Beseler 23CII enlarger User manual

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     The enlarger.
     One of the two most important choices
       in your photographic  life.
      The creation of a photograph involves two basic,
        equally vital steps: capturing the image on filrn with a
       camera, and interpreting that image on paperwith an
        enlarger. Since it is the final step in the process, the
        enlarger can literally make or break a photograph. In
        other words, your choice of an enlarger is every bit as
        important as your choice of a camera!
      Combine a great enlarger with talent, skill and good
         taste, and the world of photography is at your com-
       mand. Many photographers feel that there are more
        opportunities  for personal control and interpretation
         in the darkroom than in any other part of photog-
        raphy. You can begin with a single image and make
        endless variations until you achieve perfection - or      many perfections. An enlarger equips you with a whole
      new array of creative tools which less fortunate pho-
        tographers simply don't have. Suddenly, you have the
        capability to take a merely good image and make
              it great!

      What to look for in an enlarger
      An enlarger is a complex optical-mechanical instrument
        governed by the same economic rules as a fine camera.
       You can't expect to buy an SLR with professionaldesign,
        ruggedness and precision at a bargain price, and the same
             is true of an enlarger. But there are several good enlargers
         available;what separates the good from the great?
       lllumination
       The light which passes through the negative or slide must
        be as even as possible, without noticeable falloff at the
         corners. And it must be bright enough to keep expo-
         sures short. This is accomplished either with condenser
         lenses or, in diffusion enlargers, with light mixing cham-
          bers. The efficiency and convenience of these illumination
        systems vary considerably. In some condenser enlargers,
          for example, condensers must be interchanged when
         negative formats are changed. The idealillumination  sys
l-.,     tem, of course, is one which can provide both condenser
       and diffused illumination.
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Digitally signed by Mike Butkus
                                            DN: cn=Mike Butkus, o, ou=Butkus.org,
                                                             c=US  Mike Butkus email=mike@butkus.org,Date: 2024.12.05 14:45:53                                                                                     -05'00'

Negatiue carriers for all opplications and all.formats from
110 up to 6x9cm (2, i'x3t  i' ). Spring-loaded upper plote
opens carrier automaticolly for easy negatiue insertion,
 shifting and remoual. Upper plate aperture is ouersized to
preuent umbra (shadowing) Jrom occurring on negatiue.
Anodized surfoce linish prouides for smooth, scratch-free
mouement oJ fiIm. Undercut locating pins assure proper
negotiue alignntent. AII caniers rotate to allow freedom of
composition and maximum utilization oJ baseboard orea.

Rigidity
Light weight and compact size are. of course, desirable
features for a camera - but not for an enlarger! Heat ty,massive construction  is essentialto keep the enlarger in
alignment, and to insure that  it willbe rigid enough to
prevent vibration. Obviously. an enlarger which shakes
after head height adjustment or even focusing will not                                                    -produce         prints. You can test an enlarger for struc'.I        ihutptural rigidity by rapping it sharply in the side and attempt'-
ing to twist the superstructure.

Operating convenience
Seemingly minor design differences in enlarger com-
ponents can make a world of difference in the speed and
ease of making a print. How easy is it to remove the car-
rier. insert and center the negative or slide and replace
the carrier? When you focus, does the mechanism remain
precisely in place when you remove your hand? How
much effort is required to raise the head or adjust the lens
aperture in the dark? Is it difficult to change lenses? Can
you project on floor or wall for big blowups? Are there scales,
so you can record magnification  settings for repeat prints?
System versatility
A serious darkroom worker needs to be able to "custom
design" an enlarger to fit working habits and personal
preferences, to make changes and additions as the need
arises. This requires a syntem of accessories including
interchangeable illumination systems, extenders and a
wide range of negative carriers, lenses and lensboards.

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Mural-size prints are o breeze when your 23CII is locked up
in the horizontal projection position. Conuerts in seconds.





The tilting lens stage: on exclu-    Beseler's Cone -of-Light
siue Beseler conuenience Jor      design means one set oJ
distortion control and special     condensers for oll Jor-
effects.                      mots- neuer any con-
                               denser changing-





 Designed for your conuenience duol IeJt and right hand
 focusing, a wide choice of lenses, and lensboards with pilot
 Iights for easy reoding in the dark.

