ltm as enlarging lens

[sanmich]

Hi

Did anyone here ever experienced with a regular ltm lens on an enlarger ?

maybe a 21mm could be fun if the head allows for such a distance between the film and lens. 😱

But without going so wild, a 35mm to reach large prints?

I am sure they are some serious drawbacks but what are they?

Michael

 

[vicmortelmans]

I'm not that experienced in dark-room and certainly not professionaly equipped... I have a very old enlarger that came with no lens and I attached an M42 takumar 50mm f/2 to it. Works quite all right, but then again: I have no other reference, and I don't think my quality standards meet those of other RFF-members.

OK, that's not an LTM-lens, but not dedicated to enlarger either.

Groeten,
Vic

 

[EmilGil]

Enlarger lenses are optimized for flat field projection and minimal distortion to achieve maximum sharpness across the whole print. For a more theoretic approach to these lenses, try to find a copy of Ctein's "Post exposure". There is a great listing of a number of enlarger lenses there, along with their best f-stops and enlarger ratios.

Professional 6-element enlarger lenses, such as Rodenstock Rodagon, EL-Nikkor and Schneider Componon are available for petty cash today so unless you are on an extreme budget, I can't see the point in using your camera lenses. I bought a Componon 80/4 for £10 and a Fuijnon Ex 50/2.8 for $30 a year ago, both marvellous, pin-sharp lenses.

 

[vicmortelmans]

what kind of mounts do enlargers lenses come with? I attached the M42 camera lens by glueing a part from an extension tube to the enlarger... how will I succeed in attaching 'real' enlarger lens??

Btw. my enlarger is of the 'condenser' type, I think, as it has two lens elements between the light source and the negative; is that right? Does this impact the type of lens you should use?

Groeten,
Vic

 

[skahde]

Enlarger lenses are optimized for flat field projection and minimal distortion to achieve maximum sharpness across the whole print.

Add to that minimal falloff. Taken together, an enlarging lens is fun to work with if it fulfills the above criteria. If it doesn't, trouble kicks in and the fun is gone pretty fast: Dark corners, bend or even wavy lines a the borders, uneven sharpness with crisp to mushy grain over the field.

Some of the very best taking lenses work quite well for enlarging, though. But those are the exceptions to the rule.

Stefan

 

[Bryce]

I tried using an Industar 61 on my Beseler 23c, thinking that it might be somewhat like using a Holga to take the picture in the first place. The results were much less interesting than I'd hoped; the enlarger won't even close to focus on the easel with a LTM camera lens!
Needless to say I was a little bummed, though not all that. There are other ways to get rid of unwanted image quality.

 

[EmilGil]

Most enlargers accept either 25mm or 39mm mounts. Some camera lenses are indeed possible to mount, whereas others are not, this depends on the lens-flange-to-film distance. I'd guess that normal to short tele focal lenghts are the easiest to use and that the shorter the focal length, the harder to find a mount deep enough. There are a few wide-angle enlarger lenses, such as the WA-Rodagons (40mm and 60mm) optimized for big enlargments but with the same flange-to-film distance as normal enlarger lenses.

Condenser enlargers give a slightly higher contrast and a more pronounced grain structure than does a diffusor enlarger. Whether this should influence your choice of lens I can't answer, I think that an adjustment of film development time is more appropriate.

Stefan: Can you suggest some lenses that will work both in the darkroom and in the field?

 

[minoltist7]

what kind of mounts do enlargers lenses come with? I attached the M42 camera lens by glueing a part from an extension tube to the enlarger... how will I succeed in attaching 'real' enlarger lens??

afaik Leitz enlargers use 39mm thread, and LTM camera lenses i.e. Elmar can be used

 

[feenej]

I took a picture with my enlarger lens on my Bessa R one time. You have to move the camera back and forth to focus.