Photo enlarger: what is the most popular model used in the industry

[jean_pierre_auger1]

I am curious to know which model of enlargers and lenses are used in

the industry to get very high quality prints for exhibition etc...Is

the Omega and Focomat models still used ? For 35MM and medium format.

Any technical considerations are welcome. Thanks. Jean-Pierre Auger.

[eric friedemann]

What industry? Other than high-end custom labs, commercial printing is done by with an integral machine, not an enlarger.

 

That having been said, I like my Beseler 23CII. There are a gazillion of them at large in the U.S. and I can always find accessories.

[edsel_adams]

For MF & 35mm cant beat the Bessler's,they are rock solid machines.

[patrick_drennon]

35mm & MF only - Beseler 23 CII. Then Omega 67's

 

35mm, MF & 4X5 - Omega DV &/or DVI. Beseler makes one, I've

just never seen it. I've been in labs w/ multiple varieties of

Omega D's.

 

Lenses are tougher. I have one each Schneider (50, 2.8),

Rodenstock (APO 80, 4) and Nikkor (135, 5.6). I don't know which

one is most common, I've seen about the same number of them.

No difference in quality in my opinion w/ Nikkor being best bang

for buck (that's an opinion, not necessarily fact).

 

These are the most COMMON (i.e popular). I will not start a

flame war over the comparitive merits.

[greg_jones1]

In my industry, which is my home B&W and Color darkroom setup for personal photography,I have an Omega D2V with Dichroic color head. I have that because I have multiple formats, including 4X5, MF of all varieties, and 35mm. And I got it dirt cheap, since many seem to be frantically dumping enlargers for the new "digital era." Omegas are about as popular as Beselers, and vice versa. However, if you really want to do superb 35mm printing, go with the Leitz Focomat. Technically, I don't know what it is about those enlargers, but they produce the best 35mm results (at least in B&W) that I was ever able to produce.

[studio jb]

I like my triple condensor Saunders 670 XL with f/4 80 mm Rodenstock lense for MF work. Very sharp and clear prints. Strongly recommend it.

Cheers.

[conrad_hoffman]

I don't think any manufacturer "won" the enlarger wars. Thousands of Omega B and D series machines have been made and many, if not most, are still in use. Same thing with the Beselers. What follows is opinion and the results of my tests. YMMV. The Omega machines don't have as good ergonomics as the Beselers, especially if you use the two piece negative carriers as I do. The Beseler controls seem to fall more readily to hand. I really liked using the 23CII. Unfortunately, the Beseler 23CII using condensers may suffer from illumination problems. Put an evenly fogged piece of film in the carrier and make a print. Odds are that you will see some faint concentric rings. Film must be in the carrier- this problem only shows up with silver based film, not color/dyes. The 23CIII has a redesigned lamp carrier and larger lamp that probably solves the problem. The 23CIII also has (reportedly) better alignment capabilities than the 23CII. The Omega D series has almost perfect illumination and can be aligned to any degree necessary.

[ellis_vener_photography]

In professional labs: Durst & Omega D- series. Leitz Focomats

tend to be owned by individual photographers and are much

prized: very sharp, contrasty and solid. The best of the small

enlargers. Bigger than 35mm and the nod goes to the big Dursts

and D-series Omegas, which make the Beseler enlargers look

like tinker toys, especially with heavy usage over

time.<P>Schneider, Apo-Rodagons, and EL-Nikkors are all high

quality enlarging lenses-- you'll be hard pressed to see a

difference in prints

[roger_urban3]

My Bessler 23CII gives me a hell of a time with alignment problems. Still haven't been able to consistently get it aligned. Alignment, in short, is a royal pain in the ass. If anyone has a proven method they wish to share, I'm all ears (and eyes). I use the negatrans and a 6x7 glass neg holders. Sooner or later I may have to break down and get the Versilab laser sight parallel setter-upper thingamajiggy, but there should be an easier way to do it without shelling out the bucks for one of those. I'm hoping, anyway.

[scott_eaton]

Ellis nailed it, although I see a Besseler here and there alongside Durst and Omega in commercial labs. The Focomat is easily and by far the sharpest enlarger I've ever used, but I've *rarely* encountered them in a commercial environment. The Focomat was popular with many newspaper depts.

