300 miles, I would kill for a good 4x5 I could afford that was only 300 miles away <grin>. They are always too far away, or too expensive, for me. Now if someone would just give me an Omega D2V, and deliver it; I would see that he had enough beer to get drunk on the way home <grin>.
To answer your question, just about any 4x5 enlarger that is not worn out or broken is a good one. No one ever made junk ones, because they would not have stayed in business long. The ones I liked the best were the Durst CE-100, then the Omega D-II and D2V, then the Beslar MCRX and CB-7. I have an ancient DeJur that violates both of those conditions, it is both broken, and worn out, but still it makes a decent 8x10. Those are the ones I have actually used. -graywolf Scott Loveless wrote: > On 2/16/07, Godfrey DiGiorgi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> On Feb 16, 2007, at 9:52 AM, Scott Loveless wrote: >>> I need to order a bulk loader for 35mm long roll film. The two that >>> seem to be widely available are the Lloyd and the Watson. Anyone ever >>> use these? Any recommendations? >> I used both of these bulk loaders for many years with no problems. >> The Watson's trick frame counter and felt-less light trap is neat, >> but in general I always preferred the simpler Lloyds design. Just >> keep them clean and they're no problem at all. >> >> Used to have a few of each, I kept finding them at swap meets and >> buying them for a quarter apiece. I don't know if I still have any >> around the apartment as I gave away or sold most of the darkroom gear >> a couple of years ago. If I find one in the next couple of days, I'll >> send it to you. Just don't hold your breath... ! >> >>> Also shopping for an enlarger that will handle 4x5 film. My current >>> rig will accommodate anything from 8mm up to 6x6. The darkroom itself >>> is under construction (the dimroom just didn't cut it) and I've >>> allocated enough space for two table top enlargers. I have no plans >>> to make prints larger than 8x10 for quite some time. My current >>> requirements are small (no floor models), needs to be able to handle >>> at least 4x5 (roll film would be nice, but not necessary), and >>> relatively inexpensive. Any thoughts? Anybody got one they need >>> hauled off? <g> >> The 4x5 enlargers I used to use back in the day were the Beseler 45s. >> Wonderful old beasts. This stuff goes for virtually nothing these >> days. Just hunt around and you'll find one. >> >> Take a look at Ebay item #220079735590 ... Jeez, a Beseler 45 MX II >> Enlarger with Dichro 45 Computerized Colorhead and D.A.T.A. Module >> current bid is $31. A recent auction for a Beseler 45 MCRX Enlarger >> (item 180083930223) closed at $125. I remember when just the enlarge >> and head, no lens no carrier, would have cost 4x that used! >> > > I saw that first one a few days ago. Doesn't look like there's been > much activity on it. The problem with these is that they're often > "pick-up only". 220079735590 is located in Connecticut, about 300 > miles away. I'm rather uneasy about driving 300 miles to buy an > enlarger I've never seen from a seller I've never met. I could > probably buy Beseler Printmakers, and pay for shipping, for less than > $100 all day long. Unfortunately, I'm intentionally making my life > complicated. <g> > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
