OK so that's the second-to-last one.
I've often wondered if the lens design is the same as the final ones though.
The last ones have better multicoatings and the different body with the illuminated aperture window. However they may be the same lens design.
I am switching to NIKKOR 180 and smaller prints
Tin Can
Interesting! In my time period the Componon S 135mm and up were not illuminated, everything below was, also had a preset lever.Originally Posted by Mark J
My 150 Componon S is slightly sharper and higher contrast than my 135mm El Nikkor with the chrome upper barrel in side by side prints using a Peak focuser. The El Nikkor also required 25% more exposure at the same f stop as the Schneider. The difference between milticoat and single or something else? Diffusion light source, nothing changed except the lenses, size matched and focused.
Sounds like an old style El Nikkor. Maybe you should check it for internal haze too. You'd see a similar subtle improvement between the old chrome Componons and the later Componon S. Coatings continued to evolve. But sometimes it's nice to have the ability to fine tune contrast just a little via enlarger lens choice, especially when color printing.
The old 135 El Nikkor is very clean, no haze, no scratches, but it is a single coated lens. It was $61 6 years ago and I will likely keep it.
I just got a set, 50, 80, 150 Componon S late models with internal f stop illumination. The 50 and 80 have the stop down lever. They look almost new. It's sad to think the enlarger they are from may have been scrapped. I can't wait to try them out and see how they stack up to my $20 El Nikkor 80 f5.6 and my $29 El Nikkor 50 f2.8. I may have been good with what I had but there are some real bargains on enlarger lenses right now. I think there are more lenses in the world than enlargers and the market stalled. Anyway the price was right, I was the only bidder, lensboards included, I just cleaned and mounted them, off to the darkroom.
Even though some enlarging lenses are multi-coated, it's more of a sales gimmick than anything else -- but sometimes enlarging lenses are used outside the darkroom, so why not?
No gimmick. Multi-coating is another design tool potentially allowing additional corrections; yes, at a little more price. Whether this makes any difference in the final print or not all depends. Sometimes a number of these minor factors all add up to a significant visual difference. But multi-coating is nothing to be obsessed with. Flare is much less of an issue with a darkroom enlarger than with a camera lens outdoors.
Multi-coating tends to be standard with later enlarging lenses which are better corrected in other ways, like the Apo Rodagon N series and Schneider Apo Componon HM series. But the prices of those have remained high.
What I don't like about certain later enlarging lenses is the substitution of plastic barrels for machined metal ones.
These last edition Componon Ss seem to have metal construction. Their condition is near perfect. I could tell the difference between the early El Nikkor and later Componon S. I'll see if the last model Componon S is any better, the condition of the lens is. I would not have made the move if the prices hadn't dropped. There are several very nice late model 150mm Rodenstocks and Schneiders In the $120 range right now. Late model El Nikkors are still high ~$270. Be nice to try at the right price but they aren't making more and prices could go anywhere from here.
Last edited by Mal Paso; 4-Apr-2024 at 18:00.
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