Beseler 23CII
In everyfieldthere is an acknowledged standard.
In medium format enlarging, it is the Beseler23Cll.
Seldom in the history of photography has a design proved
so timelessly perfect, so totally immune to obsolesence ilthe Beseler23Cll Enlarger. From the day of its introduFf
tion,  it has stood as the idealwhich other enlargers can
only hope to match.
The emphasis has shifted from black-and-white  to color.
The processes and techniques used for color have evolved.
Yet the basic 23CII design anticipated every step forward,
and  it has remained the most modern of enlargers. When
equipped with the incredible DualDichro Colorhead,
the 23CII is, in fact, the most advanced enlarger of any
size available today!
Rigidity: "Built like a bridgel'
Mass and bulk, plus good engineering, equalthe kind of
rigidity  it takes to assure sharp prints, even at great magni-
fications. No other enlarger-except the big 4xlBeseler
45M- has the heavily braced and reinforced cantilevered
construction of the 23CII's alloy beams. The result is a
unique levelof resistance to vibration. This exceptional
rigidity prompted MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY  to write
that the 23cll is "built like a bridge"-a testimonialwe
find difficult to improve upon.
Illumination: alwayC the ideal
With the 23cll, you can specify the illumination system
which best suits the kind of work you do and your budget.
The unique Dual Dichro head, detailed on reverse side, is
the world's most versatile. Or you can choose to use only
the condenser head. ideal for black-and-white and occa-
sionalcolor.  It offers unbeatable brightness and evenness
of illumination, with the convenience of continuously ad1
justable condensers. Instead of changing condensers wHgr
you change formats, you simply "zoom" the oversize dual
condensers. Naturally, there is a built-in  filter drawer.
Operating convenience: the ultimate
 It is the sophisticated touches that make so much differ-
ence in an enlarger's being fast, easy. "comfortable"
to use. And  it is here that Beseler's more-than-
a - century of manufacturing experience
 is especially evident. For example:

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     . Negative carriersthat are widely c_onsidered to be the best-
  desif,ned in enlarging. There are 19 of them and each can
  be loaded in seconds and can rotate, so you can position
  the image horizontally or vertically.
     . Focusirlg is uniquely precise and positive:  it doesn't shift
                    the knobs (there are two' for right and
Crt"t""rU:iease
     . The head is counterbalanced  for easy adjustment, and
  can be raised or lowered quickly with a big crank-handle
  knob with positive rack-and-pinion drive.
    . Most Beseler lensboards illuminate lens apertures for
  easy adjustment  in the dark. Allboards are unusually fast
  and easy to interchange. Except for special purpose ver-
   sions, allboards are flat'
     . A convenient scale is provided, so you can always re-
  produce a magnification setting exactly.
     . "Exotic" procedures are also simplified. For photo   .
   murals of virtually unlimited size, the head pivots and
   locks in a horizontal position. A tilting lens stage permits
   correction or creation of distortion.

  The systematic aPProach
   Because the 23CII is designed for professionals and other
   serious darkroom workers,  it has to be prepared for any
   challenge in photography.As a result, it's backed-up by a
   complete system of options and accessories. You can
   design exactly the 23CII that's right for you; and you always
   have the optircn of enlarging your personalsystem later'
      If, for exarnple, your ambitions expand into big enlarge-
    rnents, and you want the convenience of making lhem
   on-baseboard, simply add the extender base and XL base-
   board to your regular model.
   Accessories range from the incredible DualDichro Color-
F   Badto a selection of carriers and lensboards for any
                             optics. See separate section for details.S  .1laginable format or
  A 23CII is more than just versatile: it's an enlarger you'll
   never outgrow no matter how far you grow in photography'
                                        ;". *ffi*

 w
 ry*

23CII. Because you owe it to yourtalent
Photography is important to you, or you wouldn't be read-
ing this brochure. Whether for the sake of art or money,
or both, you re serious about making your pictures the
very best you can. To accomplish this you must, inevitably,
controlthe entire photograph-the print, as wellas thl
original exposure. For there's so much you can add infl
darkroom, and only you know exactly the way you want-
 it done. As you've seen in the preceding pages, if what
you want to accomplish iswithin the realm of photographic
possibility, the Beseler 23Cll Enlarger equips you to do it.
The Beseler 23Cll: because you'll never really know how
good you are if you print with anything less.
                      '",ffi



