Nottingham Calling

[MartyNL]

Originally Posted by Dave Woodhead

Wow so many responses! Thanks all. So I need to buy a lens to cover 6x7, enlarging to a maximum of 16x20 but usually just 10x12. Would an 80mm cover the diagonal sufficiently? Or do I need something longer. As well as RZ67 I shoot square with Minolta Autocord, so a lens that works well for both would be ideal. I don't do 6x9.

80mm would be perfect up to 6x7cm.
Apo's tend to be very expensive but try to get a 6 element lens, if you can.

[Martin Aislabie]

Schneider and Rodenstock make excellent 6 element 80mm f/4 enlarging lenses.

You can buy a 80mm f/4 Rodenstock Rodagon for £450 brand new (Linhof Studio) or £250 ish second-hand (Second Hand Darkrooms - FADU sponsor)

According to Rodenstocks data, the Rodagon is equal to the resolution performance of the APO lens without quite the same level of colour correction (but there isn't much in it).

For an APO, you are looking at about £1000 new and £650 second-hand.

I'm not sure what extra you get with an APO lens - perhaps very marginal improvements in the reduced colour fringing in very very large colour prints, if examined very closely with a Lupe.

You can use the 80mm enlarging lens for 35mm negatives - but you will end up with only being able to produce smaller prints.

Ideally you would buy a 50mm enlarging lens for 35mm stuff - but that can wait if you are on a budget.

Martin

[MattKing]

Most of the good 80mm lenses are designed to cover the 6x7 format. If you are considering something unusual, ask.
In case you are looking for other accessories, it may be helpful to know that in the USA, and effectively as a result often in Canada, your enlarger is often badged as a Omega or Saunders LPL 670MX. Here is the KHB Photografix web page for it: http://www.khbphotografix.com/LPL/LPL7700series.htm

[Terry S]

After Martin's suggestions for lenses, I had to read his message again. Personally I won't be buying any of the lenses at the prices that he mentions. My pockets aren't that deep.

I bought a couple of new lenses for my enlarger, which does up to 6x6 a few years ago off eBay UK. I bought two Nikon lenses, a 50mm and an 80mm lenses for under £50 each and I often use them wide open at f4 for older and denser negatives from times past and they are pin sharp across the image.

Just looking on the site, there are a good number of 80's under £50 and I would expect a 50mm lens to be cheaper still.

Happy browsing.

Terry S

[Wind on Allen]

Hello and welcome

[JOReynolds]

Originally Posted by MartyNL

80mm would be perfect up to 6x7cm.
Apo's tend to be very expensive but try to get a 6 element lens, if you can.

On B&W it didn't seem to make much difference when I ran tests 60 years ago. In fact the sharpest lens in the test was a 3 1/4" TTH Ental, a Tessar- type 4-element objective. But it showed fringing in colour! I think colourblind paper helped it.

Edit: i just looked up the Ental and it was/is quite good but suffered from ´browning' and non-standard threads.

[Martin Aislabie]

Originally Posted by JOReynolds

On B&W it didn't seem to make much difference when I ran tests 60 years ago. In fact the sharpest lens in the test was a 3 1/4" TTH Ental, a Tessar- type 4-element objective. But it showed fringing in colour! I think colourblind paper helped it.

Edit: i just looked up the Ental and it was/is quite good but suffered from ´browning' and non-standard threads.

What is "browning" ?

[Martin Aislabie]

Originally Posted by Terry S

After Martin's suggestions for lenses, I had to read his message again. Personally I won't be buying any of the lenses at the prices that he mentions. My pockets aren't that deep.

I bought a couple of new lenses for my enlarger, which does up to 6x6 a few years ago off eBay UK. I bought two Nikon lenses, a 50mm and an 80mm lenses for under £50 each and I often use them wide open at f4 for older and denser negatives from times past and they are pin sharp across the image.

Just looking on the site, there are a good number of 80's under £50 and I would expect a 50mm lens to be cheaper still.

Happy browsing.

Terry S

A good enlarging lens is a key part of the photographic process - all your prints go through it.

I realise a better lens does not always equal a high price tag - but with all other things being equal - it often does.

Martin

[JOReynolds]

Originally Posted by Martin Aislabie

What is "browning" ?

I was hoping that FADU would come to my rescue and tell me!

[Terry S]

Searching with google gave a good few comments, all basically saying the same:

ENTAL II lenses are very sharp and it shows. They tend to browning due to the radioactive elements used to make the highly refractive glass used, but that can be compensated later.

If you want to read anymore links, I used the following in google, as my usual search engine, duckduckgo, couldn't recommend anything to me.

Search: "browning" enlarger lens

Terry S