Enlarger Lens Advise Needed

[Tin Can]

How big are you printing? This week I will using my 8x10 Elwood for the first time and first with a mint 10" Enlarging Ektanon, I have a couple others I will try also. I kinda want to stay all American.

I have an 8x10 Elwood. When I got the enlarger it came with a 10" Enlarging Ektanon. I used that for severaL years, but wasn't happy with the sharpness of the prints. Then I used a 210mm Fax Nikkor for a while. That covered 8x10, and had good sharpness. Right now I'm using a 180mm Repromaster. It also covers, and is just as sharp as the Fax Nikkor. Because of the short focal length I can get much bigger enllargements on the baseboard. At other times I've tried 300mm and 360mm Schneider Componons. I gave up on them because I copuldn't get very big enlargements.

[AtlantaTerry]

Dan,

I have a 240mm Schneider-Kreuznach Componon f:5.6 enlarging lens that I bought when a Las Vegas photo lab went out of business. It came from a Durst 8x10 enlarger.

Do you want to test it with your enlarger? PM me, if so. It came with a mounting ring that you could screw onto a wood lens board.

Terry

[AuditorOne]

I have an 8x10 Elwood. When I got the enlarger it came with a 10" Enlarging Ektanon. I used that for severaL years, but wasn't happy with the sharpness of the prints. Then I used a 210mm Fax Nikkor for a while. That covered 8x10, and had good sharpness. Right now I'm using a 180mm Repromaster. It also covers, and is just as sharp as the Fax Nikkor. Because of the short focal length I can get much bigger enllargements on the baseboard. At other times I've tried 300mm and 360mm Schneider Componons. I gave up on them because I copuldn't get very big enlargements.

So far my biggest enlargement adventures with 4x5 have been 4x and lenses have not been my limiting factor. Technique, patience, developing, toning and just about everything else, but not lenses.

I have quite a bit of 11x17 that I inherited from a friend a while back so that is likely as high as my enlargements will go until I get some bigger paper.

[Dave Langendonk]

I have 240 and 300 Rodagon's and also have two 360 Schneider Componon's. Of these I use the 360 Componon the most. It's a beautiful lens and since I have a horizontal enlarger I don't have the ceiling height restriction. Get the most lens you have ceiling height for.

I echo the others and recommend getting an enlarging lens rather than a process lens if you can. Sounds like the one you got from Adorama is that. I'd be concerned about the scratch however especially if they failed to tell you about it beforehand.

[AuditorOne]

The Rodagon is an enlarger lens but I have notified Adorama and asked to return it. They are typically very good about this so I doubt there will be much of a problem. But, if it does go back, I am still in the market for an enlarger lens...

[rjmeyer314]

The biggest print I've ever done on the Elwood was 30" x 40". I have paper to go bigger, but haven't tried it yet.

[AuditorOne]

Once the Elwood is up and working, and I have learned more about how to use it, I'll look into picking up some bigger paper.

[Tin Can]

Do you have the correct special bulbs for the Elwood?

I think they are unobtainium, I have a couple but supposedly they don't last forever.

I am doing all setup and testing work with a huge 300 watt CFL to save my 'special' bulbs for 'real' printing.

Once the Elwood is up and working, and I have learned more about how to use it, I'll look into picking up some bigger paper.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Do you have the correct special bulbs for the Elwood?

Do you have a part or product number for the bulbs? I cashed out a commercial printer and have unaccounted boxes of bulbs. Might have some.

[AuditorOne]

I have one. Wasn't aware that they were that difficult to obtain.