Beseler 23c or Omega B22 Enlarger for small darkroom??

<p>Hello!<br>

Thank you in advance for reading my post and helping an ole film lover!<br>

I am in the process of putting together my home darkroom. In my area, there are two enlargers for sale at about the same price. The Beseler 23c (not the ii or the iii, I believe its just the originial) and an Omega B22. Any suggestions as to which of these is better? I worked with a Beseler 23C III back in high school many years ago but I have never worked with the 23C. I really liked the 23C III but I hesitate on the because I dont know anything about it.<br>

Any comments and advice would be greatly appreciated!<br>

^_^<br>

Sincerely,<br>

D'Ann</p>

<p>Oh and I just found a Beseler Printmaker 35 for sale as well at about the same price. It seems the newer of the bunch. . . Thoughts?</p>

<p>If you're only doing 35mm, the B22 is a lot more compact. The advantage of the 23C is that it goes up to 2-1/4" x 3-1/4" negatives on 120 film, where the B22 only goes up to 2-1/4" x 2-1/4" on 120. <br>

Be absolutely sure you get the small auxiliary condenser lens for the B22 to use with 35mm film, it's about 2 inches in diameter in an aluminum holder. <br>

There's a lot of issues in getting a 23C properly aligned (everything optical parallel to the baseboard). The B22 doesn't have any alignment adjustments to my recollection -- meaning either it can't get out of alignment, or if not made parallel, you can't fix it.<br>

You might also want to consider which ones it's easier to get a colorhead for. While you're not likely to use it for color printing (which is getting close to infeasible due to paper supply issues), it's very handy for setting the contrast for variable-contrast B&W paper.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Get the MF one.. It is nicer to down grade than it is to upgrade.</p>

<p><strong>@John Shriver </strong> Those are great tips and advice! Thank you! I should have mentioned what I am planning to use it for to begin with! I have an old medium format twin-lens and a regular 35mm camera. I am planning to process only black and white but I understand what you mean about the colorhead! I didnt think about that! And the seller of the B22 didnt mention the auxiliary condenser lens, I'll have to ask them about that!<br /><br /><strong>@Larry Dressler </strong>I'm sorry but I dont know what you mean by MF! I'm a little naive to the terminology at the moment! </p>

<p>The Beseler is substantially more rigid that the B22.....also more versatile really. I foung that the paper grade filters are easy enough to work with. Ilford make a fine set that go between the neg and the lightsource so no image degradation is involved....Enjoy! Post some pixies when you get up and running....Regards, Robert</p>

<p>Medium Format=MF larger than 35mm.</p>

<p>@ Robert Cossar Right! I know what you are talking about! I remember using the paper filter in school! I'm glad they still sell them! And thank you for your input! I would really love to find a 23C III but options in my area are limited and I have been looking for a while. I found some on ebay but the shipping was waaayyyyy up there probably because they weigh a ton! <br /><br /><br />@Larry Dressler OOHHHH! *feels like an idiot* I was trying to figure it out but the only thing that kept coming to my head was Manual Focus so I was like "huh?"! Thank you for your clarification!</p>

<p>Doh I am a Homer... I am proud... I have thingamagiggie moments.</p>

 

<p>I have owned an Omega B22 and a Beseler 23C; I vote for the Beseler.</p>

<p>Paul</p>

<p>Own both. Use both. If you're certain you'll never go larger than 6x6cm,I'd go with the B22. The B22 is FULLY adjustable in terms of alignment. That's NOT true of the Beseler.</p>

<p>No one ever goes smaller. LOL I now own a 4x5 enlarger.. Yes it is an Omega... Do I think I payed too much for the shipping cost never... One problem... I gave that one away to another and got the same model with better condencers and with 4 lenses for it a month later... Karma is good.... Just get what you need for want you want to do and remember... It is always better to have too much than not enough when you are using an enlarger..</p>

<p>The Beseler 23C is slightly better built and more stable. I use the Chomega B (basically a B22 with a Dichroic color head, for variable contrast printing). I bought it new, and would never sell it. It is more compact than the 23C, which I have also owned. I would not consider the Printmaker 35. It is nowhere near the quality of the other two.</p>

<p>Now leaving... I was told by someone on Flickr that someday I would end up in an argument on enlargers... I retire...</p>

<p>When you need to upgrade from whatever you choose, the next one will only be cheaper. Just keep watching Craigslist, if there's one for where you live.<br>

Remember to hoard the correct light bulb for whatever one you buy.</p>

<p>An Omega B-8 is more comparable than a B-22 to a Beseler 23c . IMO that Omega model is even more substantially made than the Beseler.</p>

<p>I used a B22 for many years and liked it. It has a filter tray for variable contrast filters. Unlike some later Omega enlargers like the C700, the piece that supports the negative carriers in the B-22 is retained by screws in slightly enlarged holes. This permits realignment if necessary. The alignment of the lamp housing can also be adjusted. This is handy when correcting for keystoning in architectural photography. The Omega C700 is probably more foolproof and the Beselar sturdier than the B22.</p>

<p>I've used both the Beseler 23C and the Omega B-22. They are both fine but I would probably go with the Beseler. Besides the color head (even though there's no need for it, just use VC filters) there are also some cool accessories for it like motorization for up-and-down and focusing. It has two support beams rather than the one on the Omega and is generally more rugged.</p>