Ollinger's Guide to Photographic Enlargers: Beseler 67 Series Enlargers

Introduction

Beseler 67 with color head Beseler 67 with condenser head The Charles Beseler company began in 1868 making scientific and lab equipment, and began producing enlargers in 1953. Beseler is one of the two dominant manufacturers in the USA. Their enlargers (along with Omega) were frequently found in schools and rental labs; a great many students learned how to print on a Beseler enlarger. While not the least expensive, they are typically rugged, no-nonsense machines that are built to last.

Beseler, like Omega, tends to follow a naming scheme for the various formats of their enlargers. The 35mm enlargers carry names (such as Printmaker and Cadet). Bigger enlargers use a number scheme where the numbers roughly translate to the format size: the 67 series take 6x7cm format, the 23 series takes 2-¼x3-¼", the 45 series is for 4x5", the 57 series handles 5x7", and the 810 the 8x10" format.

Quick Comparison

Model	Mfg	Col. Type	Col. Height	Head	Focus Method	Baseboard	Notes
67C	1970s						Modern Photography Test February 1977
Printmaker 67	Current	Single column	39-½"	Interchanglable: condenser, variable-contrast, and dichroic color	Manual	14 x 19"	Larger sister of the Printmaker 35, with which it shares interchangable heads.

Series Comments

Tbd.

Model Comments

Printmaker 67

The Printmaker series comes in two sizes, the 35mm version and this 67 version, which can handle 6x7cm images. It has three optional, interchangable heads: a stadard candenser head, a Variable-Contrast head, and a dichroic color head. Letter combinations after 67 designate the kind of head, and XL refers to an optional extended-length column (e.g. the 67XLC is the extended length, condenser-head version).