4X5 enlarger advice

[rivermandan]

What to buy, where to buy it, and how much money to pay. I can't imagine wanting to print larger then 11X14, I shoot 35mm and 4X5 and don't want to spend more money on an enlarger then my camera if that can be avoided. Space could be an issue, but I would rather take down a wall then spend more money to save space. I also live in a town with no real photo labs and apparently no large format photographers, so it looks like I will most likely have to bend over and take the shipping costs with a grunt. Anyhow, most advice I've googled hasn't been all to pertinent to my situation, so here I am. Suggestions?

[Ash]

I travelled cross country from Swindon to York (UK), but for the cost of petrol I walked away with a 4x5 Beseler CB-7 in working condition, albeit aged and a little grumpy at times.

If you search hard enough in your area you may find an enlarger being given away. I'd been waiting a year for a big enlarger to be available to me, and had been waiting specifically for a 4x5 for about 6 months before this one came to me.

It stands about as tall as me, 6ft. It also fits in a shed and with correct fittings will take 35mm up to 4x5.

Keep your eyes out for a Durst or Beseler within the price range you set yourself. Be keen to get it cheap so long as you pick up within a few hundred miles.

Remember you need more space for development, washing, and drying the prints than you do for exposing them with an enlarger!

[Nick_3536]

I assume you're in North America?

Most common choices are Beseler and Omega. Both have made good servicable enlargers over the years. Both can be fairly cheap in todays market.

Which one to get? Which ever one falls into your lap. I could suggest holding out for something but I don't think it makes sense.

FWIW Durst also made good quality enlargers but you'll find them a little harder to find.

What ever you get make sure it's fairly complete and in good working condition.

None of the 4x5 enlargers are tiny but even something like my Beseler CB-7 isn't over whelming. Sure it's happier with over 8' of ceiling and the baseboard is almost 3'x3'. But that's only 3'x3'.

[Randy H]

Wait and look. The bigger enlargers are "gimme's" or durn cheap. I acquired an Omega DII VC with all the carriers, a butt-load of paper, timer and about all I could carry as a freebie. AND.... it came from this forum! cost me a three hour road trip.
Now don't start shouting me down, but I like the Omega vs the Beseler. Footprint on the baseboard is a little under 2ft x 3ft, and enlarger standing from floor up is about 3ft tall. With limited space, I put it on a "microwave cart" that rolls around. When not in use, I can stack all the trays and rollers and motor base in the bottom of the cart, and move it to a corner of the room. With the variable condensors, two lenses and two lensboards, I can print from 35mm to 4X5 negs, up to 11x14 prints. Clearly. To make room, I gave away a Durst CLS35 and an Omega B22 to "newbie" photo students at school.

Keep your eyes and ears open, and wait.

[Paul Ewins]

I started off with an Astron, which is pretty much an oversized 35mm enlarger in concept, but nice and compact. Then I stepped up to a Beseler 45M with its lovely motorized head and negaflat and negatrans film holders. The fact that you don't have to swap condensers when you change heads is also a bonus.

I've since acquired an Omega with an Ilford multigrade head. Although the Omega is said to be better in terms of adjustment I don't like the carriers or the manual crank for height adjustment so I'll probably swap the head over to the Beseler.

For me it has been a case of taking what was available - there was never any choice at the time. However they have all been quite cheap so trading up when something better came along wasn't much of a financial hardship.

[Peter De Smidt]

My favorite 4x5 enlarger is a De Vere 504 with a Dichromat head.

[John Kasaian]

My "fave" is the Omega D-II (the same as a D-2 only with a push-me/pull-you thingy instead of a crank) It is such a favorite that I'm keeping mine even though I don't shoot 4x5 any more. Like others have mentioned, you can pick these things up for free ( a friend rescued his D-2 from a college dumpster) or very cheaply ( my ebay prize cost more in shipping than the enlarger) I'm sure a Beseler is just as good so take your pick. My suggestion is that whatever you get, make sure that it comes with as many accesories as possible. While the enlargers themselves are cheap, when it comes to all the little pieces the prices start to soar skyward!

[kev curry]

My favorite 4x5 enlarger is a De Vere 504 with a Dichromat head.

Great bit of kit and Built like a tank! There also very straight forward to align.

[konakoa]

Another option would be making your own 4x5 enlarger; I modified a old Beseler 23C and converted it into a 4x5. It meets much of your criteria: inexpensive, compact, light weight, and optimized for 11x14 prints.

PM me and I can send you a web address describing the whole process.

[Joseph O'Neil]

I've used Besslers (sp?), Omegas, B&Js, but currently the one I use is a DeVere 504. Best enlarger I have ever used.

However, if you are starting out new, I used an Omega D series for a long time. They seem to be plentiful, spare parts are not too hard to come by nor too expensive, they are rugged, simple to use, and I find, when needed, easy to repair. For starting out new, a used Omega might be the way to go.

joe