           q

                      *A Word About Beseler
The history of Beseler is literally as old as the history of
photography itself. It was over a century ago that Charles
Beseler  first began turning out a kaleidoscopic variety of
optical instruments with exotic names like magic lanterns.
museum stereopticons, and laryngoscopes. Since those
early days. the contributions of the Charles Beseler Com-
pany to the field of photography are legend. Today ,,1
Beseler stands at the pinnacle of the amateur and pro {
fessional darkroom industries, with a diverse catalogue -
ranging from the world's finest enlarging equipment to a
complete line of processing chemistries.
  Looking ahead to the 80's-the Decade of the Dark-
room-Beseler renews its commitment to explore and
discover new ways to make photography a more enrich-
ing part of the lives of photo enthusiasts and profes-
sionals alike.





    ffiL.r.,',,,.+* n
      ATRADITION OF OUALITY SINCE ,1869

         Beseler Photo Morketing Co., Inc,
     8 Fernwood Rd., Florhom Pork, N.J, 07932
               Copyright@1980 BPM
                 735- i5- lo-REVAX,/I 28 I

www.butkus.us
     Dual Dichro S
     The most advanced colorhead available for any
      enlarge4 anywhere.
      Colorheads began as little more than conveniences;the
     ;flters were built in and continuously variable. The next
   fFTuance--greater andwasgreaterfadeproofranges.dichroicThenfilters,there withwas whitegraduallylight
       focusing, without the need to re-dial filters. And suddenly
       colorheads had become essentialto the serious color
        printer.
       But, through all this, there was one limitation: the illumina-
    '    tion was always diffused. For many purposes, diffused
       illumination is ideal; for some others,  it is not. This meant
       having two heads or two enlargers.

      Introducing Dual Dichro S
       Beseler has ended this last limitation with the DualDichro S.
       This one head can provide diffused or condenser illumina-
         tion, for color and black-and-white. The 0 to 200 dichroic
.        filtration works equally well for color printing and for vari-
       you're ready for regular black-and-white papers. At last, one
      head is idealfor any print, for every print you'll ever make!
        In the diffusion mode, you get matchlessly even illumina-
         tion, with maimum suppression of dust and scratches.
       With black-and-white, the prints have a slightly softer look
      which is idealfor portraits and the like.
      With condenser illumination, you get maximum contrast
      and "snap" in black-and-white, shortest exposures in both
        color and black-and-white. A mode recognition circuit
       indicates whlch type of illumination  is in use.

     25O watts powerful
  dh"   Dual Dichro S is equipped with a 250 watt quartz
   \falogen lamp which maintains a constant light output      and color temperature throughout  its long life. Even with
      dense negatives andf or high magnifications, exposures
       are kept short. There is a white light focusing lever, and a
        special paper saver circuit to prevent accidental exposures
       with the filters retracted. Incorporates built-in solid state
      power supply.
     An optional accessory for the Dual Dichro head, the Light
        Multipliea keeps exposures short with 35mm negatives
      and slides.
      Also available for 23CIl:
     Dichro 45
     ColorComputer
     The world's first com-
       puterized colorhead.
      Provides absolute color
       repeatability and incre  -
      mental filtration accu-
       racy. Used by pro labs
      everywhere, it's the
      colorhead of the future
        ...today.

Duol Dichro S olJers dichroicfiltration with 0-200 ronge
in the three subtractiue colors. Color-coded.  illuminated
 scale windows prouide instont readout oJfltrotion selected.





Mode indicator lights show the     White lightfocusing
printing mode selected with the      Ieuer permits focusing
Dual Dichro colorhead: cor,-        with unobstntcted
denser or diffusion.                      light path.

 ;TI.T





Duol Dichro- the colorhead thot olferc you the best of two
worlds: condenser ond dilJusion illumination. Choose "the
right light" to accommodate the negatiue or slide you are
printing.

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  The 23CII System
  An enlarger is only as good as its system-for  it
    is these accessories which turn a bare enlarger
   chassis into an instrument perfectly suited to the
   kind of work.you want to do.

