Enalrger Lenses

[Melanie]

Hi, I am looking into buying an enlarger so I can print 4x5 and smaller negatives. I found an enlarger on ebay and the lenses that come with it are a Vivitar 50mm lens, and a Taylor Tayon 135mm lens. I was wondering how crappy, or how nice these lenses are. I was sketchy about them because I always am used to dealing with El NIkkor lenses or Shneiders. Please respond to my email address! Thank you so much!
-Melanie

[Nick_3536]

I wouldn't worry about the lenses. You can replace them with used Nikons for very little. Which should tell you how little more you should pay for the enlarger because of the lenses. Make sure the enlarger is good and other then the lenses complete. Those can be replaced for relative peanuts if you don't like the ones coming with enlarger.

[Peter Collins]

Melanie,
Enlarging is a very critical step on the road to sharp, full-scale black and white prints. You are justified in feeling sketchy. Go for products by Nikon, Rodenstock and Schneider-Kreuznach. Also, note that Rodenstock and S-K have differing quality levels, e.g., componar, componon, in the case of S-K. Stick with -on endings, e.g., Rodagon. Also, the componon-S by S-K is, I think, a better lens than plain componon. Others can expound on this.

For 4x5 you will find some honest disagreement about flatness of illumination being better @ 150mm focal length vs. 135mm. Bear in mind that, if very large prints are in your future (>16"x20"), you will require less column height (distance from negative/lens to photographic paper using at 135mm instead of 150mm. Me? I've got a Rodenstock Rodagon 135mm.

Also check under darkroom in this forum's past posts. You'll see a breadth of discussion.

[Eric Rose]

The Vivitar lens will be crap. I have never heard of the Taylor lens. If you are doing larger photos ie: 16x20 and up, stay away from the Nikkor 135 and go for the German 150's. The Nikkor 135 is nice for smaller enlargements. I have the Nikkor 135 and just did a series of 20x24's. The German glass I have was far superior to the Nikkor lens in this case.

For 35mm I find I use a 75mm or 90mm if I am doing full frame 8x10's. Gives me more room to dodge and burn. If I'm enlarging the mini-cam stuff to 11x14 or 16x20 I use a Nikkor EL 50mm.

If your going to post to a forum, then expect your answers to come to the forum rather than people taking the extra time to email you. This forum has a tremendous depth of knowledge, so if you want to take advantage of it, make it easy for the respondants.

Happy enlarging!

[Ole Tjugen]

Good enlarger lenses are cheap. I have Rodagon lenses in 135, 180 and 210mm, but have ended up using nearly only the 180mm. Since I don't make prints larger than 9½"x12", I don't need the extra coverage of the 210 - even for 5x7" negatives. I sometimes use the 135mm for enlarging 9x12cm negatives - if any cropping has to be done I'll put the short lens on.

[Andy Eads]

Melanie, I had a Tayon briefly. It was horrible. I saved my pennies (lots of pennies) and bought a Fujinon EX 135mm enlarging lens. It is by far the best lens I've ever used though they seem to be pretty rare. When you spend so much time and effort on an image in large format, it only makes sense to follow through to the print with a decent enlarger and lens. Good luck! Andy

[Chong]

While we are on this topic, could I ask what is the down side to using a 120 lens?

I just sold a medium format enlarger. Awaiting a used Saunders/LPL 7452 with color head. No lenses.

I will be printing mostly 11x14 and 12x16. Occasionally 16x20.

Would a 120mm lens be suitable?

[John D Gerndt]

There is no downside to using a 120 lens if the lens is up to the task. In using a 150 you are asking less of the lens and so designers can deliver more. Note too that sample variations can confuse the issue.

I don't know the particular enlarger model you mentioned but I am sure you could get a recommendation from the manufacturer, they want their product to be shown in its best light

Cheers!

[Nick_3536]

With a shorter lens you'll have less room to dodge under the lens. Don't ask me to remember the formula but head height is related to the focal length of the lens. Wide angle lenses like the 120mm are intended for making big prints with short enlargers.

[Kevin Crisp]

Melanie: The 50 mm Vivitar lens was my first enlarger lens when I starting printing back in 1970. As a 15 year old I thought my prints were OK, but there had to be something wrong with my camera since the edges of my prints were just never sharp. Then I traded up to the Nikkor 50mm f:4 lens, which isn't thought of as highly as the f:2.8 lens by the same manufacturer. The improvement was like night and day, just amazing to me at the time. (And I still have the Nikkor and still use it.) You can get excellent used lenses from the major manufacturers these days for very little money, that would be the best thing to do on the 50mm, although that focal length is reasonable new. Some Vivitar lenses were OK and some were terrible.