Best enlarger you have used

[Drew Wiley]

We should really divide this into two different categories : good enlargers made of anodized aluminum etc that cost a few hundred bucks for the chassis, versus commercial units with a lot of machined components that ran anywhere from $15,000 to $75,000 back in the day. Given the fact that with some luck you might get any of the above for downright free these days if you're willing to haul it off, you might as well land the best fish still swimming around.

[Tin Can]

Bought a $20,000 10X10 FOTAR for $250 beginning of last decade. At that time I could barely walk. A buddy drove his pickup to Indiana, I paid gas. Maybe Jack's Camera, a big store, they wanted it gone ASAP so they could set up more InkJet Printers. The owner assigned a healthy young man to disassemble, we did not touch it. Liability I suppose. The head was already gone with all lenses. lens boards and film carriers.

Cast alu, with plenty of steel counter balance weights. Concrete filled base, VGC. The young man got another employee to help. Nobody knew how to dismantle it. I was now spectator.

Too big to get out the room, very heavy. Later I figured at least 1500 lbs.

They figure they need to remove the weights, hanging on thin cables on 2 capstans. They got one weight loose, the very strong young man wrapped the cable around his hand to lift the weight.

He damn near lost that hand, everybody jumped and saved him.

Long story short, it got into my Chicago studio with difficulty. 3 big parts, each part very heavy even with the massive counterweights removed.

Took me some time to get it working. The cables are not easy. Here are the only instructions.

Used with DIY head until 2017, sold it to a guy who really wanted it. I know where it is. He doesn't use any forum last time I saw him.

In the pic, you can see 5X7 Saltzman neg carrier handle poking out, the LED head was off for this shot.

I still use the CB7 to the left in a new location with more room.

1-FOTAR by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

[6x6TLL]

I had a DeVere 405 with colour head for years and loved it, picked it up for a song from a pro who was going all digital. It was built like a tank, weighed around 40-50kg and was really ergonomically designed. Unfortunately I had to sell it when I moved to the US, simply too big and bulky to carry. I also anticipated finding some photography clubs here that had their own enlarger/darkroom I could join/rent, but that turned out not to be the case. So now I develop myself and scan instead. Still, I miss the darkroom...

[ruilourosa]

focomat v35 for 35

durst 805 for MF

laborator 1200 for 4x5

laborator 134 for 5x7

laborator 1840 for 8x10 (not mine...)

[Tin Can]

Currently

Focomat V35

Beseler 23CIII-XL Condenser or fanless OE Color Head

Elwood 5X7 OE Reflector Head

Beseler CB7 Condenser Head on OE Table

Beseler 45V-XL 8X10 conversion Aristo V54 Lamp Wall Mount

[shutterboy]

Wow. I did not expect that many replies to a newbie post. You sure are a very helpful group of people.

After reading through all the posts, here is what I could think that would work for me.I am not looking for something that is in the passing. I have proven to myself that I like silver prints, and would like to pursue it till chemicals go obsolete. And I have a dedicated unfinished room in my backyard where I intend to build a darkroom.

1. I would love to have floor standing enlarger.
2. I would prefer to go with a diffusion head. Preferably cold light.
3. I do not mind waiting a bit for getting the right equipment. I realize this is looking for used equipment that is not exactly available on the shelf of a store to buy.

Now here are my followup problems:

1. Devere, that is very well reputed is (was) based in UK and I have not seen too many units show up in the US market. Please correct me if I am wrong.
2. I would prefer to have a B/W as well as a color Dichro head that goes on the same chassis.
3. I do not contemplate printing larger than 11x14. M-A-Y-B-E (and really just maybe) 20x24. (But I seriously doubt it.)
4. I do not contemplate shooting larger than 4x5.
5. Since I am "building" the dark room, I have the flexibility of laying it out as my wish and best practices.
6. Other than Ebay( where almost everything is super overpriced), photrio.com and craigslist (will definitely like to avoid this), I am not aware of any other market place.

What would you recommendations be for the 6 points above?

Many thanks.

[Drew Wiley]

Just 11X14's? You don't need a floor-standing enlarger to do that. But what if you get good enough at 11X14's to get addicted to printing (disclaimer - large format photography is indeed habit-forming), and you want to scale up? Then starting out with somewhat oversized equipment makes perfect sense. You can follow ads on this forum too. But sometimes luck is involved in acquiring a free or bargain enlarger, which does not necessarily mean something substandard at all, especially if you're near a large city where they're likely to turn up. Jump at anything in good shape Omega, Beseler, Saunders, Durst etc, especially if it has a working colorhead.

[Luis-F-S]

The trick to getting a quality enlarger is finding one at the right price within reasonable driving distance. If you just want 4x5 I would look for an LPL enlarger. It's currently made and parts are easy to find new and used. Look at Craig's List and these sites, and I would not pay over $500 for one in good shape with some carriers, etc. If you need larger, then I'd get a DeVere 5108. I drove a 2000 mi round trip to pick mine up, but it was worth it. Both or these enlargers have diffused dichroic light sources, and the LPL also has a VCCE head which works great. Devere never made one for the 5108, though they did for the 504 but they are scarce. If you insist on a cold light source, then make sure you get a Metrolux compensating timer with it. Good Luck.

[Tin Can]

Tell us what city you are near...you never know what is near you...

The big stuff does not ship well or cheaply

I have moved 5 big floor standing enlargers with much assistance

I consider a 500 mile radius close enough to fetch anything, day out, load, day back, more than once I never got out of the van

I WAS incapacitated for a few years

[Luis-F-S]

Wow. I did not expect that many replies to a newbie post. You sure are a very helpful group of people.

After reading through all the posts, here is what I could think that would work for me.I am not looking for something that is in the passing. I have proven to myself that I like silver prints, and would like to pursue it till chemicals go obsolete. And I have a dedicated unfinished room in my backyard where I intend to build a darkroom.

1. I would love to have floor standing enlarger. DEVERE OR DURST BUT FLOOR STANDING IS NOT NEEDED.
2. I would prefer to go with a diffusion head. Preferably cold light.
3. I do not mind waiting a bit for getting the right equipment. I realize this is looking for used equipment that is not exactly available on the shelf of a store to buy.

Now here are my followup problems:

1. Devere, that is very well reputed is (was) based in UK and I have not seen too many units show up in the US market. Please correct me if I am wrong. THEY'RE OUT THERE, I GAVE 4 AWAY LAST YEAR, AND ONE WENT IN THE DUMPSTER.
2. I would prefer to have a B/W as well as a color Dichro head that goes on the same chassis. LPL IS 4X5 AND HAS VERY EASILY INTERCHANGEABLE LIGHT SOURCES-DICHROIC AND VCCE.
3. I do not contemplate printing larger than 11x14. M-A-Y-B-E (and really just maybe) 20x24. (But I seriously doubt it.)
4. I do not contemplate shooting larger than 4x5. LPL
5. Since I am "building" the dark room, I have the flexibility of laying it out as my wish and best practices.
6. Other than Ebay( where almost everything is super overpriced), photrio.com and craigslist (will definitely like to avoid this), I am not aware of any other market place. CRAIGLIST, THESE LISTS AND LUCK!!!