What to look for when purchasing a Color/B&W Enlarger

<p>I'm looking to purchase a Color or B&W Enlarger to start printing. I've been looking at the ads and get confused. I've seen some with the color heads, dichroic heads, some have none, some go on top of the enlarger and some are stand alone. What do I look for when I want to purchase a Color Enlarger? I don't want to buy one and end up needing another piece of equipment. <br>

What to look for in B&W?</p>

<p>What other things to consider? I'm looking to print only 35mm and Medium Format film and if anything 8x10 if anything.</p>

An enlarger with a color head is useful for black and white as well as color prints. The filters will be built in with

adjustment dials for amount of color. For variable contrast black and white you will dial in amounts of magenta or yellow.

For color you will dial in amounts of magenta, cyan and yellow.

 

There are some enlargers that come with color analyzers that evaluate a negative to help you determine what filters and

settings you will need.

 

Also, the filters can fade out over the years so there's a chance any enlarger you buy will need new filters installed.

<p>Take a 24" metal straight edge and make sure the baseboard is not warped. If it's warped you will never get it properly aligned.</p>

<p>Take a look at the Beseler 23C series of enlargers. See my page on them:</p>

<p>http://oresteen.com/bess23c.htm</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>An enlarger with a color head ("dichroic" refers to the type of filter fitted in all cases) will do color and b+w BUT a dedicated monochrome (VC = variable contrast) head will offer settings for contrast grades #4.5 and #5, whereas a color head may quit at #4 or even lower. The stand-alone units to which you refer are color analyzers, useful if not vital for color work, not necessary for b+w. The quickest way to check enlarger alignment is to take a piece of clear scrap film or a scrap negative and make deep scratches in it across its full width. A cheaper enlarger lens (e.g Schneider Componar) might need to be closed a couple of stops to improve edge performance, a better one (e.g. Schneider Componon, Nikon El-Nikkor) won't, but if there is any difference between one side of the projected image of the scratched film and the other, the enlarger is out of alignment (usually as the result of being knocked onto the floor or placed under heavy objects in a moving van) - as there are plenty of enlargers around, why buy a damaged one? Filters may fade but this is not normally a problem - Meopta enlargers (popular in Europe) have styrofoam mixing chambers which may yellow over time, making the light less contrasty but not to the point where the head is unusable (unless of course you need the high grades). </p>

<p>PS: When you start b+w printing, you might well want to do split grade printing which calls for multiple exposures with different contrast settings, including #5. This is an argument in favor of a multigrade b+w head - #5 is not used only for extremely contrasty prints or very soft negatives.<br>

If you buy an enlarger with a color head, you will need a voltage stabiliser for color work.</p>

<p>To start, I would not even consider buying a new enlarger these days. High quality new enlargers range from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars but used ones -- often almost the very same enlarger -- are being given away for pennies on the dollar or thrown in the trash.<br /><br />Here in the U.S., Omega and Beseler were the two most popular brands. Whole cottage industries revolved around both, so you can find pretty much anything you want to go with them, again at bargain basement prices. The Omega D series and Beseler 45 series both take any negative up to 4x5 and are the ones to buy IMHO. They are built like locomotives and last forever. The price difference between a used 4x5 enlarger and a smaller enlarger is often small, so might as well go for the best. The next step down are their medium format enlargers. The Beseler 23 series metnioed by Anthony is a classic and would probably be my second choice after an Omega or Beseler 4x5. If you are really tight on space, there are very small, simple enlargers like the the Durst F30 that are 35mm only, but the Omega/Beseler medium format and 4x5 are much more rugged. Personally, my main enlarger is an Omega D2. I've both Beselers and Omegas at work and at friends' darkrooms in the past.<br /><br />In the Omega/Beseler 4x5 and MF enlargers, the heads are interchangeable. You can get one with a standard B&W condensor head or with a dichroic color head. If you have a color head, no need for a B&W head, but if you buy an enlarger with a B&W head you can always replace it later with a color head. You can do color with a B&W head by using color filters that go into a slot or under the lens, but a color head has them built in and let's you just dial in the filtration you need. There are also "cold light" heads for B&W.<br /><br />Color analyzers are usually sold separately, though there were some that tied into the color head I believe.<br /><br />IMHO, B&W printing makes a lot of sense. It's quick and easy to learn, requires minimal equipment, materials are readily available and you can get good results after a reasonable learning curve. And labs that are both affordable and good quality for B&W are difficult to find, so if you want to work in B&W it really makes sense to do it yourself. Color, on the other hand, has a much steeper learning curve to get good at, requires more expensive equipment and materials, and fewer materials are easily available than in the past. And plenty of good affordable color labs are still in operation, making it easy to send work out. You can also scan your negatives and get good color prints straight out of the box on a color inkjet printer long before you'll get good at making color prints in the darkroom.</p>

