View Poll Results: Omega D2 or Bessler 45 MXT

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  • Omega D2

    9 31.03%
  • Bessler 45 MXT

    20 68.97%
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Thread: Some Darkroom questions, mostly on enlargers

  1. #31

    Re: Some Darkroom questions, mostly on enlargers

    I will do traditional photography and darkroom until I can't, and when that happens, I am done

    Danny

  2. #32
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Some Darkroom questions, mostly on enlargers

    Good for you

    I use any camera at hand, since 1958

    Quote Originally Posted by kaiserschmarrn View Post
    I will do traditional photography and darkroom until I can't, and when that happens, I am done

    Danny
    Tin Can

  3. #33
    Paul Ron's Avatar
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    Re: Some Darkroom questions, mostly on enlargers

    i like my besseler mostly because i got it for free.

  4. #34
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Some Darkroom questions, mostly on enlargers

    The first taste is free, after that we are hooked

    'God damn the pusher man' by Steppenwolf

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Ron View Post
    i like my besseler mostly because i got it for free.
    Tin Can

  5. #35
    ic-racer's Avatar
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    Re: Some Darkroom questions, mostly on enlargers

    1) In this day and age, is trying to tool up to do film processing and printmaking worth it and viable with digital being allbthe rage?
    Like asking if it is worthwhile to learn piano in spite of the local Sam Ash music store selling 100% synthesizers and no acoustic pianos. So, of course film is viable, but don't expect results without the same time commitment one might allot to learning a musical instrument.

    2) I have found locally an Omega D2 and Beseler 45 MXT in equal condition, either are $200.00, but the Beseler comes with a Beseler Universal 20 Easel, so the ad says. I have experience with similar, if not the exact same model of Omega, and I once bought new an Omega C 760 Dichro (which is another story), but no experience with any kind of Beseler enlarger. Which is the better one to get?

    $200 seems high for a D2, but if it has a nice late-model Chromaga II head and power supply with some accessories, maybe ok. I'm not too familiar with that Beseler.

  6. #36
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Some Darkroom questions, mostly on enlargers

    Flip the question. Is it worth it to spend endless hours trying to learn how to get digital to imitate what I already know how to do better in a real darkroom?

  7. #37

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    Re: Some Darkroom questions, mostly on enlargers

    Drew, to add to this...placing ones self onto a learning curve of a technology which is anything but mature can make one more a (willing?) slave to that curve, whereas remaining higher on a curve of a technology which has more or less matured places one more directly in a position to face the greater challenge (and responsibility) of truly seeing - of truly connecting with…that which exists outside and beyond the realm of that technology. Make sense?

  8. #38
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Some Darkroom questions, mostly on enlargers

    I don't think about it much, John. I prefer tactile hands-on work anyway. Right now I've got some necessary computer chores (non-imaging). But I'd hate to go back to my ole day-job life of carpal tunnel nearly-crippled fingers, sore butt and back, and bleary eyes. I also prefer the way my own images look in real print fashion. I'm not trying to make that axiomatic for others. But if one really knows what they're dong, they shoot for a specific output medium; and in my case, it's been darkroom enlargements for decades. Anyone who thinks they can do everything just because they have Photoshop probably can't do anything well. Quality requires restriction. Otherwise, you're all over the map. Less is more. And at my age, I've pretty much have the gear and setup I need for the duration. Most of it would probably last another two or three generations of use. Most digital stuff lasts about as long as toilet paper. As a marketing model, that's the whole idea - you gotta keep upgrading it or it becomes obsolete.

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