Ted,
Most any of the 35mm enlargers will do for starters.
Just be certain that (1) it's in good physical shape
so that your print is truely square, and (2) that the lens is clean and clear. With
those two items
resolved, your options are still wide open.
Just like with your camera, it's the lens that makes the picture. A more modern lens
will be multi-coated and provide a better picture. Some of these are pretty cheap.
You can get a Voss 75mm lens for about $20 from a variety of sources.
The standard lens for a 35mm print is a 50mm focal length. If you make prints larger
than 8x10, a 50mm lens will start to show some distortion toward the corners. Getting
a longer focal length lens resolves this becuase it has a larger coverage on the
negative's side, and thus provides a flatter field for the print. (But you raise the
head up higher to make the print.) I like using a 75mm lens for 35mm negs, a 90mm-105
for medium format, and have a 161mm for the 4x5.
If you consider this a starter enlarger, go to some camera club meetings. THere's
often old (40+ years) units, like Federal or DeJur brands, that will sell for $10 or
so. Then just add a newer lens and get some nice prints. Should you upgrade the
enlarger later, keep your newer lenses (sort of like owning a Pentax!) and upgrade the
body only.
Have fun.
Collin
--
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"Get over it."
Dr. Laura
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