<p>Craig has made a solid essay on this. At one point or another, I have had several of the Simmons-Omega's, the Beseler 23, and a Durst L1200 with the CLS-2000 color head. My favorite however is the venerable Beseler 45MXT frame with a mechanical 45 S dichro head.</p>

<p>The boards on the bottom are replaceable, the head will rotate horizontally for REALLY LARGE prints, and there are scads of attachments and options available for them at really reasonable prices. The motorized elevation of the head and carrier assembly is very nice too. Generally you can get into one of these for less than $200 with a couple negative carriers. I currently have two, one with the 45S and the other with the conventional condenser head.</p>

<p>The beauty of the dichro head is it stands in for the BW multigrade head, various polycontrast filters, and does color as well. Most major manufacturers of VC papers (such as Ilford) provide compensation tables that allow you to adjust the settings on the head to match contrast grades.</p>

<p>Vivitar once made a 'flash' head with attached color controller. These were nice, but the tritium display in the control box tended to fade out with age. In older color monitors/meters, the venerable Beseler PM2M is generally available for cheap on Fleabay, and uses "programmable" modules that can be set and changed when working consistently with different papers and film bases. I have one and it meets my needs perfectly for BW work.</p>

<p>Something too that is really nice about the later models of the 45MX head stage is that there is a "turret" type lensboard available for it. Essentially, this allows one to mount up to three lenses in a rotating board and select them according to format size or enlargement needs. Here are photos of mine, including the PM2M:</p>

<p><img src="http://papatango.photography/pn1/image012.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://papatango.photography/pn1/image014.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>That is the multigrade conversion table taped to the front of the head...</p>

You have even enlargers with combined Color and Variable Contrast head. DUNCO II 67 CVC. An 6x7cm enlarger

equipped with 120cm column combined head and with diffuser box and condensor. Pretty modern. Kienzle has the same

principle and they are making enlargers even bigger then 8x10".

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<p>And labs that are both affordable and good quality for B&W are difficult to find, so if you want to work in B&W it really makes sense to do it yourself. </p>

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<p> <br>

Well, it makes sense to do it yourself if you have fun doing it.<br>

<br>

I started black and white darkroom work when I was nine years old, because it was affordable, and because it was fun. <br>

You can print black and white on inkjet printers, too.<br>

<br>

</p>

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<p>Color, on the other hand, has a much steeper learning curve to get good at, requires more expensive equipment and materials, and fewer materials are easily available than in the past. <br>

</p>

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<p>Yes. In bigger cities, the materials aren't that hard to find, but they cost enough more, and don't last as long, that it is harder to make the case for doing it. With mail order labs, and local drug stores, doing it for reasonable prices, fun is about the only reason. </p>

<p> </p>

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<p>And plenty of good affordable color labs are still in operation, making it easy to send work out. You can also scan your negatives and get good color prints straight out of the box on a color inkjet printer long before you'll get good at making color prints in the darkroom.<br>

</p>

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<p>In the last 50 years, the price for color prints has dropped so much, especially with inflation, that there is little reason to do it. Many places print digital prints on photographic (light sensitive) paper, and have sales often enough to keep prices low.<br>

<br>

For the highest quality, maybe for museums or high-end art studios, maybe. But for ordinary family photos on the wall, either home inkjet or outside printers are plenty good enough.<br>

<br>

I started darkroom work again about six years ago. I still had my old favorite trays and tanks. Someone was giving away an enlarger. It turned out to need condenser lenses, but those are available on eBay for about $10. (Omega B22.) Then the light burned out, not so hard to find, either. The previous owner built a small darkroom in one corner of the basement, so I was all set. <br>

<br>

There are plenty of good enlargers, on eBay, freecycle, Craigslist, or Goodwill. A nearby store sells chemicals and paper, but most paper I have also gotten from the above places, too. <br>

<br>

Color enlargers with built-in filters are harder to find, but not all that hard. </p>

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