Ollinger's Guide to Photographic Enlargers: Solar Enlargers

Introduction

Solar was the brand line of enlargers sold by Burke & James. I don't know whether B&J actually manufactured these enlargers themselves or simply purchased and branded them, as they did with many of their other products.

From what I've seen, I put these in the same category with Federal: they were low to mid-level enlargers aimed largely at amateurs who worked at home and needed a solid machine but couldn't afford the quality stuff.

I've never seen a Solar enlarger. In fact it wasn't until I began collecting old photo magazines that I became aware of them at all.

Quick Comparison

Model	Country	Era	Format	Baseboard (inches)	Head	Focusing	Autofocus	Column	Ref
120	USA	Late 1940s thru 1960s	2-¼ x 3-¼"	22 x 25"	Adjustable double condensers	Rack & pinion	No	Single post	2, 3
35mm	USA	Early 1960s	35mm	22 x 25"	Double condenser	Rack & pinion	No	Single post	1
45C	USA	Late 1940s	4x5"	n/a	Double condenser	Rack & pinion	No	Single post	2
45C Press Autofocus	USA	Late 1940s	4x5"	n/a	Double condenser	Bellows	Yes	Single post	2
45 CR	USA	1960s	4x5"	20 x 27	Double condenser	Rack & pinion	No	Single post	3
45 DR	USA	1960s	4x5"	20 x 27	Diffusion	Rack & pinion	No	Single post	3
45QL	USA	Late 1940s	4x5"	n/a	Double condenser	Rack & pinion	No	Single post	2
57	USA	Late 1940s	5x7"	n/a	Diffusion with light equalizers	Rack & pinion	No	Single post	2
57HC	USA	Late 1940s	5x7"	n/a	Double condensers	Rack & pinion	No	Single post	2
Auto II—120	USA	Late 1940s	2-¼ x 3-¼"	n/a	Adjustable condensers	Bellows	Yes	Single post	2
Auto 66	USA	Late 1940s	2-¼ x 2-¼"	n/a	Double condenser	Bellows	Yes	Single post	2
Solarmatic 120	USA	Late 1940s thru 1960s	2-¼ x 3-¼"	22 x 27	Double condensers	Rack & pinion	No	Single post, parallelogram	3

Quick Comparison Key

Era: It's nearly impossible to get actual production year spans; I've provided this simply to give an idea of when an enlarger was in production.

Focusing:

Bellows means that the lens stage is connected to bellows that expand and collapse, and the bellows are typically moved via a wheel using friction (as opposed to using rack & pinion gears).
Helical focusing means a collar around the lens is turned, and the lens housing is threaded so that the lens moves up and down.
Rack & Pinion means that the lens stage moves up and down via a knob that turns gears.
Tube means that the lens is set into a tube that moves up and down (as opposed to bellows).

Autofocus: not to be confused with what we think of as autofocus today; these enlargers don't focus themselves. What they do is offer a sort of tracking control so that once the image is focused, it stays in focus as you change the elevation of the head for cropping.

Column: all columns are assumed to be vertical unless oblique is noted. Oblique columns (i.e. angled forward) are nice at higher head elevations because the image won't expand back across the column post when the head is at the top of the post. On smaller enlargers this wouldn't be a problem, but at larger magnifications (and with lenses with shorter focal lengths), this can become a concern.

Quick Comparison References

Modern Photography magazine, October 1962
Modern Photography magazine, December 1949
Modern Photography magazine, February 1965