TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I just have 2 (and really just need one). I have the same big 4x5 motorized Bessler (same one AA used) with a Dichro head and a smaller Bessler 67 with a Dichro head as well. Don’t need the 67, but can’t find anyone to buy it 😩. What I don’t have is a 4x5 camera (but I have considered it), just MF and 35. I’m set up for C-41, but just do B&W now.

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

Never even KNEW Beseler MADE a 67, TriX - just the aforementioned 4x5, and 21/4x31/4 ... two Dichroic heads, huh? ... Luxury, Luxury!!! ...

Just have the one. Tend to use the Motorized 4x5 more for printing Cibachromes, the smaller Beseler for color prints, and the other for B/W - now ...

6x7 Enlargers became very popular a while back ... I seem to remember a bunch of manufacturers were offering them, for a while.

The way I see it, though - the next size up from 6x7 - is only a small step in enlargers - to 21/4x31/4 - and encompasses 6x9, which a 67 doesn't.

Although I have both 4x5 and 5x7 View Cameras - the product from the latter is only contact-printed. A 5x7 enlarger, was never in the cards, for me.

Had I ever gone larger, it would've been to 8x10, but, of course - I would've had to extend my roof-line, quite considerably - for that!!!!


From the Net -

"Charles Beseler Company is a Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania industrial company addressing four primary markets: public and corporate steel shelving and furniture, iron shelving and storage, shrink wrap packaging and silver halide photography (film photography). The company now has two divisions left, its photo division and shrink wrap packaging.

The name Charles Beseler Company comes from Charles Beseler, a businessman in Germany in the 19th century who sold magic lanterns and stereopticons.

Beseler died in 1909, but his company remained and then moved to New Jersey in 1919. The company manufactured photographic enlargers and other photographic equipment throughout the 20th century. It also imported the Topcon line of cameras into the US during the time that the company made cameras.

Following a three-way merger in 1987, the company introduced other industrial lines to its business, and assumed new ownership.

Around 2004, the president died and ownership passed to his wife, with the previous CEO taking on the role of president.

Role in education

From as early as the 1990s and as of the 2000s, the Charles Beseler Company was a supplier to high schools for photography classes in Minnesota and Ontario.

The company is a historic contributor to silver halide photography. The company still sells photographic enlargers; one of the few remaining companies to market the device."
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TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Yep, bought the 67 so I could print from my 6x7 RB67 and then found the 4x5 at of all places, a thrift shop (!) unused, with an APO Rodagon and some other color processing accessories also unused, at a price so low, I’m embarrassed to repeat it. My guess was that since it was obviously unused, it was bought by a well-heeled amateur who either died or lost interest or went digital before using it. The 67 has a generic Bessler lens - would love to sell it to get the room, but need a local pickup... I do like the Dichro heads for variable contrast papers so I don’t have to mess with VC filters -just dial it in.

Cheers,
Chris

tomcat

I am fortunate in that I am still shooting with a Nikon D3s, so ISO is not an issue for me (within reason). I can push ISO as high as 25,600 and still get an excellent image with no noise, after processing in Topaz AI Clear. So I concentrate on shutter speed more than DOF because for my sports assignments, I need no less than 1/500 s. Consequently most of the time I'm using either an 85mm or a 135mm f/1.8 lens in very low light (where the ISO is usually 12,500, but can climb to 25,600). I would love to share some of these images with you, but these are young children and with no model releases or parental approval, I cannot publish them. Topaz AI Clear continues to astound me as to what it can do for noise removal.

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

Chris ... I'm hard pressed to know the difference - between a new enlarger, and a used enlarger. Know what I mean? ... It's not as if a used one would be noticeably different than a new one, is it? ... I mean - buy a non-stick baking tin, and after the first use - you know it's used. But, an enlarger? ... I daresay my own could be marketed as new, even now ... some 40 years after its purchase. Never got into VC papers ... all the real papers, I bought - were graded Brovira, for B/W - 2-5, and occasionally - 6 ... of course, RC was a different matter ... I prefer a glossy finish ....

My enlarger lenses, are all Schneiders or Rodenstocks ... never thought of getting a Beseler - perhaps, as they weren't making them, back then.

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

That's okay, Tom ... don't worry about it! ... I do understand about the 1/500th sec. minimum. Shooting sports events, though, with just an 85 and a 135 - seems to me you're losing half of what's available to you - unless you're actually co-mingling with the team, and they're aware you're sharing the same turf!!!! ... But, I'll bet that slows down the action, somewhat! You need a good fast moderate to long telephoto, like a 400 or 500 prime, or perhaps a 150-600. This way, you can remove yourself from the playfield, and be more in-line to get brilliant action shots!!!!

Is Topaz AI Clear a separate product, or a built-in facet of Topaz?

tomcat

I just use the 85/135 for basketball. Volleyball, baseball, soccer get the 70-200mm and the 200-500mm lenses. I'm a retired papa, so a 400 or 500mm prime is out of the question....lol

The Topaz AI Clear requires Topaz Studio to run. You have to purchase it separately from the Topaz Studio suite. I think it was around $60, but it was one of the best $60 I've spent

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

You could look into 500mm Mirror Lenses, Tom - some pretty good ones are available on the Used Market, currently ...

So, listen - first, one has to buy Topaz Studio - right? ... And then Topaz AI Clear is a plug-in to Topaz Studio, is it?

tomcat

This is a quote from a recent Topaz customer service email that I received: Don't forget you can download Topaz Studio absolutely free! Just go here to download:
https://topazlabs.com/downloads#studio . Topaz Studio comes with the basic tools that let you make some image enhancements. Then there are additional plug-ins that are of the Pro level which are not free, but they are very inexpensive.


Topaz AI Clear is a 1-time purchase. All updates are free and there is no monthly fee to use it after you've purchased it for the first time. There is a weekly webinar from a photographer at random that shows how he uses the plug-ins and what they do to enhance images. Each of the plug-ins has a masking option and once you invoke the plug-in, you can click on the mask icon and automatically paint out the areas that you don't want changed. This masking option is a piece of cake and anybody can use it---ie, it is not as complicated as PS is with their antiquated masking logistics---I still had trouble every time I tried to do a masking operation in PS, but this Topaz program is so simple with it's method of setting up and using a mask. In addition, each plug-in has an opacity slider so that you can control the final intensity of the change. I know I sound like a commercial, but you should give it a trial. It's unlike anything I've tried to do with PS. Topaz Studio is accessible within LR, so once you've done your LR changes, you right-click on the image and load up Topaz Studio and make the changes there next. Then save it automatically back to the LR filmstrip. Once you've signed up for the Studio, you can get on the notification list for those webinars. Most of them are really informative and you can see how to use the tools. There is one called "Precision Detail" that lets you add detail back to an image at several different levels and intensities within the image.

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

That sounds really neat, Tom ... thanks for the info ....