Jacques Hello, I recently bought a second-hand Durst Laborator 3S 5x7" enlarger. The manual states that a 200W opal lamp with a diameter of 110mm is required for even illumination of the 5x7 format. Where can I find such a lamp? Most opal lamps (Photocrescenta, etc.) only have a diameter of around 60mm....
uworischki FOTOIMPEX stocks Opal bulbs from Phillips or Orwo, each rated at 250 watts. I myself use an old Magnitaurus 10x15 with a 150-watt bulb (Orwo, bought at a flea market 1
Jacques The enlarger is a Durst Laborator 3S (the predecessor to the L138S) – 5x7" format You can see a picture at http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-...g?msg_id=005rv2
Gast The room looks really nice already. You’ve definitely bagged a bargain. Don’t worry too much about the lamp. The differences are probably negligible. Enjoy your new enlarger. Micha
MirkoBoeddecker In our catalogue, we have a Tesla lamp for large Magnifaxes. It’s about 8 cm in diameter and is also significantly longer than the Phillips bulbs. However, it’s only 150 watts. I’d definitely give it a go. The lamp is actually quite important. A condenser also has a focal length. If the lamp isn’t positioned at the ‘focal point’, the condenser won’t illuminate evenly. With 35mm and medium format, you usually won’t notice anything, but with 4x5” or 5x7” you certainly will. That’s why most older devices can be adjusted (i.e. the position of the lamp can be changed). Durst has always been very design-oriented, though, and features like this adjustability can easily get overlooked. Unfortunately, I don’t know off the top of my head whether or how this is still possible with your Laborator. We’ve still got half a box full of these lamps for cases like this ;-) Mirko www.fotoimpex.de
