Recommended enlarging lens for 8x10 Durst

[Jon Wilson]

Well, I am getting very excited about the establishment of my darkroom and small studio. A portion of the darkroom ceiling is being raised so that my recently purchased Durst 8x10 Enlarger CLS-2000 which has a color head can be fully extend to its maximum 9 feet. The 8x10 enlarger should be installed by the end of next week and hopefully a 220 power outlet installed by that time too.

This enlarger comes with a 210mm Rodagon lens installed. I believe there are other Rodagon lens ranging from 300mm down to 50mm. I have several process lens, e.g., 240mm Kowa, 270mm Kowa, 305mm Kowa, 420mm Rodenstock, 610mm Rodenstock, 760mm Rodenstock, etc. (some of these may not fit this enlarger). I have minimal experience in the darkroom and that over 30+ years ago printing with 35mm negatives. I realize I will be able to test several lens and decide which would be best for my needs for a given negative, but I would like some guidance to narrow the field.

Also, is there any advantage to setting up additional enlargers, e.g., 4x5, 5x7, provided there is sufficient space? Prior to acquiring this 8x10 enlarger last week, I had previously acquired a Saunders LPL 4x5 and a Zone VI 5x7 unit.

Needless to say, I may need to narrow the field of surplus equipment.

All assistance is appreciated. In fact, if you are in my neighborhood, come on by and we can try it out.

Jon

[Allen in Montreal]

Jon,

Congratulations!

You have the height for a 300 Rodagon, very nice lens.
I would think your Kowa 305 would be very nice too.

If you look in IC-Racer's thread on his Durst 1840 renovation there are some measures with different focal lengths vs print size. They are also in the durst manual, but mine vary slightly from the manual.

The 360 is huge and a very nice piece of glass, but you won't be making murals with it.

I don't see the point in a 240 Rodagon for you since you have the height to carry the 300mm.
The 210 is nice for 5x7, you just need a 150 for the 4x5 and you are set. I would never ditch my 138s or my Focomat V35, but I think that is personal.
What kind of neg carriers do you have? Will you sandwich the smaller negs or Lapfe them?

Just about anyone who starts to use a big Durst falls in love with them, so let the love affair begin and enjoy the ride!

[Jon Wilson]

Thanks Allen. It has a 10x10 glass negative carrier and came with 4 sheets of 10x10 Anti-Newton Glass (3 of them new). The prior owner made a 5x7 mask and inserted in the holder so he could enlarge 5x7 negs.

I am not sure if I will make similar masks or perhaps have the 4x5 and 5x7 enlargers setup and ready for their respective negatives.

You are right, I will not be making murals...

The print developing system the seller made for making prints is unique...or at least it is to me. He designed a unit with 5 slots (similar to a washer, e.g., Zone VI, Salthill, etc.) and each slot will hold 5 gallons of chemicals. Each slot has a lid which seals the air out when not in use. The slots are about 24 inches x 3 inches each. This limits the chemicals exposure to air and thus, the chemicals can last 6 months. This will save lots of time in actually printing the pictures since I won't have to set out the chemicals in trays each time. The downside is I am not able to view the print as it is developing. Thus, I will lose more photographs until I determine the exposure I prefer.

I am stoked; I realize it will be long learning curve for me.....but as you know the ride will be fun!

Jon

[ic-racer]

This is my personal lens setup (though subject to change any time )

8x10 negative -> 1:1 -> 305mm process lens
8x10 negative-> up to the full baseboard size -> 300mm Rodagon (non-G)
8x10 negative-> up to full baseboard size without getting on my knees->Fujinar 250mm (still need to mount that one on a board)
8x10 negative-> on the wall -> 360mm Componon

I just finished filling my Tripla with a set of 3 Componons and developed a slick masking procedure. So I have been experimenting with the thought of doing 35mm, 6x6, 6x9 and 4x5 on the Durst. Mostly just to see how it would work out, I don't think I'd stop using my two 4x5 enlargers though.

I'm thinking I'd use the Durst 8x10 with the small formats just when I wanted to project them on the wall.

On my Tripla I have the Durst branded 150mm, 210mm and 80mm.

I also just got the Laratub so I could also use that with an 80 or 50mm.


Just last night I figured out a cool way for masking the smaller formats. On the Negateil negative carrier there are slots to accept a masking panels that come in from the sides and go right under the negative carrier. I made some cardboard masks with appropriate sized holes in them for the little format negatives. Now I can easily slide those cardboard mask in when needed.

[bob carnie]

This is a great enlarger, I use a 360 and a 300 with it , you also can adapt for smaller film and use smaller lenses

have fun, an incredible piece of equipment you are installing.

[SAShruby]

Jon?

Does your enlarger comes with a big grey box, you have to hang it on the wall? Also it has somewhat cumbersome, heavy remote which operates enlarger. If you have something like that, we have same type of enlarger .

[mhulsman]

This is my personal lens setup (though subject to change any time )

8x10 negative-> up to the full baseboard size -> 300mm Rodagon (non-G)

Why the non-G ????
Is a +G better than a non-G on baseboard level ?

Mike

[Jon Wilson]

Jon?

Does your enlarger comes with a big grey box, you have to hang it on the wall? Also it has somewhat cumbersome, heavy remote which operates enlarger. If you have something like that, we have same type of enlarger .

I am not sure. It comes with an 8x10 and 4x5 mixing box and as to the heavy remote unit, I don't think so.

I will post some pictures of the darkroom as it progresses. My friend made the cut in the ceiling today and will be framing it in tomorrow so the enlarger and literally reach the roof (about 9+ feet)
Jon

[cory stickley]

Hey Jon! Congratulations!

We are at about the same stage of development with our Dursts.
Mine(a very ancient beast) got moved into a new darkroom recently, but I wasn't ready to use it. Last fall several of the very knowledgeable people on this forum, guided me through the process of figuring out if I should enlarge horizontally or vertically, and then what lens I needed.
The 360mm I had just was not going to work for what I wanted. Even though I had the headroom, I didn't really want to work on my hands and knees
In the end, I bought a 240 mm Rodenstock, then a Vapla lens board and flange to mount it. Just last Friday, I made my first 11x14 enlargements from my 8 x 10 negs.
I am thrilled with the results.
Using that lens for vertical projection suits my needs. In the future, I may look for a 300 lens but for now, I am very happy with this set up.
Have fun with the Durst. Would love to hear how you like the 300mm lens.

[ic-racer]

Why the non-G ????
Is a +G better than a non-G on baseboard level ?

Mike

For me, full-baseboard-size is 40" or so. That is 4x which is right in the middle range for the "non-G" lens.

The "G" is for 10x and up (or something like that).

Technically everyone speaks of optimization for a given magnification range. I think of it more in terms of optimization for a given Negative-to-Lens distance. As you can imagine the rays coming in from the edges of an 8x10 negative projected at 1:1 form quite a different angle with the lens 600mm from the negative compared to a Wall-Sized print where the lens is like 305mm from the negative. Also, the maximum sharp image circle will be important with a Wall-Sized print, whereas with smaller prints you are just using the center of the circle.