Enlarging vs Contact Printing and Old Glass

[Smitty]

Anyone made enlargements from images shot with old glass, for example going from 4x5 negatives shot with classic lenses then enlarge to 8x10 or larger. Do the contact prints look better than an enlargment?

Thanks, Steve

[Jim Andrada]

Steve, it isn't clear what you're asking. Are you asking if an enlargement from a 4 x 5 negative to 8 x 10 looks better or worse than a contact print from an 8 x 10 negative (made with the same or different lens)? Or if the 8 x 10 enlargement looks worse than the 4 x 5 contact print? And what do you mean by "better"? Sharper, more aesthetically appealing, easier to see on the wall or ... ???

And what would you consider a "classic" lens - maybe a Lancaster Meniscus, or an old Protar casket set or a relatively modern but uncoated lens or a single coated lens vs a multi-coated lens or ...?

I'd imagine that practically everybody on this forum has made enlargements from 4 x 5 or 5 x 7 or something with "old" glass if "old" means from the 1950's or 40's.

If you can restate the question I'm sure you'll get a lot of opinions, but as it is, it's sort of an unanswerable question.

And by the way, by "enlargement" do you mean by analog (enlarger) or digital (scan and print) or...?