseler makes a "negatrans" for 35 mm which is a very nice accessory if you do a lot 35mm work, and they also have a negative carrier for 4 X 5 that holds the film tightly - I forget what they call it, but it ain't cheap.

[N Dhananjay]

One other thing to keep in mind if you eventually get a cold light. If you work with variable contrast papers, you might prefer relamping with the new Aristo V54 designed for work with these papers. The older models are high in blue and the contrasts (the filters are designed for tungsten sources) don't work as one would expect (you can work around it if you're willing to calibrate your system - print step tablets and use additional filtration to fill any holes in the contrast range).

I purchased an old, used D2 (with the sliding chassis) with a cold light. Works very adequately. Quite solid and well made. Make sure you have enough left over in your budget for a good enlarger lens. Good luck with your purchase. And happy printing.

DJ

[Jacque Staskon]

I have used the Bessler 45MCRX enlarger for longer than I would care to remember because I can't possibly be that old. It has been a wonderful friend. Yes you can change your format easily by a knob adjustment. Also you can go in between formats which is sometimes a plus. The D2's are wonderful as well but I have found that I was always worried about dust on the condensers. But if you are going to do really large prints you might consider the D2 beause of the wall mount adapter. Very sturdy. When I make really large prints with the Bessler I have to pull the enlarger forward to the edge of the printing table and weight the back plate with cinder blocks and enlarge off of the floor. Sometimes scary If I'm manuvering the enlarger alone. I was interested in a previous response however. Could someone please tell me about the 8x10 adapter with an Alan Ross cold light attachment for the Bessler 45 MC?? Where I might find such a beast? About how much would one expect to pay for an adapter such as this?

[Peter Hughes]

For many years I was a die-hard "Omega man." I worked in many pro labs in NYC and never saw anything but Omega D-series and a few Dursts. I personally owned a D2 and absolutely *adored* it. Unfortunately, I got out of photography for a while and sold my entire darkroom. Then, after I moved to CA and got back into shooting, I saw a used Beseler 23C w/Dual Dichro color head in a local camera store and, like an idiot, I bought it. I uttery HATE the thing! The illumination is extremely uneven (I had to make a special dodging tool to edge burn every print) and it is a pain in the ass to keep aligned. (Who ever heard of a tilting lens stage on a modern enlarger? A useless and troublesome feature!) Thanks to my many years of experience in the darkroom I am able to make decent prints with the godawful thing, despite the fact that it is a peice of crap. But as soon as I can possibly afford to do so, I am going to dump this f**king Beseler and buy a used Chromega D. A word to the wise.

http://www.ravenvision.com/rvapeter.htm

[George Nedleman]

I bought a used Omega D-6-a monster of an enlarger, made my own light housing for an Arista D-2 cold light with a V54 tube, and a base so I could put it in a corner. It's wonderful-solid as a rock after I put a top brace on the pole and secured it to the wall.It has a fine focus adjustment.It's all I ever want. George

[Jan erala]

Applauses, Peter, applauses!

[Sean Billy Bob Boy yates]

I should have pointed out that the condensor head on the Beseler 45 pivots so you can project onto a wall and get prints larger than the 16 X 20 I seem to be limited to. There's so little space in my converted walk-in cedar closet that I have to sit the enlarger on the floor and can't really take advantage of this feature.