Leitz Focomat V35

[Gary Holliday]

There was always a seller on ebay supplying a glass carrier for the V35...very expensive though...£137 or so. Don't see it available at present, keep checking.

 

[df cardwell]

Metaphysical Anxiety, Sean. Not really an issue unless you're doing museum printing every day...

 

[robbert]

Hey guys!

My first post here on apug, love what I've read so far around here.

I bought a V35 yesterday with the VC head and AN glass carrier.

Now I'm waiting on some dektol and tonight I'm gonna do some research on various paper and will probably order some tonight

My negative makers are an old IIIc & my trusty M3. Can't wait to make my first prints!

 

[Fintan]

Hey guys!

My first post here on apug, love what I've read so far around here.

I bought a V35 yesterday with the VC head and AN glass carrier.

Now I'm waiting on some dektol and tonight I'm gonna do some research on various paper and will probably order some tonight

My negative makers are an old IIIc & my trusty M3. Can't wait to make my first prints!

Welcome to APUG and enjoy Robbert

 

[jerry lebens]

Hello all,

I'm afraid I haven't looked at APUG for a while and wasn't aware of this thread

I think I can help you understand your focus problems, Tim, if not solve them.

The V35 'auto focus' system depends on a cam to adjust the lens as the head is raised.. I can't remember if each cam was machined to the individual lens (being Leica, it wouldn't surprise me, if they were) but I'm absolutely certain that you needed a different cam for a Leica Focotar or a Schneider lens. You bought the enlarger ready cammed with your preferred lens.

The reason why there are lots of V35's with the "wrong lens" is because those Focotar lenses were highly desirable and very easy to unscrew in a gloomy darkroom. When a photographer or lab went out of business, it was probably the easiest things to 'liberate', especially if you were a disgruntled employee being shown the door. You'd often see V35's for sale without lens for about £100 - they were quite common - and you'd substitute the missing lens with anything you could find, accepting that it wouldn't correspond to the cam.

Having said that, even with the wrong lens and having to focus manually, it's still a fantastic enlarger. Also, bear in mind that you can only set the autofocus for one baseboard - if you change baseboard regularly, the a/f is a complete waste of time.

As for carriers, I managed to get a spare from Alex at Mr Cad a couple of years ago. I also seem to recall him telling me that the Kaiser carriers would also fit.

Much as I like the V35, I used to prefer the older Focomat. Also an auto-focus system but with a condenser head, not a diffuser. Sharper and harder than the V35.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, I've got a used V35, with original lens, in the garage if anyone wants to make an offer...

Best Wishes,
Jerry Lebens

 

[Ronald Moravec]

Back to the 40 WA Schneider. It will vignette on a condenser. So will the 40 focotar. Later models of the V35 had a double diffuser in the mix box bottom to solve the problem.

I have a 45 Schneider APO ( yes 45, not 40) and it does not vignette, it just goes soft in the corners on a condenser. I thought it was a junk lens until I tried it on a diffusion machine one day. The corners popped right in. Still don`t understand it and I have tried it on multilple condensers known to work properly and other diffusions with the same results.

 

[Gary Holliday]

My Leitz V35 is now up for sale in the Classifieds if anyone is interested?

 

[John Koehrer]

The AF can be adjusted for a 50mm lens if you want but to compare the lenses focus manually