Uncle Fester
Well-known
I recently acquired an old Valoy II enlarger. It is one of the older black crackle finished units, not the newer gray version. Included with the enlarger was a Leitz Elmar 5cm lens. The lens is definitely not a camera lens as there is no provision for focusing this lens when it is mounted on a camera. The enlarger and lens appear to date back to the early to mid 1950's. The lens is coated, and is marked as follows, on the lens barrel;
Ernst Leitz Wetzlar
Germany
Elmar f=5cm 1: 3,5 FOOLY
The lens barrel looks like the 60mm Focotar from the Focomat 2C enlarger and it has click stops. Instead of the f numbers that we usually see on lenses, such as 3.5, 4, 5.6. etc, the aperture ring is marked 1 2 3 4 6 and 10. When the the aperture ring is set at 1, the lens is wide open.
I'm not asking whether this lens is good or not, printing with it will answer that question for me. I'm just curious about it since I've never heard of or encountered this lens before. Does anybody out there have any information to share regarding this lens?
Thank you,
Mike
Ernst Leitz Wetzlar
Germany
Elmar f=5cm 1: 3,5 FOOLY
The lens barrel looks like the 60mm Focotar from the Focomat 2C enlarger and it has click stops. Instead of the f numbers that we usually see on lenses, such as 3.5, 4, 5.6. etc, the aperture ring is marked 1 2 3 4 6 and 10. When the the aperture ring is set at 1, the lens is wide open.
I'm not asking whether this lens is good or not, printing with it will answer that question for me. I'm just curious about it since I've never heard of or encountered this lens before. Does anybody out there have any information to share regarding this lens?
Thank you,
Mike
Last edited:
payasam
a.k.a. Mukul Dube
Saw (and used) something of the kind back in 1965 or so, but know nothing other than that I had no reason to complain. Particularly as the lens is coated, it may need a cleaning.
Uncle Fester
Well-known
Hi,
Thank you for your reply. I just cleaned the front and rear surfaces of the lens and it is in very good condition. The glass is clean and clear, and I could not see any scratches, fungus or haze. The coating seems to be in excellent condition. It will be a week or two until I am able to print anything with it, since my darkroom is in the process of being rebuilt in a new location. I hope that it will make a nice addition to the enlarging lenses I already use. I was mainly interested in the enlarger and this lens just happened to be attached to it and was included in the sale.
Thanks,
Mike
Ronald M
Veteran
I used a borrowed one decades ago. Look for something better.
Original 4.5 Focotars are optimised for 5x7, only ok to 8x10.
The large front element model is a very nice lens and dead flat field. Schneider design and build.
Focotar 2. Lots of contrast and resolution, but they give up a flat field to get it.
Focotar 3. Exists only on paper.
I use my two large front element samples. Occasionally the Focotar 2 has been on the enlarger 3 times in 20+ years.
40mm Focotar will not work on a condenser enlarger.
Original 4.5 Focotars are optimised for 5x7, only ok to 8x10.
The large front element model is a very nice lens and dead flat field. Schneider design and build.
Focotar 2. Lots of contrast and resolution, but they give up a flat field to get it.
Focotar 3. Exists only on paper.
I use my two large front element samples. Occasionally the Focotar 2 has been on the enlarger 3 times in 20+ years.
40mm Focotar will not work on a condenser enlarger.