THE ROLCE-ROYCE OF 4X5-5X7 ENLARGERS
JBlance696
On Fri, Mar 20, 1998 gali...@netvision.net.il (ram) writes:
HHmmm-I'm thinking that the answer to the answerless question is the Durst
Laborator SM183. (aka "microspec") This unbelievably exotic piece of eq. was a
Durst custom build designed primarily for making large B+W prints vertically.
A decked out version of this enlarger will have remote control motorized
baseboard, motorized head lift, and motorized focus and a large baseboard (mine
came w/ a 3'x4' vacuum easal) Anything bigger than that and the head will lock
90 degrees to either side for horizontal projection to a wall mounted mural
easal.
In a nutshell this freestanding enlarger is the L138 (5x7) head mounted on
the L184 (8x10) twin column chassis via an offset arm that allows a 20"
optical axis plus another 18" or so of height. I would have to measure it to
be sure but i'm thinking that with the head all the way up and the baseboard
all the way down, the neg is about 8 feet from the paper. This is an awesome
sight indeed but not normally necessary unless you are enlarging a tiny portion
of the neg to a very large size.(how about 30x40 from disc film :-)
Anyway--the SM183 can easily be configured for any of the different light
sources you would normally find on a Laborator: Opal bulbs (up to 1,000 watt)
w/condensers, point light w/ condensers, floodlights, (or anything else that
will screw into an Edison socket) I also use a 1,500 watt pulse xenon set-up
for large prints. BTW-the condensers for the Laborators are legendary for
their sharpness and lack of distortion.and (arguably) known to be the among the
finest ever manufactured. However, if you prefer a softer light source,
Aristo makes several different cold lights for this machine including a VC and
Durst can adapt the CLS 1000 colorhead for the SM183 . In fact it was mainly
the ability to easily change back and forth between the various light sources
that sold me on the Durst. The only comparable models (Devere and Fotar) were
not nearly as flexible in this regard. (the Fotar chassis doesn't take
condensers at all and the Devere required major surgery to use them. The big
Devere also had to be wall mounted vs. freestanding (which doesn't work well if
you need to use it horizontally), but in all fairness-if I had been looking for
a color enlarger the Devere and Fotar would have been good choices because they
support the use of other manufacturers color heads (Beseler,Omega etc.) where
the Durst CLS1000 color head was selling for about 7,000$.
email me if you want more info on this machine
ciao for now-
Jon
JBlan...@aol.com
>let me ask you an answerless question : which 4x5 (or 5x7) enlarger to
>your own opinion, and from your experience , is really the best?
>( and let's assume ,for a moment , that money is not an issue ).
>
>i'm considering buying a large format enlarger , my primary work is
>fine art , exhibition quality ,large size black and white enlargements ,
>
>(up to 60x45 inches). i use VC papers.
>
>the main points that interests me are:
>1) the dream machine should have a very solid chassis , though easy to
>control.
>2) what is your opinion regarding a cold light head , vs color head.
>( i hear of different methods of controlling contrast like the zone vi
>bi- tube , cold head and controller)
>i have a basic knowledge about several enlargers such as omega ,
>besseler
>zone vi , durst ,saunders, fujimoto ,-but i would like to hear from
>people
>who really uses these enlargers.
>
>please e-mail me at:gali...@netvision.net.il
>
>thank you and looking forward
>ram
Philip Renna
Im also replying to the question of the best enlarger. I use both the Durst
138 and an EM s-45 Durst enlarger. These vintage baby's are the best. My
138 is over 25 years old and is one solid enlarger. The features built into
these enlargers are the best along with its large condenser and ability to
switch to a point source is important to me. I would trade theses enlargers
for anything. I also use a bessler 45mx with a VC head and this enlarger
cant match the durst for versatility