Enlarger Opinion

[KevinR]

Hey All,
I was wondering about an enlarger I am watching on ebay. I have looked in the search and didn't see anything. First off, this is an alternative if I don't get the one I want(omega). Its a Bogan 22A. It looks in good condition, and if anybody has any experiance with one, I'd appreciate any thoughts. I'm trying to go to the not so popular name enlargers to save a little money. Most of my experiance is with a 23CII.

 

[terri]

Yep, I worked a lot on that very same Beseler when I took a darkroom class, and it's a great enlarger. At home I have a well-used Chromega D-5, which I am still learning my way around on, and I love it so far.

I've never worked on a Bogan, but I think we have a member here who has one. They have a good reputation from what I've read. Will the model you're looking at handle all formats you're using? You don't want to find yourself limited later. Is there any kind of return policy? And is it a reputable seller? Two biggies when it comes to ebay.

Someone else with more specific knowledge may chime in here soon. Good luck! :thumbup:

 

[KevinR]

Yeah, it will handle all formats. Looks like someone masked a 2 1/4 neg carrier for 35mm. But not that big a deal. The enlarger doesn't use a lens board. It has a screw in mount. If anybody knows, will this be a problem?

 

[jbnhl]

I have a Bogen 22A that i bought off ebay about 3 months ago. Ive used it with a 50mm lens that came with it and ive produced about 20 images. It is my first one and i got it with the same idea...saving money. I spent about 35 dollars after shipping on it and I havent had any problems with it so far, it works great, I recently enrolled in a darkroom class a few weeks after i started using my Bogen, and the ones in the class are Beselar i think, i cannot tell any difference in quality so far. If your looking to use multicontrast filters, you can get the ilford multicontrast 3X3 inch filter set and mount it under the lens, that cost me about 20 bucks. Before i used it, i opened up the whole light box area and found the two curved glass pieces that are connected by a little metal box, when i cleaned them up, the rag was literally black with just dust and stuff. I cleaned the lens also, and use it on average once a week now. In my opinion its a great find, As far as the screw in mount lens, i guess as long as you have a good lens that isnt scratched or whatever and the threads are not stripped, youll be alright, but if your wondering about finding more lenses, i am not sure. good luck

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Before i used it, i opened up the whole light box area and found the two curved glass pieces that are connected by a little metal box,

I think you are refering to the condenser. A very important part of the enlarger and one you must keep clean and dirt free. Dust and grit on this will show up on your prints.

 

[KevinR]

Thanks,
Makes me feel better that at least someone is using one.

 

[ksmattfish]

Pay attention to the lenses that come with the enlargers you are looking at. Quality used lenses are going cheap, but if you buy an enlarger, and then decided to replace the lens, you're going to spend another $50 to $100, and for that extra money maybe you could get something like a 23C, with the better lens in the first place.

 

[jbnhl]

Yeahhhh the condenser, thats what thats called... but yeah, if you get the bogen, we could compare some exposure times and such... maybe as a way to see if our enlargers are accurate or working properly.