[LargeFormat] "Best" 4x5 enlarger?

[Paul Butzi]

> My camera club is considering buying an LF enlarger, and
is considering an
> Omega D2 or D2V.
>
> What do people recommend?

Folks have mentioned rigidity, robustness, etc. as issues to
consider.

So far, no one has mentioned that evenness of illumination
is a factor worth careful thought.

When I took a workshop from John Sexton, he commented that
he'd received a Durst to evaluate, but found that the
illumination was not very even, so he didn't care for it.

Mr. Sexton uses Saunder/LPL 45xx enlargers with VCCE heads.
I use a 4550xl with a dichroic head.  The illumination is
pretty even but not so even that no adjustments are needed
when I print images on very hard paper.

-Paul