5x7 enlargers?

[burnesingman]

What are good 5 x 7 enlargers?

[Joseph Kashi]

An Omega E-5 with a cold light head works well for BW but are very difficult to find anymore. However, they're big enough that shipping by USPS, FedEx, etc would be a major problem compared to picking up with your own vehicle. The heavy double-rail column alone is 5+ feet, in addition to the enlarger head and wall-mount pedestal. I'm not aware of 5x7 enlargers that are markedly smaller. You might consider getting a good film scanner instead and then digitally printing.

[John Kasaian]

There are still aged 5x7 Elwoods around. Elwoods are darned good machines for the price, IMHO.

[ic-racer]

Were there ever any 'bad' 5x7 enlargers?

There are 'outdated' heads that can be difficult to use.

[Nitesail]

Think Intrepid will ever make an enlarger kit for their 5x7? I’ve inquired a couple of times about it, the first time they said it wasn’t in the works. The second time they never responded. Might fill a niche.

[bob carnie]

I have a 5 x 7 Devere enlarger that I think is remarkable.

[Jim Jones]

I used a 5x7 Elwood for basic B&W enlarging for several decades. It sat on the floor of a low ceiling darkroom. Other than that, it was satisfactory.

[Mark J]

I've just refurbished and installed a Durst 138 S in a small darkroom. The Durst's are big but less of a beast that the DeVere. You probably won't see one at a reasonable price in the US though.

[Daniel Unkefer]

I've refurbished an Omega E-3, including a replica of the enlarging table, using catalog photos as a guide. The E-3 was made under Military Contract, not available to the general public. Then Came the E-4 and E-5. The 5x7 Omegalite is from an Omega E-4. The enlarger was designed to be pushed horizontally against a wall, so the enlarger is approached from the right side, in order to reach all the controls. In my darkroom, it is installed vertically, due to my darkroom footprint.

Darkroom Renovation Phase 2 No 6 by Nokton48, on Flickr

E3 CLA 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

These are original E-3 Negative Carriers in my collection. I've added quite a few more since this photo was taken.

[djdister]

I used to have an Eastman Kodak 5x7 autofocus enlarger, with reducing attachment. It was heavy cast iron that consisted of 3 parts that bolted together - the base, lower column, and upper column with the enlarger and counterweights.