Large Format Photography Australia

Setting up the darkroom I have two enlargers to choose from, one is a traditional lamp and diffused condensers and the other is a cold cathode source. Not sure which one to start using as the only enlarger I have used is the one at Melbourne CC and that's a diachronic colour head unit. I could test and see any difference because one of the enlargers (Durst 1000) will allow me to use either source, but the better (more solid) is the Durst CE1000 which only takes the cold cathode tube. Longer term I like to fit a LED head. Thoughts?

Condensor and diffusion enlargers may require different processing times for film due to the Callier effect.

As a rule, dust and spotting is more of an issue with condensor light sources. Having said that, I have generally preferred condensor enlargers. Mind you, I have never delved into point-source.

I did use cold-cathode on a Kamm enlarger and also a Durst Laborator 5x7 back in the 70s. We had to leave the light on all the time and use the red filter to time exposure due tio variations in the glow-up and glow-down of turning the lamp off.

What format are you looking at printing with these?

The colour head could work as a variable contrast diffusion head but I suspect that there are some cold cathodes where differing levels of blue and green may also vary contrast (working from memory).

Cheers,

Thank Walter, Ive just seen were the Durst Taucoli (cold cathode) is really only for graded papers (very blue) so Ill have to use the condenser enlarger. While the cold cathode one operates smoother, at least this one has glass negative carriers.

I would love to have the skills and equipment required to make prints in a darkroom.. I just recently read about enlargers and the process involved in making prints... One day i might scrape together the gear and give it a go...

You can pick up enlargers almost for free and developing film and developing paper is the exact same process. It's amazing fun working with an enlarger, you also get to do it with the (red) lights on! I'm bidding on a new enlarger on eBay, currently at $35 with only a couple of days to go. Of course, the bids could shoot up.

Enlargers are cheap all right. Over the years I got a 35mm one (Durst) , three 4x5s (Omega, Gilkon, Meopta), a 5x7 (Durst 138) , and a 8x10 (Durst 184) all for free apart from the cost of going and collecting them. It's unlikely I'll get around to using them all!

Thanks for jogging my memory Maris,

I couldn't fopr the life of me remember the name '138' the other day despite having woirked with them for decades.

Maris wrote:Enlargers are cheap all right. Over the years I got a 35mm one (Durst) , three 4x5s (Omega, Gilkon, Meopta), a 5x7 (Durst 138) , and a 8x10 (Durst 184) all for free apart from the cost of going and collecting them. It's unlikely I'll get around to using them all!

I've found 35mm and 120 enlargers cheap as chips or free but haven't been able to find a 4x5 enlarger anywhere other than eBay and at a cost (minimum of $500 shipping)! Much that I'd love a 4x5 enlarger, I don't think I've got the room for one at my place and I couldn't imagine fitting an 8x10 enlarger in the door to my apartment!

Yes I think Ive paid the price of a slab of beer for all 3 I have, pity the gear which moves the head up and down just broke....I was showing my wife why I like the Durst CE1000 better when the bloody thing broke, and she laughed.

I bought two 4x5 enlargers off fleabay.
One was a durst L1200 which came from the gold coast hospital-like new, cost $99 complete with two Beard easels.
Other was an Omega D5 with ilford multigrade head and three componon lenses-works perfectly for $76, got from Allchrome in brisbane when they moved premises.
In both cases I was the only bidder.
Just keep looking, they do come up and few get many bidders, in my opinion Australia is one of the cheapest places in the world to buy used large format gear, I make quite a lot of money buying LF gear that has only been put on ebay australia and then reselling it by advertising worldwide, usually after having a play first, it's been a great way of trying gear out.