Durst M670BW or Colour

[Bill Sell]

I have a Durst M670 colour but bought a M670BW for £30 as spares and repairs for it. The nice problem is the BW enlarger works perfectly!

Which one do I used for mutigrade bw enlargement? I know the answer is in the name of the enlarger but the colour enlarger seems to produce less grain.
In a quandary, do i have two in larger in my small darkroom?

[Richard Gould]

The durst b/w enlarger is most likely a condenser enlarger,and the color enlarger is a diffusor enlarger, whilst a condenser enlarger will show the grain more than the color enlarger, the prints will appear to have edge on sharpness,Personally I prefer a condenser enlarger for black and white, plus I don't print color, depends what you do, if you print both color and black and white I would tend to use the color nlarger for both, if only b/w then I would set the condenser b/w enlarger up, Condensers are traditionaly used for black and white for the reasons outlined above, so, if only b/w then get a set of MG filters and use the b/w enlarger, if you do both then use the color and as you say your darkroom is small, if space is at a premium then put the bl/w enlarger away
Richard

[EdmundH]

Personally I'd keep the B&W version if you're not intending to do colour. It's a lot quicker to change multigrade filters than look up the chart and twiddle knobs on the colour head.

The reduced grain from the colour head is due to its more diffuse lighting. I find that it makes the negatives much harder to focus. You may also find that the images are less sharp and contrasty than with the dedicated B&W enlarger, although others will probably disagree

[namir]

I would keep them both (two enlargers is no enlarger) and use the colour head. When switching to a diffuse lighting I was surprised how clean my prints can look - had much less problems with dust.
As for the knob-twiddling: There is actually no need for a chart - everything you have to know is: Y makes the print softer, M makes it harder. And, of course, that filters take away some light.
If you are used to work with filters, it may take some time to get used to work with it - I personally do not have more problems than I do have with filters.

[photomi7ch]

I use a colour enlarger for black and white none of this mucking about with multi grade filters meaning less trouble with dust. I used a condensing enlarger for years. when I changed to using the colour head my prints improved I did not notice any change in sharpness.
Seeing as you have both I would suggest using them first and then stick with the one you prefer. Not many people get the opportunity to choose.

[Mike O'Pray]

The colour enlarger can have its filters set to zero and MG filters can be used under the lens. I have a colour 605 and that is what I do. Best of both worlds in one enlarger

Mike

[Bill Sell]

Thanks All,
I will probably stick with colour head in the long run but play with both for the time being. Thanks for your comments most useful.

[Bill Sell]

I printed some Delta 400 rated at 1600asa on the BW and the colour enlargers. (taking no prisoners on this test).
The print from the BW was like printing on sand where as the print from the colour enlarger was a lot smoother. The odd thing was there appeared to more detail on the colour enlarger print, perhaps due the eye not being distracted by the grain. Also fiddling about with filters in the filter drawer a pain.
I will use the BW enlarger for gritty docu type photos but don't often do those.

[Lostlabours]

I'd stick with the colour enlarger, it's a diffused light source which helps mitigate grain and is less sensitive to dust etc on negatives.

I use an M605 and just dial in the filtration I need with MG papers. I used to use an M601 with condensers but much prefer the colour head.

Ian

[Bill Sell]

However, when the prints dried there was not much difference apart from the slight emphasized scratches on the BW print. Oh well I'll used both.