Wide angle lens for Durst 138

Hi,

we are new to this forum, posting from Barcelona.

We recently bought a Durst 138 enlarger with a Laborator 138 light head, condensers Latico 240 and 130, old piece of art, but we got it to work. Comes with 210, 150 and 105 Schneider Kreuznach lenses. As there was no bulb inside, we mounted a 24V/250Watts Halogen Bulb (too strong?). So, Paola was working on our Durst CLS 450 until now with 6x6 negative format and as we put this negative into the 138, the resulting picture was pretty small. So we tried a 80mm and a 75mm lens from the other enlarger Durst CLS 450. They both fit into the lensboard and the resulting picture is big now, but we cannot get it to focus until we are very close to the lens, means very small picture again. For some focal length reason these lenses won't work on the 138. What is the reason? Wrong lens? Or can we adjust some settings on the enlarger to use these lenses? We are missing something....

Thanks a lot for helping us.
Cheers Paola & Lucian

you have to get a recessed lens board :) durst made them, but if you go to a lathe mechinist or a good craftsman he will make one for you (make a model in cardboard first and measure!

Cheers

Rui Lourosa

And that enlarger is a tad large for 6x6 :)

Good to read that the enlarger is working. Download and read the 138 manual. http://www.durst-pro-usa.com/pdf/man...38S_manual.pdf

You don't need a wide angle lens. That enlarger will work just fine for 6x6. You just have to use the correct lens/lensboard/condenser set for each format. For medium format, you need a recessed lens board, either a Seipla or Seitopla lens board for an 80 mm lens, with a 200/130 condenser set, or for a 105 mm lens a 240/130 conderser set. You have a 105 mm lens which will probably fit on a flat lens board and the 240/130 condenser set. Don't use the 75mm or 80 because you don't have a 200 condenser. Put a WTB ad on this list and see who answers. Also, Ginette has a bunch of Durst lens boards. Search for her and PM her.

You really need to read the manual:

https://www.trippingthroughthedark.c...structions.pdf

or the newer enlarger at

http://www.durst-pro-usa.com/pdf/man...38S_manual.pdf

Saludos,

L

Welcome to the Durst 138 Club. I think Luis deserves a medal for helping out so many people, myself included.

I'm also trying to put together a medium format solution on the Durst 138. What do people think about the 75mm Componar enlarger lenses for 6x6? They're readily available at cheap prices so I bought one and am waiting for it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Larry Kellogg

What do people think about the 75mm Componar enlarger lenses for 6x6?

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I have a 150 Comparon and it works great on 4x5 at moderate enlargements. Hard to tell the different 150 mm lenses until you get to 5X or larger enlargements. The 75 Componar should work better than that WA thingie you were trying to use. L

It might make sense to just get a longer lens for 6x6. A 100mm lens will focus on a flat baord. This is especially desirable if you have the turret as the recessed boards stop the turret from turning.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Larry Kellogg

What do people think about the 75mm Componar enlarger lenses for 6x6?

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I've never used one. They are not highly regarded, which is probably why they are cheap. The Componar line was the budget lineup with a simpler optical formula. Still I doubt they are actually bad, probably just not as good as the 6 element Componons.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Larry Kellogg

Welcome to the Durst 138 Club. I think Luis deserves a medal for helping out so many people, myself included.

I'm also trying to put together a medium format solution on the Durst 138. What do people think about the 75mm Componar enlarger lenses for 6x6? They're readily available at cheap prices so I bought one and am waiting for it.

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Componar? You should be able to get a six element lens at a reasonable price. I even put a six-element lens on my kids enlarger. Since you already bought it, you can see for yourself if you like it. Grain focus on the center then check all 4 corners with the magnifier. If you are happy with that then OK.
I got a new Componar as a birthday present in the 1970s. It was expensive back then and I cherished that German lens. However, when I got to college I realized how blurry the corners were and got rid of it.