   For Big Prints
       If you want to be able to make cropped l6x2O prints on-
    baseboard, simply add the extender base and oversize
   heavy-dup baseboard to any 23C or 23ClI Enlargeror
   choose the 23CII XL model.
   I-ensboards with pilot light
    Beseler lensboards snap in and out with unique speed
   and ease, and they are available for most lenses with a
   handy pilot light. This light illuminates the lens aperture
    with no danger of fogging paper. You never have to guess
   where the lens is set!

   Wide range of negative carriers
    Carriers for the 23cll are available for allstandard film
    formats from subminiature through Zr/q' x3Vq'   ( 6x9cm ).
       It is unusually easy to load and center a slide or negative
    in these carriers, and once in the enlarge4 they can be
    rotated.

   Glassless carriers
   Minox                       21A"x21/q" rollfilm
   110                           21/q"x23/q" (6x7cm)
   16mm                        21/q"x31/q" rollfilm
   Minolta 16mm                 21/c"x3r/q" sheet film
   726
  35mm half frame
  35mm (24x36md     Special carriers^-        fullformat (25x371 Universal Glass CarrierI5mmEYYrx2" mounted slides       (2t/q"x3vq")
   I27 (I5/e"xl5/e")
    6 x4.5cm (15/Bt  I x2 r/4't  I

   Negatrans@ negative carriers
   These patented carriers hansport a singjle frame orawhole
    rollof 35mm or 720 film through the enlarger, untouched
   and unscratched!Ultimate convenience, speed and safety
    for your negatives. Just turn a knob, and the negative is
   advanced and perfectly centered in seconds, without fuss
    or fumble. For 35mm or 2Vq"x2r/q" .The 21/q" modelhas
   an adjustable mask for2l/q"x23/q" (6x7cm), and a"645"
   adapter is available for use with the 6x4.5cm format. An
   accessory remote controlshaft  is available for turning the
   advance knob when making big enlargements.

   Filters
      If you want to print colorwith the condenser head, com-
   plete sets of SVz" squeire filters are available for use in the
    built-in filter drawer. The colorprinting set includes 24 cyan,
   magenta and yellow Mylar@ filters, plus the UVfilterwhich
     is always used.

Heat absorbing glass is another essential for color printing
 with the condenser head. It absorts heat and infrared
 radiation, protecting grour negatives and enhancing yrour
 prints.
 For the swinging filter holder below the lens, there is a
 standard red safety  filter, a portrait soft focus filter and a
 23/e" frame for installing lpur own filters. For variable con-
 trast, there are Varigam@ and Polycontrast@ sets.
 Lenses
A wide range of enlarging lenses are available forthe23CII,
 and virtually any lens can be fitted, using the large selec-
 tion of .lensboards.
 Beslar enlarging lenses represent maximum value for the
budget-minded  print maker. Opticalquality  is excellent
and cost is exceptionally moderate. Available in 35mm,
50mm, 80mm, 90mm, 105mm and 135mm* focal lengths.
Beseler ColorPro@ enlarging lenses offer incomparable
quality for the professionaland serious amateur. The most
advanced computer design programs, rare earth glasses
and the latest coating techniques have been combined
to produce lenses with state-of-the-art color corrections,
resolution and contast. Human engineering  is on an
equally high lewl, with big, easy-to-read aperture numbers
and a full complement of click stops. Equipped with stand-
ard 39mm Leica thread for easy mounting on almost any
enlarger. Supplied completewith lens cap and storage case.
Iens     Negativeformat Aperturerange
50mm   35mm (24><36mml  t/2.8-L6
80mm       2r/q"x2r/q" (6x6cm)           t/4.5-22
90mm          2r/4"x23/4" (6x7cm)           f/4.5.22
105mm    2Vq"x31/q" (6x9cm)                           f /4.5-22
135mm'       4x5 (9x12cm)                                 f /5.6-22
'Would not usually be used with the 23ClL
Extension lens cone
Permits making 1:1 (same size as negati'ue) prints on-base-
board from2Ya"x3Yn" negatives with 90mm lenses (1:1
prints from 35mrn and2%"x2%" negatives do not require
the lens cone: simply use an 80mm lens).





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canien Cuts negative handling       mlatgingoptics.
toaminimum.