"Others" enlarging lenses

[Ongarine]

For years and years of darkroom work I used mainly brands of enlargers lenses with more or less satisfaction.
In the last months I became curious about performances of English enlarger lenses:
- Ental made by Taylor, Taylor and Hobson
- Resolux made by Ross
- Supar made by Wray
Have you experience about?
Someone had made some comparison?
I also have a special question for US darkroom printers:
-which are the performance of Ektar enlarging lenses f4,5 coated?
Maybe I will found some usefull informations, because I never had experience with these enlargers lenses and I'm curious
Thanks
Daniele

[Shen45]

For years and years of darkroom work I used mainly brands of enlargers lenses with more or less satisfaction.
In the last months I became curious about performances of English enlarger lenses:
- Ental made by Taylor, Taylor and Hobson
- Resolux made by Ross
- Supar made by Wray
Have you experience about?
Someone had made some comparison?
I also have a special question for US darkroom printers:
-which are the performance of Ektar enlarging lenses f4,5 coated?
Maybe I will found some usefull informations, because I never had experience with these enlargers lenses and I'm curious
Thanks
Daniele
I have a 162mm Ektanon and a 75mm Ektar that I got for a very small outlay. Both of those lenses give me images every bit as good as my Rodenstock and Schneider lenses of comparable focal length.

To me the real sleeper is the 162mm Ektanon. All I can say is that it has a certain "look" to the prints.

The 75 mm is a 5 element and the 162 is a 4 element.

It is going to be around 110 - 115 here tomorrow so I may just try attaching the 162 to a lensboard and try it as a taking lens.

[Mark Sampson]

The Ektars have a good reputation; the consensus is that they are quite sharp but that 'modern' lenses have more contrast. Much like comparing Kodak's camera Ektars from the 1940s-1960s to a modern Schneider or whatever. The only Enlarging Ektar I've ever had a chance to try is in the "junk lens box" at work because someone long ago put some massive scratches on the front and rear elements. Can't bring myself to throw it away though!

[Ole Tjugen]

I use a Ross Resolux 11cm when I want to make large prints from 6x9 negatives. I don't think my lens is representative - it's got "cleaning marks" that look like they were made with coarse sandpaper.

I bought it knowing about the scratches, since it was cheaper than the Durst lensboard it came with would be alone. But I decided to try it before tossing it, and it's ended up being used. So I still need another lensboard to mount my Voigtländer W.Z. in...

[Jeremy Moore]

I have a beast of a 6-element Meopta 80mm f/5.6 enlarging lens which is every bit as good as the 80mm f/5.6 el-nikkor I used to have.

[Ole Tjugen]

Jeremy, that's the same lens as I use for up to 6x6. And a 50mm for 35mm films. I once borrowed an El-Nikkor from a friend to compare it with the 50mm - and found the Meopta to be much better. So my friend got his $500 lens back, and I continued using my $50 lens. I'm still using mine, but I think he's gone all digital now :)

[Glenn Thoreson]

I have one oddball Ektar out of an old processing machine. No adjustable aperture. It's for making 5X7 prints from 35mm. Extremely sharp lens. Another line of lenses you rarely hear about is from D.O. Industies. Formerly Elgeet. These show up on the auction site occasionally. I haven't been able to find out exactly what the intended use is for these, enlarging, process, whatever,but they are very good enlarging lenses. Some say they are made by Fuji. They go for next to nothing. A fine price for a fine lens. (don't tell anyone) :)

[Jim Jones]

I upgraded the original DeJur f/4.5 135mm lens on my ancient DeJur 4x5 enlarger to a much later El-Nikkor f/5.6 135mm, and see little practical improvement. However, it is easier to use the El-Nikkor on other cameras for macro photography.

[Turner Reich]

I know this is an earlier thread but in reading I see that no one mentioned the Red Dot Artars. Has anyone used an Artar as an enlarging lens? I have a 16 1/2" and thought about it for 8x10. I have a 10 3/4" Artar also. :D