>>4149866Just pick up any enlarger that’s available on Craigslist. It’s good to find a lot with a timer, trays, safelights, filters to get started. You can get similar results from just about anything, especially starting out. It helps if it’s clean and not beat up or missing parts more than anything. You’ll need to dial in the alignment when you get it set up in your space no matter what. Get some cheap multigrade glossy paper in 8x10 and make test strips and contact sheets first. You will need four trays for dev/stop/fix and wash water. Make your contact sheets where the film edges look black or barely visible. This will tell you what negatives will easily make a successful print. Then pick a negative for enlarging from your dry contact sheet viewed in daylight or bright interior light. I like short exposure times and high contrast so I work on a Beseler 23c with the condenser head. Enlarging a decent 35mm bw negative to MGRC paper with a 2 1/2 contrast filter at 5.6 on my el-Nikkor 50mm 2.8 lens results in about a 3 second exposure. I prefer a digital timer as consistency is key with short exposure times. Dev 1 minute, stop 10-20 secs, fix a while wash for a few minutes hang to dry or put on a rack. A little air circulation speeds things up. As far as brands go I like the design of Beseler. It feels like a piece of farm equipment but it’s a simple and easily variable design, parts are very available. It’s all personal preference though, some people like diffusion enlargers for dealing with damaged negatives and dust better, but nothing is going to work miracles. It’s best to jump in with whatever you can get and start printing. Your skills will need to be honed before gear will make a difference.
