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From: G.T. on 8 Jan 2008 16:44
I've been poking around on Ebay and Craigslist and there are some reasonble
enlargers available at the moment, several Beseler 23c series.

What's the most basic enlarger that I can do 35mm, 6x4.5, and 6x6 negatives,
and up to 11x14 prints?

Thanks,
Greg
--
Obscurity in the low desert: http://lodesertprotosites.org

Dethink to survive - Mclusky


From: Nermal on 8 Jan 2008 17:25
Any of the Besler 23 series enlargers!


G.T. wrote:
> I've been poking around on Ebay and Craigslist and there are some reasonble
> enlargers available at the moment, several Beseler 23c series.
>
> What's the most basic enlarger that I can do 35mm, 6x4.5, and 6x6 negatives,
> and up to 11x14 prints?
>
> Thanks,
> Greg
From: Lawrence Akutagawa on 8 Jan 2008 17:44

"Nermal" <nermal1(a)earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:13o7u2q1dh7qn12(a)corp.supernews.com...
> Any of the Besler 23 series enlargers!
>
> G.T. wrote:
>> I've been poking around on Ebay and Craigslist and there are some
>> reasonble enlargers available at the moment, several Beseler 23c series.
>>
>> What's the most basic enlarger that I can do 35mm, 6x4.5, and 6x6
>> negatives, and up to 11x14 prints?

A couple of points on enlargers -

1. Given you want to use negatives up to 6x6, just make sure that the
enlarger in question handles 6x6 negatives. Then make certain that you get
the negative carriers and the lens boards/cones for each film format you
plan to use.

2. Most - if not all - enlargers will handle up to 11x14 prints, even 16x20
prints. There are ways to handle the larger prints if the enlarger column
is not long/tall enough to accommodate such larger prints - some enlargers
allow you to reverse mount the enlarger head so you can project onto the
floor rather than the baseborad. Other enlargers allow you to swivel the
enlarger head so you can project the negative image onto the nearby wall.
And some enlargers have the enlarger column slanted forward so you can
remove the baeboard and mount the enlarger column onto a three sided box
affair with shelves to accommodate different groups of print sides....you
project onto the highest shelf for the smallest set of prints, onto the
lowest shelf (with the intervening shelves removed) for the largest set of
prints.

3. If space is limited as it seems to be in your situation, look for
enlargers designed for apartment use. The Durst folks have a (non
discontinued) line just that. You easily put it up for a darkroom session
and quickly/readily break it down to store away in a chest drawer, on a
closet shelf afterwards.

4. Just right now is a good time to acquire a good, solid enlarger. The
rush to digital that still continues has put many an excellent enlarger
(with timer, safelight, trays, etc.) on the market at very good prices. You
say you are in the Los Angeles area....check the major photo stores there as
well as craigslist.


From: Craig Schroeder on 8 Jan 2008 17:52
I'ved used 23C variants for many years and they are excellent
workhorses for the formats you mention. They are very common and
accessories are easy to find (and bargain-priced, too!). They have a
wide variety of illumination systems.

The Omega choices are also good. In my experience, they have features
that some might prefer to Beseler. They are a bit less stable and
require a longer pause after touching the head and starting your
exposure. I always liked the function of the carriers on the Omegas
but either brand should serve you well and have easily found
accessories, too.

If you find something of another brand that seems decent, be certain
that it is a complete kit with what you'll likely need and not
something that will leave you searching in vain for a necessary part
or repair.

On Tue, 8 Jan 2008 13:44:03 -0800, "G.T." <getnews1(a)dslextreme.com>
wrote:

>I've been poking around on Ebay and Craigslist and there are some reasonble
>enlargers available at the moment, several Beseler 23c series.
>
>What's the most basic enlarger that I can do 35mm, 6x4.5, and 6x6 negatives,
>and up to 11x14 prints?
>
>Thanks,
>Greg

Craig Schroeder
craig nospam craigschroeder com
From: Thor Lancelot Simon on 8 Jan 2008 18:13
In article <13o7rl4n8jafc19(a)corp.supernews.com>,
G.T. <getnews1(a)dslextreme.com> wrote:
>I've been poking around on Ebay and Craigslist and there are some reasonble
>enlargers available at the moment, several Beseler 23c series.
>
>What's the most basic enlarger that I can do 35mm, 6x4.5, and 6x6 negatives,
>and up to 11x14 prints?

The canonical answer is the Beseler 23. The Beseler 67 is smaller, cheaper,
and will also work well.

If you're in or near New York you can have mine.

--
Thor Lancelot Simon tls(a)rek.tjls.com

"The inconsistency is startling, though admittedly, if consistency is to
be abandoned or transcended, there is no problem." - Noam Chomsky
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