Durst M600

[ana_percy]

hello, i am trying to start up a darkroom in my house, and i was wondering if

anyone had any advice on which enlarger would be best? I found a Durst M600,

but i am not sure exactly how it works, im not used to using that one, nor do i

know if it works well for black and white developing. I took a course on

photography, there i used the saundeds LPL(i'm not sure if it was the D6700 ir

the C6600). I would really appreciate any advice anyone could give me on

chosing the right enlarger. Thank you in advance.

 

Ana

[menashe_soffer]

Durest M600 seems like a very tempting deal. The problem is that parts are very rare and you risk ending up either not using the enlarger or spending lots of effort time and money to find the parts you need.

 

A concrete example from my experianc is the lens board. You are most likely to get the enlarger with the normal lens board that has 25mm thread; that is OK if you also gt the 75mm lens that usualy comes with it and you are satisfied with that. if you want to change lens, for example if you want to work with a 50mm lens to get decent magnification of 35mm film, you will need to find an accesory lens board, good luck!

 

my advice is that unless you run a machining workshop go for another model.

[wendell_kelly]

An important consideration in buying an enlarger is the negative format or formats which you use (35mm, 21/4 square, other). Youll have to certain that the enlarger you buy can accomodate the negative size(s) which you use.

 

Menasche if offerring sound advice but if you only use one negative size, say 35mm. and the enlarger will accept that size (the M600 does), and it comes with a mounted 50mm or 75/80mm lens, you may never need a different lens or lensboard.

 

Durst equipment is good quality but, as has been noted, parts can be difficult to find.

[cb_martinez]

I have been using Durst M600 for five years now with no problem. I bought the unit from ebay.

 

I speak highly of Durst M600 and its smaller brother M300 which I also bought years earlier. They are of similar design but the M300 is exclusively for 35mm.

 

The enlarger is modular in design which is perfect for someone who has no permanent darkroom. You can set it up easily in the bathroom or a small closet. When done with using it, it can be easily disassemble by turning a few knobs and then putting everything in a box for storage.

 

The M600 comes with an adjustable negative carrier and it will take negative sizes from 35 mm, 645 and 6x6. This is convenient for cropping the negative. It uses inexpensive incandescent house lamps.

 

The condensers are in a tight housing a rarely need cleaning. But in case you need to, they can be removed, cleaned and replaced easily. Wear latex gloves when you do.

 

Unless you drop the enlarger and damage it heavily, there is no need to worry about searching for parts. Lamp replacement is abreeze using ordinary 60 to 100 watt house incandescent lamp.

 

Menashe is right about the lensboard. I believe most of the M600 sold in the USA through ebay, if they include the lensboard, have the M26 threads. If you are lucky to buy the enlarger with the Sixpla M26 and Sixtub M26, and the matching lenses, then you are set. If you want to use lenses with M39 thread, then it will be difficult to find the Sixpla M39 and Sixtub M39. If you decide on the M600 and need the M39 lensboards, write in this forum and I will try to help you find them.

Somewhere in the forum somebody posted a link to a manual of M600 in .pdf format. You might find it useful in your situation.

 

Just like any enlarger, after you have acquainted yourself with the parts, use consists in turning on the lamp, inserting and positioning the negative in the carrier, place the easel on the baseboard, raise or lower the head for the desired magnification, focusing, focus, swing in the red safe filter, place paper on the easel, refocus and confirm focus, turn off the lamp, swing out the safe filter, and finally expose the paper by turning on the light. If the enlarger is connected to a timer, exposure is done by flipping the timer switch after the desired time has been set.

 

If you see yourself in the future going medium format up to 6x6, this enlarger is very good. But if you move to 6x7, it is not recommended.

[10960397]

Hi, first time posting, and thanks for the forum to do so in.

I recently bought a Durst M600 but it came missing some parts. I think I have located most but I can’t find the “opal glass” plate that goes in the head.

Conveniently I am a glass blower/lab glass maker and can fabricate it from borosilicate if I have the exact size and thickness it needs to be.

Can anyone advise me on this?

Also I bought a F30 which is also missing parts, I’m wondering if the lens boards and lenses are interchangeable between the 2, as the ones I ordered for the 600 have yet to arrive.

Thank you

Karl Termini

[AJG]

This is going back 30+ years, but I believe there is a slot in front of the housing for the lightbulb where the opal glass will go. You should be able to make measurements from that and make the glass you need. I'm not sure about the compatibility of lens boards between the M 600 and F 30, but I do remember that you will need a recessed board to mount a 50 mm enlarging lens on the M 600. Enlarging lenses are generally compatible between different brands and models of enlargers, although older lenses with 25 mm thread may require adapters to mount on the more common 39 mm thread. In the event that you can only find a 25 mm thread lens board for your M 600, you might investigate having a good machine shop making it 39 mm instead in order to have a better choice of more modern and better lenses.

