[LargeFormat] Not seen very often... 8x10 Enlargers

[Clive Warren]

At 19:06 21/01/2004 -0800, Tori Nelson wrote:
>Dearest Jim(s), Vince, Clive and especially Norman Riley (who e-mailed me 
>off list), I love you guys.  Thank you SO much for such a quick 
>response!  Based on all the info I've been gathering, I'm going to pass on 
>the beast.  Norman had actually done a lot of research on this particular 
>enlarger and it doesn't seem that it would be a good idea to buy 
>it.  However, I do want to buy an 8x10, or 10x10 enlarger.  It's possible 
>that this topic has been debated recently (in the last year) but I don't 
>remember, anyway, what would everyone choose as their dream enlarger, and why?
snip

Tori,

Remember that the list archives (currently 29Mb of info!) are available for 
browsing here:

http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/largeformat/

Also, if you use the search box on the top right of any www.f32.net web 
page you will find that the whole archive has been indexed in the f32.net 
search engine. This is kept reasonably up to date - more recent postings 
may take a while to be included.

On to 8x10 enlargers.

DeVere made horizontal and vertical 8x10 enlargers. The horizontal runs on 
rails and requires a LARGE darkroom for setting up. The wall easel makes 
life a lot easier but you can of course use some tape and a wall. The 
vertical DeVere 5108 is a great piece of kit but it is a big enlarger. The 
colour heads for both have 4 bulbs for 2000W of light power. There is a 
heat extractor fan! Here is a horizontal model:
http://www.f32.net/cgi-local/discus/show.cgi?tpc=3&post=304#POST304

Here is the vertical model:
http://www.f32.net/cgi-local/discus/show.cgi?tpc=112&post=365#POST365
This one was scrapped before I managed to get to it.

I have a Chromega F 8x10 Dichroic head on a Kamm chassis that is waiting 
for a space to me made in the darkroom. I am thinking about converting a 
garage into a workshop/darkroom but that will have to wait for available 
funds :-) Here is a photo of it before it was dismantled and moved - it 
took three large chaps and a big van:
http://www.f32.net/cgi-local/discus/show.cgi?tpc=112&post=347#POST347

There is a "Pismon" 8x10 made by a company called "Piseroni & Mondini - an 
Italian offering. I know nothing about these.

The Omega enlargers have always seemed to be well built but you have to ask 
yourself why so many Omega heads are installed on other chassis - eg Durst, 
Kamm, DeVere etc.  I have used a 4x5 Omega head and chassis and found it to 
be reasonably well designed. My favorite enlarger is a Durst 138S with a 
Chromega E Dichroic head - but this is only toy 5x7 format ;-)

I haven't used a Durst 8x10 so cannot comment. That would be a Durst 184S.

Try calling all of the pro. labs around your area - there may well be some 
great kit just sitting there and the owners would probably be delighted to 
see it going to someone who is going to use it.

Good luck.

Cheers,
           Clive