Enlargers?

Yer gets what yer pays for.

Products by Holga simply won't stand up to those made by better companies. But, that doesn't mean they're rubbish. It means that if you're going for a really good crisp print, the Holga isn't the way. Have you looked for second hand stuff? It's normally just as good and a lot cheaper. Just make sure it's all there and works.

Having never used an enlarger though, that's all I can say.
 
If you are looking for enlargers, used is the way to go. Thank all the people moving to digital.

I haven't used a Holga enlarger, but if the're anything like their cameras, I would look else where.
 
The 4x5 being referenced up there by Omega refers to the size of the NEGATIVE - not the paper. It obviously does large formats. That baby will take several different lenses to handle any film format you wanted to throw on it, really. It's built like a tank. Beautiful piece of equipment that would last your lifetime. :thumbup:

The Holga, on the other hand, would probably give you fair to decent images from 120 and, apparently, 35mm negatives - paper size up to 11x14. It's very limited, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't suit your needs.

You're looking at extreme variations here, though. If you're seriously looking at being able to print, study several models and think about what your needs are now, plus what they "might be" in 5 years. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the help folks.

My needs now are: cheap, able to print 8x10 or bigger b&w from 120 film, cheap. Did I mention cheap?

My needs in 5 years: Able to print 8x10 or bigger b&w from 120 film, maybe move up to color but I hear it's pretty complicated.

I figured out the 4x5 vs 11x14 after a little closer read to the descriptions. Terri, I noticed you are a guru of this and alternative techniques, I may pick your brain, and submit some different enlarger choices to you and see what you think, if you don't mind.
 
mountainlander said:
Thanks for the help folks.

My needs now are: cheap, able to print 8x10 or bigger b&w from 120 film, cheap. Did I mention cheap?

My needs in 5 years: Able to print 8x10 or bigger b&w from 120 film, maybe move up to color but I hear it's pretty complicated.

I figured out the 4x5 vs 11x14 after a little closer read to the descriptions. Terri, I noticed you are a guru of this and alternative techniques, I may pick your brain, and submit some different enlarger choices to you and see what you think, if you don't mind.
I don't mind in the least, but I am not a darkroom guru. ;) As you get closer to making a final choice, come see us in the darkroom forum and get some input from the real darkroom gurus of TPF, people like ksmattfish and Hertz can talk about this stuff till you beg them to stop. :lol: But you'll certainly have a better feel for what you are purchasing! :D You have plenty of options and it's fun to plan it all.
 
mountainlander said:
Whats the catch? Why is this enlarger so cheap compared to others?

The cheap one says it will enlarge up to 11x14 paper size, and the expensive one says up to 4x5. I don't get it?

The Holga enlarger is based on a fairly early design. It's simple, small, cheap, and would be a pain in the butt to do color with. It can enlarge from film formats up to 6x6cm, but you may experience vignetting, as this is really a 35mm enlarger. It says it can print up to 11"x14".

The fancy Omega enlarger is pretty much state of the art. It has a lot of features, it's big (stable), and is ready to go for BW and color printing. It can enlarge up to 4"x5" film. Depending on the lens and film format I would think this enlarger should be able to go 16"x20" from 4x5, and possibly larger.

I would reccomend you look into a Beseler 23C or 23CII, or an Omega B series enlarger. You can probably get a used one for a little more than a new Holga enlarger.

Keep in mind the enlarger lens. There is no point in putting good glass on your camera, and crappy glass on your enlarger. I like Schneider and Nikkor.

There are other good brands of enlargers and lenses out there, these just happen to be the ones I use.
 
ksmattfish said:
The Holga enlarger is based on a fairly early design. It's simple, small, cheap, and would be a pain in the butt to do color with. It can enlarge from film formats up to 6x6cm, but you may experience vignetting, as this is really a 35mm enlarger. It says it can print up to 11"x14".

The fancy Omega enlarger is pretty much state of the art. It has a lot of features, it's big (stable), and is ready to go for BW and color printing. It can enlarge up to 4"x5" film. Depending on the lens and film format I would think this enlarger should be able to go 16"x20" from 4x5, and possibly larger.

I would reccomend you look into a Beseler 23C or 23CII, or an Omega B series enlarger. You can probably get a used one for a little more than a new Holga enlarger.

Keep in mind the enlarger lens. There is no point in putting good glass on your camera, and crappy glass on your enlarger. I like Schneider and Nikkor.

There are other good brands of enlargers and lenses out there, these just happen to be the ones I use.

I was going to ask about the Beseler 23CII as there are a few on EBay right now. I'll look into Omega B. Thank's for the info. I'll start lurking in the darkroom part of the forum. :confused: :salute:
 
Looks pretty good. $250 isn't too bad, especially with the nikkor lens. I got into a Omega C700 w/ a rodenstock lens for $90. I have been really pleased with it so far.
 
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