[Gary Naka]

There are 2 common/standard lens mount sizes/thread diameter; 25mm and 39mm.

The 25mm lenses are the older lenses, and the newer lenses are 39mm. Today it is much easier to find good 39mm threaded lenses than the old 25mm lenses. Even if you find an old 25mm lens, I would find a better 39mm lens and use that.

 

I think the F30 does not use a lens board, but the 39mm diameter thread lens screws directly onto the enlarger.

Durst did make adapter rings to reduce the 39mm hole down to a 25mm hole.

 

The M600 does use lens boards; the recessed SIXTUB for the 50mm lens for 35mm film, and flat SIXPLA for the 75/80mm lens for 120/6x6 film.

The lens boards do pop up on eBay. But you need to be careful to get the boards with a 39mm diameter threaded hole, not the smaller 25mm thread. IMHO, getting the correct 39mm board is easier and cheaper than getting a 25mm board and having a machine shop cut and thread it for the 39mm thread.

 

I use a PH-211, 75w enlarger bulb in my M600, and I do not think I have an opal glass in the head. I think the opal glass was meant for non-enlarger bulbs. But it would not hurt to use it. I would try it with a PH-211 bulb, without the opal glass to see how it works.

 

And Karl, download the manuals for the enlargers. I think if you do a search you can find them on the web.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Gary Naka

[JDMvW]

From a story on darkrooms at modest prices Modern Photography 1971-03:

Inexpensive outfit, $214.85

The second outfit puts more into the enlarger. We

chose the very competent Durst M-600 costing $174 .. 95

with 50 and 75mm f/ 4 .. 5 Schneider Componar lenses.

It's a tough, compact, sturdy machine that offers semiprofessional

quality at a good price. We paired it with

a Unidrum at $24.95. The Unidrum tested superbly

and allows all processing to be done in the darkroom

with the lights on.

The Durst printing filte rs are really Kodak filters

mounted between glass, for protection. They fit the

M-600's filter drawer, and all the filters you might

need plus the 2B are included. It's a good outfit at

$214.85. Good enough so that it can be added to

almost indefinitely with some of the more sophisticated

control devices we are about to discuss.

[bgelfand]

hello, i am trying to start up a darkroom in my house, and i was wondering if

anyone had any advice on which enlarger would be best?

 

Assuming you are in the United States, my recommendation would be a Beseler 23 C II or 23 C III. They are sturdy, parts are readily available (Beseler is still in business) both used and new and it takes 39mm threaded lenses lenses. Get it with a condenser head, a good El-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8 lens, a set of Ilford Multi-Grade filters and you are all set to print 35mm black and white negatives. If you need to print 120 film, get an El-Nikkor 80mm f/4 lens and the appropriate negative stage.

 

This is the setup I have been using in my home for the past ten years. I purchased the enlarger and lenses used from the rental darkroom when it closed down. The rental darkroom owner purchased the enlarger and lenses used years before. As I wrote, the Beseler is sturdy.

[wendell_kelly]

hello, i am trying to start up a darkroom in my house, and i was wondering if

anyone had any advice on which enlarger would be best? I found a Durst M600,

but i am not sure exactly how it works, im not used to using that one, nor do i

know if it works well for black and white developing. I took a course on

photography, there i used the saundeds LPL(i'm not sure if it was the D6700 ir

the C6600). I would really appreciate any advice anyone could give me on

chosing the right enlarger. Thank you in advance.

 

Ana

You didn't mention which film format you use.

 

Both the Omega B-22 and the Durst 606 will let you print 35mm up to 6x6. The are plenty of both to be found if you are patient. The B-22 is the more common and parts are readily available on eBay.

[JDMvW]

ana_percy made the original post in 2008, BTW

If you access her record here, you find that this was her only post here.

ana_percy was last seen:

Feb 1, 2008

Not much hope of any reply then.

but since this site is archived, others may benefit from advice, but there's little hope that ana will be back.

 

I personally feel that something should be done to help us avoid these "franken-posts" - resurrected years later. Sorting by original date of the OP would be one solution..

[bgelfand]

It looks like 10960397 Karl Termini resurrected the OP probably doing a search on Durst enlargers. His post still needs an answer.

[Niels - NHSN]

This thread popped up in Google when I was looking for info on an M600 offered to me. I found the information useful, and would like to ad a little more for anyone that might be considering this unit in the future.

This is a very robust and compact enlarger and it is conveniently self contained with the 75mm Schneider Componar which was often shipped with the unit. The standard negative carrier is universal and allows for cropping negatives from 6x6cm down to tiny.

If one don't need to make very large 35mm enlargements or enlarge from miniature negatives, the 75mm lens is perfectly fine for both 35mm and 120 negatives up to 6x6.

If it has the standard carrier, you are good to go with all above formats.