[roger_michel]

in my experience, far more important than what brand/model of enlarger you use, is whether the enlarger has been set up and aligned properly. few people take the time to ensure proper squaredness of the elements of their enlarger assembly and this can have a major impact on the quality of your results. versalabs makes a cheap laser alignment tool that is a must for initial setup and periodic checking. it makes the task a breeze. i should also add that i feel that the lens is quite important. if you are going out to buy one, always go for a major brand (schneider nikkor rodenstock) and get the top of the line. there is often only a small difference between the cheapest and most expensive enlarger lenses in a particular mfr's line, but the quality difference is enormous. remember, the sharpness/contrast etc. of your prints will only be as good as the WEAKEST lens in the chain from subject to print. don't spend a lot on lenses, take care with your shots, and then print them thru a lousy lens. as for enlargers, i have always used beseler (one s!!). but there are good machines from many companies as the posts above indicate. there is also tremendous variation in brand availability in different parts of the world. my general advice is to get a solid heavy machine that permits easy alignment adjustments, and has (or will accept) a fine adjuster for focus. make sure carriers in a wide range of sizes are available, and buy as many as you can afford at the beginning. you will get a better package price and you never know to what format you will migrate in the future. you don't want to discover that x-brand has discontinued its 6x9 carrier just after you purchase that alpa 12. finally, i also recommend getting an enlarger for the largest format you can afford. a MF enlarger will almost always have better field illumination for 35mm than a dedicated 35mm enlarger. most 6x9 rated machines are really 6x6 units that are being pushed. you really need a 4x5 enlarger for 6x9 in most cases. i use my beseler 45 for just about all formats (one of the nice things about the beseler in the usa is you can find carriers for EVERY format -- from 16mm to polaroid 665 to 6x12 -- used at cheap prices). good luck!!!

[jim_hobson]

I own a lab and yes most of our work is done on machines.

However, we do custom printing in a darkroom and use an Omega D enlarger. Being in this business, I deal with other custom labs also.

Most are using Durst and Omega in that order. I only know one pro using Beseler and he once said he wished he kept his Omega.

My two cents.

[e_k3]

I've been looking at getting a decent enlarger for B&W and from this post it seems that the options lie like this:

 

Omega --> if you want a rock solid enlarger for 35mm / 6X7

Beseler --> if you want a good reliable enlarger for 35/6x7

Focomat --> if you only use 35mm

 

Does anyone know where to get these in the UK and how much they would be ?

 

I use 35mm and 6X7 and am interested in finding out about Omega enlargers. Are there any good known second hand shops either on line or off (don't fancy the postage from the usa off e-bay !).

 

Any suggestions ?

 

cheers

[tom_bowling1664874721]

e.k.

don't forget Czech Meopta enlargers are freely available in the UK. They are very substantially built and with the addition of a Nikkor lens you'd have a good and inxpensive setup. Opemus 7 is the 6x7 version

[vartan_grigorian]

If you do consider the Meopta option they are so relatively cheap that you might as well go for the top of the line Magnifax 4 model. This is a true 6x9 (6.5x9 claimed) enlarger so it should be good for 6x7 and perhaps adequate for 6x9. They are sturdily built so should remain in alignment if the movements are properly zeroed. Barry Thornton in the UK has used one as his main enlarger for about 10 years. He is a noted 'fine printer' in the UK, although this is open to opinion.

[tom_bowling1664874721]

Ouch! What's he done to you?

[vartan_grigorian]

If that was a reference to me then the answer is nothing, he clearly is an excellent printer. Just that some of his results and methods are a bit contentious in my opinion.

[syd]

I use an Opemus 7 which does me gorgeous 6x7's from my RB, I don't see this unit discussed allot because people seem to feel that the Dinosaur brands have the only magic answer to stunning prints. Well I tell you this unit is built like a mack truck and is one beautiful enlarger, it's wildly inexpensive and these guys also do optics on gunsights for various Euro armies taboot, so they better be good! An oft overlooked enlarger but as they say your prints will only be as good as your optics, the enlarger is largely not an issue...

 

Syd

[robert_davis2]

"I use an Opemus 7 which does me gorgeous 6x7's from my RB, I don't see this unit discussed allot because people seem to feel that the Dinosaur brands have the only magic answer to stunning prints."

 

I disagree. A lot of people buy used. If you buy used odds are you get the popular models. If for no other reason then alot of them are out there. If you don't buy used you likely walk into the local shop and buy what they sell. I thought about getting a Meopta enlarger but it looks like nobody in Canada sells it. I wasn't willing to spend the money on one sight unseen. I ended up with an Omega b-66 added a couple of nikon lens and all the other darkroom stuff [trays etc] and spent less then a Opemus 6a would have cost me. Sure my enlarger is well over 20 years old but it works just fine.

 

BTW I am getting a Meopta camera-)