justine_almond Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 I am looking to purchase an enlarger. The one I am looking at right now is the Beseler 23C II enlarger. The first question is anyone have any problems that I should be aware about for this enlarger? Would you recommend it for a beginner? The other question is that it comes with two lenses.. the Rodenstock, Omegar 50mm/ f4.0 and the Schneider Comparon, Durst 80mm/ f5.6... Would you consider these lenses any good? or should I consider purchasing another type of lens? Your feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paolonigris Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 Justine, I do not think that is is the right forum for your request. May be somebody can direct you to the right place. Anyway, it is refreshing to see in this forum somebody that cares about REAL photography and not only ratings. I don not use an enlarger anymore, I am moving my negatives to digital. Before that, I was happy with my Beseler and the Schneider lens. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_mathis Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 The Besler 23C II is a very, very good enlarger. Not too many bells and whistles but a good solid performer. If you can get the owners manual with it do so -- I'm on my third one and I've never seen the manual but it could be helpful. Check the alignment carefully once you get it set up. Other than that you shouldn't have any problems. The lenses you list are probably good enough but you may want to look into some newer Schneider or Nikon lenses at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoresteen Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 I love the 23C! I have two. Solid and parts are easy to find. ebay is full of negative carriers. I have a web page that lists most accesories for the 23C <a href="http://oresteen.com/bess23c.htm">HERE</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neal_wydra1 Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 Dear Justine, My cousin had one for years and loved it. My only suggestion is to consider a 4x5 enlarger. You never know when that LF bug is going to bite you.<g> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James G. Dainis Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 "<i>... it is refreshing to see in this forum somebody that cares about REAL photography and not only ratings.</I><P> Paolo,<BR> Are you in the right forum, the Film and Processing forum? That is the first time I have ever seen the word "ratings" in this forum and it is the first time you have ever posted here. James G. Dainis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtk Posted June 3, 2005 Share Posted June 3, 2005 Omegar, Comparon, and Durst lenses are all second rate. The better versions of Omega lenses travel under their own name, which is Rodenstock. Comparon is Schneider's worst lens, you want Componon. Durst...who knows? Durst enlargers were the ultimate in many cases, but lenses sold under their name were cheapies. Great enlarging lenses (eg Nikkor, Leitz) are so cheap now that you should make a point of getting the best...its' easy to see in prints. The 23C is a great enlarger...almost impossible to do better unless you want something subtle, like a Leica or high end Durst. Djon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronald_moravec1 Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 An 80mm comparon and all other comparons are designed for 2x to 6x and performs well in that range. I have both 135 and 150 Comparons. Componar is the junk version, although I would not buy a 50 comparon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 It is built like a tank and easy to use ... don't pay more than 100-150 bucks for it if it is local and with shipping from some place pay under 200 they are cheap and plentyful because as someone in this thread said ... I am going digital with my negatives.... Paraphrased Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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