Annyone ever tried using an I-22 or I-50 as an enlarger lens?

[shimo-kitasnap]

Has annyone ever tried using their I-22 or I-50 as an enlarger lens?

If so what's it like? I'm thinking of getting one of these little collapsible but can't decide on which to get, is there really a difference?

I'd like to use it for shooting and for the enlarger.

Thanks,

 

[OldNick]

I've not used the FSU 50s for enlarging, but I have used the Leica 50/3.5 Elmar on my enlarger many years ago, and it worked fine. If I recall correctly, the FSU lenses are quite similar to the Elmar.

Jim N.

 

[shimo-kitasnap]

What aperture did you do most of your enlarging at?

 

[OldNick]

Its been more than 40 years. I suspect I used something around f/8, but I cannot be sure.

Jim N.

 

[shimo-kitasnap]

Would it be any different from using a regular enlarger lens?

 

[projectbluebird]

Leica manual to the rescue!

"However, if the diaphragm is stopped down a small amount, almost any camera lens may be used on an enlarger as well. ...will perform excellently when stopped down to f/8 or smaller."

My copy talks about both Elmars (2.8 and 3.5) the only lens specifically mentioned as not working is the Summilux, because of it's size. It also mentions an attachment with click stops to make using the 3.5 elmar easier, you might want to look into finding one. I don't know if it would word on the russian lenses though.

good luck, hope you have fun!

 

[rolleistef]

Isn't there a problem with the heat produced by the lamp? I've heard it could cause lens separation?

 

[MartinP]

By the time you get as far as the lens most of the radiant-heat will have been lost through the condenser, heat-filter and lens-stage - on all the enlargers I have ever used anyway.

An enlarging lens should be designed slightly differently than a picture lens as the distances from the object to the image are the "other way round". The smaller aperture you use, the more degradation from diffraction you will see (certainly below f.11) and the longer will be your printing times.

On the nameless auction-site (and elsewhere) "real" enlarger lenses are pretty damn cheap these days, so . . .

 

[rxmd]

Whether it works depends on your enlarger. On my Magnifax 4, I can't use any Leica standard 50's because the lens holder on the enlarger won't go close enough to the film plane so I can't focus. If it does focus, they are quite good. The I-61 is probably the best of the lot again, and it has click stops.

 

[sienarot]

Hmm... I wonder what results from a summar would look like. Perhaps I'll have to try it out one of these days.

 

[ErnestoJL]

I´ve read in somewhere that russian 50´s were also planned to use as enlarging lens, specially those old types like the collapsible I 22.
Zeiss made during the thirties an adapter to be used with the old Tessars (Contax mount) in enlargers, and many photographers used their Leitz lenses in enlargers without trouble, as long as enlarging lens were expensive and hard to find. So, it would be reasonable to think that russian made lenses were also planned to use in enlargers.
Besides, the Industars are not Elmar clones but Tessar clones.

Cheers

Ernesto

 

[MartinP]

On my Magnifax 4, I can't use any Leica standard 50's because the lens holder on the enlarger won't go close enough to the film plane so I can't focus.

Hi Rxmd, probably you have already tried this, but I recall that on my Meopta (an Opemus 5a) the lens mount was on a cup shaped alloy ring. There was a depth of a centimetre or so, and it was intended to be reversible.

That is to say, you can unscrew the lens from the "convex" side of the mounting-ring and then screw it on the "concave" side. If the mounting systems of these Meopta enlargers are the same, that will bring it a bit closer to the neg stage and might do the trick.

 

[xayraa33]

why not buy a used enlarging lens?
they are practically being given away.

 

[rxmd]

Hi Martin,

Hi Rxmd, probably you have already tried this, but I recall that on my Meopta (an Opemus 5a) the lens mount was on a cup shaped alloy ring. There was a depth of a centimetre or so, and it was intended to be reversible.

That is to say, you can unscrew the lens from the "convex" side of the mounting-ring and then screw it on the "concave" side. If the mounting systems of these Meopta enlargers are the same, that will bring it a bit closer to the neg stage and might do the trick.

Thanks, but unfortunately I've already tried that as well 🙂

Philipp

 

[rolleistef]

may consider using one then... My Krokus takes M42 so I could use Pentax mount lenses with it...