Questions about two G-Claron's and a mystery (process?) lens

[Tin Can]

That reminds me Drew

I need to try my EL NIKKOR 240 mm f5.6 on my Deardorff

now need anther 8" lens board

Good idea!

Thank you

[John Layton]

I've had great luck using a 150 G-Claron (most recent design) as a wide angle enlarging lens for the 5x7 format - enabling really nice quality 30x40 prints done vertically on my Zone VI series II enlarger. Seems to be a "sweet-spot" for this lens when put to such a use.

[nitroplait]

I've had great luck using a 150 G-Claron (most recent design) as a wide angle enlarging lens for the 5x7 format - enabling really nice quality 30x40 prints done vertically on my Zone VI series II enlarger. Seems to be a "sweet-spot" for this lens when put to such a use.

Great to know.
My housing situation doesn’t allow a permanent darkroom, so my darkroom work is limited to medium format, 35mm and contact prints 3-5 times a year. But one can hope for a near future with a large format enlarger which doesn’t have to be put away

[nitroplait]

The front and rear elements should unscrew from the barrel mount and screw into a Copal 0 (150mm) and Copal 1 shutter (240mm), respectively. You can check the spacing with calipers if you want but 99% of the time things will match perfectly.

If the front or rear is stuck, try grasping it and turning with one of those rubber things people use for stuck jars in the kitchen.

I separated all now.
Your suggestion came in handy in combination with a sheet of rubber.
I can’t seem to separate the “aperture barrel” from the large circular plate.
It doesn’t matter too much now, but would be nice if it were to be used as an enlarger lens in the future.

[notorius]

I've had great luck using a 150 G-Claron (most recent design) as a wide angle enlarging lens for the 5x7 format - enabling really nice quality 30x40 prints done vertically on my Zone VI series II enlarger. Seems to be a "sweet-spot" for this lens when put to such a use.

Interesting! Does the relatively small aperture make focusing troublesome? What was the working aperture you were using for 30x40 prints?

[John Layton]

While I typically try for an enlarging lens aperture range of between 8 and 16, the fact that my Heiland LED VC light source is so very bright allows me to use the 150 G-Claron at what has been referred to by several knowledgeable folks as its "optimal" aperture of f/22.

What's interesting is that the 150 G-Claron (or at least my two examples) seems also to work optimally at around 4 to 6X (linear) magnification, and when pressed into service on my (DIY) horizontal enlarger, its performance falls apart somewhat when compared to my 180mm Companon-S lens. The Companon-S is also visibly sharper printing to sizes smaller than about 20 x 28.

But for anything from about 20 x 28 to 30 x 40 (from 5x7 negatives), that little G-Claron really excels!

While this lens is also a decent performer as a "taking" lens for the 5x7 format, it does not exactly knock my socks off - so in the field I tend to use a 150mm Apo-Symmar L, which performs a bit better (at least to my eye and methods of employment) but in truth I've always lusted after the ever-elusive, ultra pricy 150 Apo Sironar W.

[Mark J]

I do have some concerns about focusing around the picture on a 150/9 on 5x7" for mid-to-distant objects, the sharpness is pretty poor off-axis at f/9. May be OK in the desert in the US, maybe not so good in the UK....