The diffuser screen discussed in the posts above and mentioned in the online manual, was NOT standard in later production years. I found this note in the box of my M600:

No special bulb is required, except without the opal glass insert, the bulb should be opal. I imagine that a strong LED light would be good as it will not emit much heat.

The negative carrier has glass below the negative and the condenser above, but the carrier allows you to remove the glass. The heat from the lightbulb may cause larger negatives to bulge, thus using a LED bulb could be the solution if one don't want to have glass on both sides of the negative.

The reason I was attracted to this unit, is in part because I have always found Durst enlargers to be rock solid (except for C35 and C65 - avoid them) and part because it packs up into a tiny package - I live in a small apartment and don't have a permanent darkroom. It needs to go into my basement storage room between use.

I was lucky to get the original styrofoam packaging where everything has its place. The base board functions as a lid.

It has the size of a piece of carry-on luggage.
It takes 10 minutes to assemble the unit without rushing.

Additional information which could be of relevance to some:

It does have a filter drawer to allow for 7x7cm variable contrast filters. I cut down cheap Foma 8.7x8.7cm filters.

The light bulb housing can be adjusted to optimal illumination depending on bulb design, so even if a modern E26/E27 LED bulb may have a slightly different design from the traditional old style, I imagine it can easily be adjusted.

Without the enlarger head mounted, it can also be used as a copy stand if you mount a tripod head or similar to the standard 3/8 screw.

 

Edited November 8, 2022 by NHSN

[michael_goldfarb]

 

Just for the record, my parents were pros with their own little commercial studio for over fifty years.  Our main enlarger was an Omega D3v purchased in the 1950s, but we also had a Durst M600.  The M600 proved to be just fine for 35mm work with its supplied lens once it was stopped it down a bit. 

Sure, the 50mm EL-Nikkor on the industrial-grade Omega was better, but it really didn't matter for the mostly 5x7 prints for publication we were making (from film that was mainly shot and dropped off by local newspapers, public service organizations, and political figures).  We used it for 15+ years with no problem, and I ended up giving to a friend's daughter who was studying photography in art school.

Yes, it's a simple design.  But effective.

[Niels - NHSN]

25 minutes ago, michael_goldfarb said:

 

Just for the record, my parents were pros with their own little commercial studio for over fifty years.  Our main enlarger was an Omega D3v purchased in the 1950s, but we also had a Durst M600.  The M600 proved to be just fine for 35mm work with its supplied lens once it was stopped it down a bit. 

Sure, the 50mm EL-Nikkor on the industrial-grade Omega was better, but it really didn't matter for the mostly 5x7 prints for publication we were making (from film that was mainly shot and dropped off by local newspapers, public service organizations, and political figures).  We used it for 15+ years with no problem, and I ended up giving to a friend's daughter who was studying photography in art school.

Yes, it's a simple design.  But effective.

The weakest point may easily be the Componar lens, but it took me less than 5 minutes google search to find a 80mm Componon in M25 thread for €20.

[Gary Naka]

I still have my M600.
As you said, EASY to assemble and disassemble, when you don't have room for a permanent darkroom.

Today, as you mentioned, it is easy to find relatively inexpensive GOOD enlarging lenses.  I replaced all my old "brand X" lenses with El-Nikkor or Componon.
I would look for a 39mm lens board.  That would give you the freedom to choose more lenses.

N-Joy your new toy.  😁

[Sandy Vongries]

Interesting opportunities with this.  You can mount the shaft reversed in the base plate so the base is behind the head and weight or clamp it and throw on the floor to make very large prints.  Though I had a small darkroom, I drilled holes in the countertop and mounted the stand directly, either to the back of the counter for normal prints, or in the front for very large prints.  Handy and capable enlargers.

[Sandy Vongries]

On 1/16/2018 at 5:18 PM, JDMvW said:

ana_percy made the original post in 2008, BTW

If you access her record here, you find that this was her only post here.

 

Not much hope of any reply then.

but since this site is archived, others may benefit from advice, but there's little hope that ana will be back.

 

I personally feel that something should be done to help us avoid these "franken-posts" - resurrected years later. Sorting by original date of the OP would be one solution..

As regards Franken-posts or Zombie posts, if the general consensus is that they undesirable this platform has a Split function for moderators which easily separates the new post into its own thread.  If people want that used, just let me know.

[Niels - NHSN]

1 hour ago, Sandy Vongries said:

As regards Franken-posts or Zombie posts, if the general consensus is that they undesirable this platform has a Split function for moderators which easily separates the new post into its own thread.  If people want that used, just let me know.

I think it is unnecessary to fragment knowledge. Original poster is merely a proxy for a general question that many others may have.  

[JDMvW]

No need for so much intervention, but I do feel it's a good idea to let people be aware that the original post is antique. Sort of a "point of order" rather than a objection, per se.