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  #1  
Old 25th December 2019, 09:16 PM
KPtheamateur KPtheamateur is offline
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Default Please Help: Adapting Lenses for Kaiser Enlarger

Hi, and Merry Xmas to everyone, hope you have eaten your body weight in mince pies!

I would appreciate any advice on this situation please.

I have a Kaiser VCP 6001 enlarger and have been using it for 135 printing. For xmas I was given a lovely new 120 pinhole camera.

Paterson sell 75 mm lenses for enlargers, which I believe to be what you need for 120 enlarging, and they are very reasonably priced. The lenses they sell are M42 thread.

Reading the manual for my VCP 6001, it says that although the standard lenses are 39mm there is an adapter ring to allow me to mount M42 lenses, listed as item no. 4464. This seems like an economical solution to allow me to do some medium format printing.

However, I've been googling to see if I can find this adapter anywhere and no luck. Fotospeed sell a lot of Kaiser accessories but not 4464 it seems. Ebay comes up empty. I've trawled First Call and Speed Graphic without any luck.

Help me, FADU, you're my only hope!

Can I get a 4464 adapter, or is there a workaround, or must I give up on the dream of 120 printing?

TIA

KP
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  #2  
Old 25th December 2019, 10:12 PM
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Drewtwo Drewtwo is offline
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Hi,

I did a quick search with google and found this:

https://www.amazon.com/Packs-Adapter.../dp/B003MEO82M

It looks as though it would do the job for you.
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  #3  
Old 25th December 2019, 10:25 PM
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MartyNL MartyNL is offline
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Hi KP,
In all honesty, I think you'd be much better off buying a decent secondhand 75 or 80mm lens with the standard 39mm thread rather than buying an adapter and the Paterson with the 42mm thread.
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  #4  
Old 25th December 2019, 11:14 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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I'd tend to do what Marty suggests. You might pay a little more in total but you get an enlarger lens that may then be the only MF enlarger lens you will ever need.

Mike
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  #5  
Old 25th December 2019, 11:40 PM
John King John King is offline
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Default Patterson enlarging lenses.

I don't know why Patterson sells enlarging lenses with a 42mm thread because the standard is 39mm with a few at 25mm (quite old). 42mm thread lenses usually were for screw thread lenses used by screw thread cameras (Pentax/Praktika etc).

Can I be kind and say Patterson lenses are not quite 'top drawer' probably 3 or 4 grades lower. So best to avoid them.

If you look at RK photography or Second Hand Darkroom Supplies you can pick up a very decent Nikon 75mm/F4 for around £45 or so or even an older design Schneider Componon or Rodenstock Rodagon for about £15 more and they are still top drawer lenses.

If the 42mm thread lenses are or were originally camera lenses they will not be very good. For close up use as they will be for enlarger printing, they are NOT optically corrected to ensure the flat field focussing needed with an enlarging lens.

Last edited by John King; 25th December 2019 at 11:44 PM.
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  #6  
Old 26th December 2019, 09:23 AM
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Martin Aislabie Martin Aislabie is online now
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I would look for a different enlarging lens - look at a second-hand one - new ones are available but probably unnecessary for this application.

Second-hand Darkrooms or RK Photo both are FADU sponsors - or E-Bay

39mm is the standard thread for this size of enlarging lenses.

You don't need anything that special for enlarging pin-holes.

There is very little to go wrong with an enlarging lens - second-hand are as good as brand new.

Martin
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Old 26th December 2019, 09:30 AM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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I agree with John, forget the Paterson enlarger lenses you'll get a far better second hand lens for under half the price.

A wanted advert here may flush one out. 75mm to 90mm are typically for 6x6/6x7 negatives and almost all are 39mm LTM. I've never seem one in that range larger than M39, I suspect the Paterson ones are for their own enlarger which is maybe non standard at M42.

Ian
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Old 26th December 2019, 10:31 AM
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photomi7ch photomi7ch is offline
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You should not scrimp on your enlarging lens a second hand one will give you better guilty for the same price if you choose carefully. I noticed our sponsor second hand darkroom are sell some good ones.
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Old 26th December 2019, 12:37 PM
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vanannan vanannan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by photomi7ch View Post
You should not scrimp on your enlarging lens a second hand one will give you better guilty for the same price if you choose carefully. I noticed our sponsor second hand darkroom are sell some good ones.
Are you trying to guilt trip KPtheamateur?

Compliments of the season to all FADU members
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  #10  
Old 26th December 2019, 01:32 PM
Terry S Terry S is online now
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As usual, ebay is a good place to look...

A few years back, I upgraded my enlarger lenses. I eventually got two Nikon lens = one for 35mm and the other for MF. They cost a little more than some others that were available, but they are pin-sharp, even when wide open, which I have to do with some of my much older, very dense negs.

Don't rush in, but take your time and you'll be rewarded with a lens or two that will last.

Terry S
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