Beseler 45 MXT with 8x10 Conversion Alignment Problems

**jeroldharter** · 7-Sep-2009, 18:19

I posted this on APUG verbatim because I doubt too many people would be able to help with this. Sorry for the redundancy.

I am finally trying to enlarge some 8x10 negatives. I converted my enlarger with the Beseler kit and went through the recommended alignment procedure for the 45MXT. First, I aligned left to right which required a slight shim of the upper assembly which includes the negative carrier and light source. Then I aligned front to back. Then I attached the lens and repeated the procedure for the lens plane. I used a Versalab laser which had previously aligned my 4x5 enlarger with no problem.

The result is that the very center of the projected image is sharp but the rest of the image is not. It looks like field curvature. I checked this with both the glass and glassless negative carriers without difference. Also, I could never get the edges sharp, even when tilting the easel or attempting to focus on the edges. The negative is tack sharp edge to edge with a loupe and is a photo of a wall which was flat to begin with.

I tried to focus on the easel and on just the baseboard with the same result so it is not an easel problem.

I have never used this lens before. It is a Beseler 240mm HD lens that I bought used but appears to be in excellent condition. The problem happens from wide open at f9 all the way to f64 so stopping down does not help.

Any ideas? Thanks.

**dsphotog** · 7-Sep-2009, 18:47

Jerold,
I'd try a different lens. Sounds like it's not alignment.
Maybe someone in your area would be willing to bring their lens.

**jeroldharter** · 7-Sep-2009, 21:08

You are right. Someone on APUG was helping also and that makes sense. Although not ideal, I was able to mount a 150 mm Rodagon that I know is sharp and it made a sharp print. This is the first dud enlarging lens I have run across.

**dsphotog** · 7-Sep-2009, 22:16

The lens may not be worthless....
Any sign of the lens having been disasembled?
Perhaps an element re-installed wrong....

**tgtaylor** · 9-Sep-2009, 10:06

Check the lens board. I had a similar situation with a 180mm Schnider Componon-S which I paid a local camera repair shop to mount on a beseler board which needed to be drilled out to accomodate the lens. It turned out that the drilling wasn't plumb and the problem wasn't corrected until I replaced the board with the correct Beseler board for that lens which I found new at a camera swap for $7.

**jeroldharter** · 9-Sep-2009, 12:33

Unfortunately, I have checked the lens board, mounting, etc. I have fiddled with the lens elements trying to move them to and fro in relation to one another and the lens simply does not work. Other lenses on the same enlarger work OK.

**phillip2446** · 6-Apr-2013, 08:59

i know i am jumping late into this conversation. has your problem been resolved? i am looking for an 8x10 conversion kit for the beseler
and wanted to make sure this system will work for me.

thanks

phil

**Cletus** · 6-Apr-2013, 09:41

Anyone ever heard of a conversion kit, or design adaptable to an Omega D5-XL? Maybe something - I mean something proven, that's actually been done before - using an old 8x10 camera?