Enlarger lens advice sought!

[DrZorba]

I am looking for advice on 50mm, 75mm, and 105mm enlarger lens for my Durst AC800 enlarger.

I acquired the enlarger last year, and it came with several lens, including EL Nikkor 50 and 75. Both lens had heavy mold and cleaning marks (attempts to disassemble and clean failed).

I did recently purchase SEVERAL Nikon EL lens from ebay ... all 3 had mold!

I would appreciate your advice/recommendations on what to buy for 50,75, and 105mm.

Many thanks

Samuel

 

[mshchem]

EL Nikkor lenses are awesome lenses (not moldy) 50 2.8, 80mm and 105 all nice 6 element lenses. Rodagon lenses are great.

Darkrooms tend towards damp, thus the mold and mildew. All enlarging lenses (and enlargers) are equally vulnerable

 

[GregY]

Apo- Rodagons & Fuji are both great enlarging lenses

 

[MattKing]

What lens boards/mounts do you already have? In particular, what thread sizes?
You may as well not have to replace them.

 

[gordrob]

The AC800 takes the Durst LAPLA 39 or 50 lens boards

 

[RalphLambrecht]

EL Nikkor lenses are awesome lenses (not moldy) 50 2.8, 80mm and 105 all nice 6 element lenses. Rodagon lenses are great.

Darkrooms tend towards damp, thus the mold and mildew. All enlarging lenses (and enlargers) are equally vulnerable

I use an electric dehumidifier to keep the area below 50%RH

 

[koraks]

I would appreciate your advice/recommendations on what to buy for 50,75, and 105mm.

Any modern enlarger lens of a suitable focal length that you can get your hands on. The real world differences are very slim and even in systematic side by side testing, it's often challenging to reliably tell them apart. Mind you, this is for modern (1980s and newer) lenses. Very old lenses (1970s and before) can have significantly reduced performance especially wide open or only one stop down from wide open. They often 'clear up' to reasonable performance two stops down from wide open.

 

[BMbikerider]

Having had a wide selection of enlarger lenses over the years, the top ones for me are Rodenstock or Schneider APO designs, but these come at a serious premium price. If Nikon had also made an Apo version of their 50mm or 80mm enlarging lenses, that would make a set of three with little or nothing between them. Strictly speaking unless you are printing colour you can get away with a non Apo lens.

From the past there have been a couple of British manufactured lenses well worth considering although they are old and comparatively rare, they are the TTH Ental, and the Ross Resolux. perhaps with less contrast, but non the less very capable. I have a 80mm TTH Ental which I use for 120 film and it is not to be sniffed at, it is easily as good as earlier Schneider and Rodenstock lenses

 

[Nitroplait]

I would appreciate your advice/recommendations on what to buy for 50,75, and 105mm.

I'd say keep looking for EL-Nikkor, but perhaps the 80mm instead of the 75mm (I use the latter; it is an ok 4 element and slightly brighter than the 80mm, but the 6 element 80mm is a little better).

I have had quite a few older Rodenstock and Schneider lenses (more than 10 samples) in my hand and all but one had some internal haze (not fungus). I would look for newer versions of those if you go that route.

My impression is that in comparable condition and quality level, EL-Nikkors tends to be more affordable.

 

[koraks]

Strictly speaking unless you are printing colour you can get away with a non Apo lens.

Even for color work the differences are so marginal as to be insignificant in practical use.

 

[ic-racer]

Keep looking for lenses without mold. I don't know of any brand that is more or less susceptible.

 

[loccdor]

I was happy with my old El Nikkor 105mm f/2.8.

 

[Neal]

The 75mm is usually a great buy.

 

[BMbikerider]

I have a 75mm Nikkor as well and I find it pretty 2nd rate compared to the 80mm

Keep looking for lenses without mold. I don't know of any brand that is more or less susceptible.

My TTH Ental must be at least 50 years old and is still in good clean condition and considering it started its working life with the RAF in their photographic section it has stood the passing of time well. (TTH stands for Taylor Taylor and Hobson)

 

[BMbikerider]

One lens I was warned about for mold and Fungus was the 40mm F2.8 lens sold as a AF match with the Leitz V35 enlarger. I had a V35 about 20 years ago and from what use the lens got it was no better or worse than the NIKKOR 50/2.8

 

[Paul Howell]

Good buys often depend on where you live. Here in the U.S that are many great 4 elements lens that produce very sharp enlargements up to 11X14, Nikon, Minolta, Kowa, Schindler, Kodak, Wollensake, Rodenstock, 4 and 6 element lens. If you plan on making 11X14 to 16X20 then a 6 element lens will worth the additional cost. I use a very old Wollensake 50 4.5 and and 75 4.5 on my smaller 6X6 enlarger as it will only enlarge to just shy of a 11X14. These are both 4 element lens and and can be found for not much money. Kodak ektar are also great buy, but you need to get a Ektar which is 4 element as Kodak also made a 3 element lens.

Here is link to a database of enalrger lens.

Photo Cornucopia

 

[loccdor]

I was happy with my old El Nikkor 105mm f/2.8.

Correction, f/5.6.

 

[gordrob]

The instructions I have for the AC800 indicate you should use 50mm, 80mm and 105mm or sometimes a 100/105mm lens.The computer system for the AC800 is probably set for a 80mm instead of the 75mm lens. Using the 80mm lens results in one less issue you might have when calibrating the enlarger.

 

[xkaes]

http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/e-lenses3.pdf