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View Full Version : Lenses for Laborator 138!



calle22
18-Feb-2010, 08:21
Ciaooooo erybooodeyyy!!!

Will make pictures from 35 mm up to large format 13x18 and need to buy two supreme lenses.

Which two lenses do you recommend me to get - anyone that really stands out?

- Heard good things about the Zeiss S Biogon 40 mm for small format negs...but please give me the options. Love it. Thank u:s!!!!

Calle

ic-racer
18-Feb-2010, 09:01
I'd get a 210mm and an 80mm. Look for Rogadon, Componon or Componon-S.

If you have a "TRIPLA" here is a good setup: 80mm Componon, 150mm Componon and 210mm Componon in Durst mounts.

My 1840 won't focus a 50mm on the tripla, but I think on your 138 you could replace that 80mm with a 50mm and it will focus. Check the 138 manual for sure.

Bjorn Nilsson
20-Feb-2010, 09:31
As ic-racer points out, 80mm is a better choice as the short lens. As it's so easy to lower the table on the 138 you don't have to worry about lens to paper distance anyhow. You can still easily make a 50x75cm or larger from a 35mm neg. (You will need a tube for mounting the 80mm lens as seen on the picture attached to the above post.)
As for lens quality, of course the Componon-S, Apo Componon or Apo Rodagon will be better, but at a cost. You can find a nice 80mm f/5.6 Componon or Rodagon for very little money, while the Apo lenses still are quite pricey.
If you shoot a lot of 13x18, a high quality 210mm lens may be neccessary, else a "standard" 210mm Componon or Rodagon will serve you well, as you don't need to enlarge the already large negatives that much. (You may get away with a 180mm if you use a coldlight head or a color head, but it's difficult to get even illumination with the condenser system.)
Personally I have a 13x18 back for my Sinar, but I mostly shoot 4x5". Given that fact, I know that I can use my 210mm Rodagon, but I found a nice 150mm Rodagon for very little money and it's matches with my current selection of enlarger condensers, so I rather use the 150. Of course I want a Apo-Componon HM, but it's rather expensive and hard to find second-hand.
You don't tell, but unless you have a color head, you have to take into account the condenser system, which is quite sensitivly balanced to the choice of lenses. That is, the condenser lenses are supposed to be chosen to focus/direct the light correctly for the chosen enlarger lens. But these condenser lenses are readily available on *bay. (The german *bay is the place to shop if you're in Europe.)

//Björn

calle22
20-Feb-2010, 10:14
Thank you!

To my understanding you would not recommend something like the Carl Zeiss S-Orthoplanar 60mm F4.0 to make pictures from 35 mm negatives? C

Bjorn Nilsson
21-Feb-2010, 08:39
The CZ lens is supposed to be an outstanding lens, so go ahead. While it's supposed to have very high resolution power, you have to have the enlarger perfectly aligned to take any advantage of it, as the lens is best at f/5.6 or so. Also bear in mind that photographic paper cannot resolve anything close to the the lens abilties, as this is a special purpose lens (electronics?), so while it's nice to own such a lens, it's very hard to see any difference.
Now, just make sure that you find the proper mounting tube for it. It has to be mounted like the 80mm in the picture from ic-racer above and possibly even deeper.
With that lens (60mm) you'll need the 130 and 85 condensers to get the optimum light focus and even illumination.
While it isn't neccessary to use the TRIPLA turret lens mount, it certainly looks nice. But with the tube mount for the 80mm (and of course also the CZ 60mm discussed here) you have to take it out as it cannot turn. The shortest lens which will turn is about 100-105mm as it mounted on a flat lensboard and it doesn't protrude upwards.
As I personally don't shoot much 35mm it doesn't matter to me, so for my 'blad negs I use a 105mm Rodagon and the other two lenses in my turret is a 150mm and a 210mm, also Rodagons.

calle22
21-Feb-2010, 10:54
Tack Björn!

Goa grejer/Calle