240mm vs 300mm for Beseler 45V-XL with 8x10 Conversion?

Hi, I am looking into a new lens for my Beseler 45V-XL with the 8x10 cold light conversion kit.

Which lens will produce the biggest print size on the baseboard, the 240 or the 300, and what is the size of the print?

I was hoping to be able to create 30"x40" prints.


Thanks

The 240mm lens will provide more magnfication for the same distance, to 'make the bigger print' on the baseboard. The real question is whether or not it can provide the necessary coverage to enlarge the entire 8x10" area of the film without vignetting.

Maximum size, I can't say, but the 240 will produce a larger print than the 300, all other things being equal. Regardless, I don't think even with the 45 V-XL you'll be able to hit 30x40 on the baseboard. The Beseler specs say "Larger than 24x36" but don't define how much. With the 8x10 conversion head, unless your darkroom has very tall ceilings, you may not be able to take advantage of the full column height, so you wouldn't be able to hit the 24x36 inch size anyway.

Thanks for the info, very helpful.

Thank you. Exactly what I needed to know. I appreciate it.

Anyone have experience and an opinion about Nikkor 240mm F5.6 vs. Rodenstock Rodagon 240mm F5.6 for an 8x10 enlarging lens?

wiltw said:

The 240mm lens will provide more magnfication for the same distance, to 'make the bigger print' on the baseboard. The real question is whether or not it can provide the necessary coverage to enlarge the entire 8x10" area of the film without vignetting.

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No, the real question is whether ANY 240 f/5.6 lens will fit on an enlarger that was made for a much smaller enlarging lens. The Beseler conversion I believe was designed to use the 240 HD Beseler, aka 240 Gerogon f/9 which is a much smaller lens. Forget the 300 unless you get a real 8x10 enlarger and not a conversion. L

Luis-F-S said:

...the real question is whether ANY 240 f/5.6 lens will fit on an enlarger that was made for a much smaller enlarging lens...

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The answer is "sure," as long as one obtains an appropriate adapter: