Need advice on an enlarger lens

[Stuart.Matthews]

Hi finally got around to setting up a darkroom since graduating. I've got a Devere 504 and I'm mainly going to be printing xpan panoramics which are 6x7ish in length can anyone recommend a good lens? Price range roughly £100-150.

Thanks

Stuart

[Martin Aislabie]

Stuart, the best lenses to go for are :-
RODENSTOCK RODAGON
SCHNEIDER COMPONON S
NIKON EL NIKKOR
These are all 6 elements in 4 groups
I have bought lots of stuff from - http://www.secondhanddarkroom.co.uk
I am not sure if the 80mm lenses have enough coverage to do an X-Pan but the 90mm (6x7) or 105mm (6x9) will cover any of your needs.
However, if you have a 504 - you might want to go to a 150mm lens and then be able to cover everything upto 5x4 - it just depends on how much money you do or don't have and what your ambitions are
Nothing is worse if your on a realy tight budget than having to buy additional stuff because you didn't quite think it through enough before you bought the first time
The good news is realy good englarger lenses are cheap second hand - everyone seems to be selling up their darkroom kit
Have fun & good luck

Martin

[Trevor Crone]

Stuart,

I use a 105/5.6 Rodagon for my Noblex negatives which are the same size as your X-pan negs. Like you I also use a Devere 504. Using this lens with this format puts the head at about 69cm for a full frame 16"x12" print.

I picked this lens up on ebay for about £48 and it is a real corker. Certainly one of my better ebay purchases.

What Martin said re. a 150 is certainly worth considering incase you get into 5x4. The only downside I've found is the head is at quite a height when producing 16"x12"'s.

Regards,
Trevor.

[David H. Bebbington]

Should no problem for around £50. For example:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MINT-EL-NIKKOR...QQcmdZViewItem

Regards,

David

[wildbill]

When i got my 4x5 enlarger i tried a 135mm componon-s, 135mm rodagon, and recently picked up a 105mm fujinon es for $12.00
The rodagon was sharper than the componon-s by a margin most folks wouldn't notice. It's got illuminated apertures so that's the one i kept.
I just started using the 105mm fujinon f4.5 for 6x7 and it's the same as the 135 for sharpness and contrast at 8x10-16x20. $12 too.

[Stuart.Matthews]

Brilliant cheers guys, thanks for the advice. I'm looking forward to having my own space as I've been having to use shared darkrooms for the last 6 years. Don't think at the moment I will be shooting 5x4 so 105mm so be fine. Thanks again. Stu

[sbandone]

I recommend either a 90mm Apo Rodagon or a 100 Schneider Componon S or negs up to 6x7 a 16x12 will be around 80-85cm column height on a De Vere 504. If you intend to do 5x4 a 135mm lens would be excellent e.g. EL Nikkor 135
Best supplier- E Bay prices Apo £120-150, Schneider £50-100, Nikkor 135 well they just play hard to get!

[Zathras]

Hi finally got around to setting up a darkroom since graduating. I've got a Devere 504 and I'm mainly going to be printing xpan panoramics which are 6x7ish in length can anyone recommend a good lens? Price range roughly £100-150.

Thanks

Stuart

Hi Stuart,

My first choice is the 105mm Rodagon. With a little patience, they can be picked up quite reasonably on ebay. The 105mm El-Nikkor is another real good lens, but I never was able to find one in my price range. I suspect that their owners just do not get rid of them if they are still using the darkroom.

Mike Sullivan