4.0 or 5.6?

outwest said:

But there can be quite a bit of difference between a Componar, a Comparon, a Componon, a Componon-S, and an Apo Componon HM.

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There can also be a huge difference between a Componon, a Componon and a Componon. The product-to-product variation is quite large. It's best to try before you buy, or insist on the right to return (especially eBay).

scinysnaps said:

OK, sorry for the confusion. We have to some degree determined that there is NOT a lot of difference except for some situations.
All things considered, I am comparing a Componon/Componon-S 4.0 to a Componon/Componon-S 5.6
I will not be doing any contact printing, nor anything above 16x16 from my 6x6 negs

As a footnote, I already own a 5.6 Componon... The question would be: Is it worth the extra expense to upgrade to a Componon/Componon-S 4.0
Would I be able to the tell the difference ( apart from brighter focusing ) in the aforementioned applications?

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Probably not, unless you happen to have a bad one.

You need to try it out - to find out for yourself

A couple of years ago I found my 150mm Componon-S not only focus shifted as it was stopped down but also flared badly too.

Until that point I had been happy with it, as it seemed physically undamaged, with nice clean glass when looked through and was sharp corner to corner.

I only found out about the focus shift by accident - I happened to re-check my focus with the lens stopped down after making a small adjustment

The Lens Flare was found only by comparing my Schneider with someone elses’ Enlarging Lens - I got slightly punchier prints - which caused my to investigate further

Only by trying another lens are you able to find out if the lens you have is adequate/sufficient

Martin

scinysnaps said:

As a footnote, I already own a 5.6 Componon... The question would be: Is it worth the extra expense to upgrade to a Componon/Componon-S 4.0
Would I be able to the tell the difference ( apart from brighter focusing ) in the aforementioned applications?

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Probably not worth the trouble in the current market, but if you happen to come across an Apo-Rodagon (N) or Apo-Componon (HM) of the right focal length, that would be worth considering. Note that there are a lot of inexpensive Apo-Rodagon D lenses out there, which aren't really optimized to be enlarging lenses.

RalphLambrecht said:

There can also be a huge difference between a Componon, a Componon and a Componon. The product-to-product variation is quite large. It's best to try before you buy, or insist on the right to return (especially eBay).

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Very true! But, I didn't want to open that can of worms;-) I will say that is how I chose my lenses - by acquiring multiple examples of various models and makers and testing them against each other using Ctein's method and keeping the best in practice.

outwest said:

Very true! But, I didn't want to open that can of worms;-) I will say that is how I chose my lenses - by acquiring multiple examples of various models and makers and testing them against each other using Ctein's method and keeping the best in practice.

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I must admit, it was his book where I learned this fact as well.