Has anyone here even mounted a 2" 3.5 TH Ental ll enlarging lens on a Focomat 1c? I just bought a nice one and am awaiting it from England. Now I am reading that the lens may have different mounting threads and I am beginning to worry if it will screw into my enlarger. I didn't spend a lot on it, but I do want to use it. Does anyone know if the lens just might have regular E39 threads? This is the black lens, not the chrome one. Thank you! Robbie
Depends what threads are on it, but there should be a way...
Most lenses for the Focomat will require a bit of an extension tube as the lenses need some extension from the neg stage to focus correctly... (Typically 1/4" to about an inch depending on lens...) There are old Leitz extension tubes floating around online auctions usually that are cheap...
Your lens might (or not) be E39, but there were extension adapters for E39 to the smaller 50mm old Componons that can be machined out to hold odd threads if needed...
First figure out the extension needed when you get the lens, and see what threads it has... There is usually different ways to get lucky with other than Focotar lenses... Different lenses can produce different effects for these enlargers...
Steve K
Thank you very much Steve. Yes, I am familiar with the idiosycrasies of mounting strange lenses on Focomats. I have through the years managed to cobble small Componons, Axions and Ektars, etc. with various adaptors. This Ental looks, in photos, like a 'modern' lens with LTM threads and that's what I am hoping it will have. I should have the lens in hand in the next few days and I have my fingers crossed.
Thank you very much Steve for your reply. I will follow up when I get the lens...Robbie
I have a sixties British CorfIeld Apo something I have tried with it with a LTM mount, so that was the standard then, so with something more modern, there's a good chance yours is LTM (or at least it better have a retaining ring)...
Steve K
Thanks Steve. I do have my fingers crossed as, looking at the photos, I am sure there is no retaining ring. Miracles do happen!
I have settled on using a 50mm Focotar II, a 40mm Focotar, for a modern look, and for a vintage (glassy/watery) look, a 50mm Ektar for B/W... For very punchy color (with condenser color head for Ciba looking type C printing), a 50mm Nikkor... I was recently gifted a modern Componon-C that needs to be tested in the future...
I got compulsive a decade ago buying every model Focomats and tried them to see the differences... I like the 1c + Valoy II the most and found some upgrades for them... I also have a 2a + 2c, but I prefer the smaller enlargers for 35mm... It is also harder to adapt other than stock lenses to the bigger enlargers, as the 2a has a larger than standard lens mount and the 2c has very deep focusing mounts only the stock lenses will extend out from... The 2a produces an "old world" well, but the 2c produces a early 70's look on prints, so I think "specialized" enlargers...
Steve K
Steve, It's hard to beat the Focotar ll. I looked up the Corfield APO. It looks like a very interesting lens. The Ektar is great also. I am awaiting my Ental lens which for some reason is stuck at USPS here in West Palm Beach. I should have been delivered today and for some reason is being held up. In all my research it looks like my Ental has a 1.25 inch mount so I will have to find a 1.25 inch to m39 adaptor. I found a place in Portugal that sells them and sent an email but so far have not gotten a response. Have you ever heard of such an adaptor? I have looked all over the place with no luck.
I have a few Focomats also and am down to two working ones, both 1cs. I agree they are the best. I am not doing any color printing, but used to use the V35s in my newspaper work and they were OK, but as you say, not as good at the 1c. If I had room I would buy a bunch of them. I think as time goes by the will be more and more rare.
The main reason for me to try different lenses with the Focomat is some additional contrast control... Flat light scenes get help with lenses with a good contrast punch (Componons, Nikkors etc), but harsh light negs can benefit from older uncoated or flatter contrast lenses... The different tonal scale can mimic a grade and a half contrast depending on choice of lens on a fixed grade of paper...
This is something to test out sometime...
Steve K
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