Are Beseler Color Pro lenses good for black and white? Better than Componon?

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Beseler marketed Hoya's 50/2.8 lens (f16 minimum aperture) in the US from 1979-1985 under the 'Color Pro' brand, tacking on a larger rubber aperture grip. Beseler Color Pro lenses from this period (including the 75/4.5, 90/5.6, 105/5.6 and 135/5.6) had straight-eight apertures and were optically identical to the Osawa/Tominon/Yashica/Hoya-branded models.

In 1985 they switched suppliers to Kowa. The post-1985 Color Pro range consisted of a new Kowa-made 50/2.8 (f22 min aperture), faster 75/2.8 and 90/4.5 models, a new 80/4.5 and 105/5.6 and 135/5.6 as before, but with different minimum apertures. The shorter lenses had curved eight-blade apertures. The longer ones had scalloped ten-blade apertures. Computar, who had a hand in their design, sold the same lenses branded Computar DL.

Source: www.deltalenses.com

 

[16:9]

I reached out to Ctein to confirm which version he tested in 1985 – right on the cusp of the changeover. He was unable to recall, but it's likely that his Beseler Color Pro 50/2.8 was the same as the Computar DL he records as performing 'very similarly'. The Hoya-made 50/2.8 is a little inferior to the Kowa/Computar, and Beseler would probably have been keen to field their best (new) player.

In belated response to the original question: it depends which Color Pro, and which Componon, you're comparing. The best Componons are among the best enlarger lenses made; the best Color Pro was very good, too. The worst of each is inferior to the EL-Nikkor 50/2.8. There's a new 50mm Supergroup review comparing them as taking lenses at Delta, where the widest ever (and ongoing) survey of enlarger lens performance has/is been/being undertaken.