Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/10/16

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Subject: Re: enlargers (was: Favorite Tips/Techniques)
From: Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@apple.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 96 08:26:03 -0800

>>And even the V35 is readily available used, though even used the price is
>>quite hefty.
>
>Actually very reasonable. You can find them for $1,200 last time I looked,
>and they were selling for $2,900 new a while back. $1,200 for that killer
>lens with a mixing box optimized for it, autofocus that really works, and
>compact size (but REAL heavy) for being able to make 16x20s is pretty good.
>And the color head and vario contrast heads pop in and out. 

Your scale of reasonable is very different from mine. I paid $350 for 
my Beseler 23CII *new*, with the Rodenstock lens. Probably a total of
$400 for all four of the other lenses. My Durst enlarger with dichro
head cost me $125 (with a whole set of darkroom trays, chemical bottles,
etc.). The color and cold light heads for the Beseler I found
used for again less than $400. It was in the early '80s when I 
acquired all this stuff, but flipping through the used adverts I often
see similar prices available still.

$1200 for an enlarger was well out of reach for me then. Just like 
a Leica camera was (and still is) a bit of a reach...

Godfrey