Best quality yet affordable enlarging lens for 4x5?

tallenpatterson · Jul 5, 2016

I'm sitting on several nice enlarging lenses, though none able to cover 4x5. They include the Schneider 90mm HM, Schneider 45mm HM, Rodenstock 50mm N, and Rodenstock 50mm G.

So, what I'm wanting to do is sell some if not most and purchase something that will cover 4x5 and medium format.

I'm curious as to what's out there that will do so while not breaking the bank. Your thoughts?

Robert Ley · Jul 5, 2016

Good enlarging lenses are relatively cheap, great lenses retain more of there value. In the next week I will be putting up for sale a couple of 135 mm lenses that work very well for 4x5. Keep an eye on the FS section or PM me.

Old-N-Feeble · Jul 5, 2016

You have some very nice PRICEY lenses. Don't let someone low-ball you. Evaluate them carefully and sell them on eBay. If yours are in excellent condition then they're worth far more than enough to fund one of the very best 4x5 enlarging lenses ever made... 150mm Apo Componon HM in excellent condition!!

What size medium format? That Apo 90 HM is fantastic!! You could keep that for 6x7cm and still raise enough money selling the others to buy a Apo 150 HM.

tallenpatterson · Jul 5, 2016

Old-N-Feeble said:
You have some very nice PRICEY lenses. Don't let someone low-ball you. Evaluate them carefully and sell them on eBay. If yours are in excellent condition then they're worth far more than enough to fund one of the very best 4x5 enlarging lenses ever made... 150mm Apo Componon HM in excellent condition!!

What size medium format? That Apo 90 HM is fantastic!! You could keep that for 6x7cm and still raise enough money selling the others to buy a Apo 150 HM.

Thank you for the info! Let me ask, If I also plan to use a XPan, which lens of this group would you suggest keeping for that purpose?

Old-N-Feeble · Jul 6, 2016

I don't know the size of XPan images but assuming 24x72mm the 'normal' focal length would be 75mm. So for small prints a typical 60-65mm enlarging lens would probably suffice. But for large prints, your current 90mm HM would be excellent... perfect!! In that case, I would keep the 90mm HM.

RalphLambrecht · Jul 6, 2016

tallenpatterson said:
I'm sitting on several nice enlarging lenses, though none able to cover 4x5. They include the Schneider 90mm HM, Schneider 45mm HM, Rodenstock 50mm N, and Rodenstock 50mm G.

So, what I'm wanting to do is sell some if not most and purchase something that will cover 4x5 and medium format.

I'm curious as to what's out there that will do so while not breaking the bank. Your thoughts?

I'm partial to the EL Nikkor150mm,perfect quality;like all EL Nikons

ac12 · Jul 6, 2016

135 or 150mm from:
- Nikon, El Nikkor
- Schneider, Componon S
- Rodenstock, Rodagon
and likely several more that I don't know about.

There are many discussions about 135 vs. 150mm for 4x5.
I have a 135mm lens for the standard height Omega D5 enlarger. If I had the vertical clearance for the XL chassis, I would use a 150mm lens.

As ONF mentioned, keep the 90mm for the MF film.

Johnkpap · Jul 6, 2016

I have 3 lenses that cover 5x4 they are a 135mm El-Nikkor, 150mm Rodagon and a Kodak 161mm the one I use the most is the 150mm Rodagon, but I have found, to my surprise that the Kodak 161mm to be very good and as they can be found for less than $50 :-this will not break the bank. You really are not going to notice any difference unless you enlarge above 16x20 inches !!!

removed account4 · Jul 6, 2016

look for an old schneider chrome barrel 135 or g claron 150 ( or 135 )
both can be found for less than 125$ each and you won't have
any troubles. you might also look for wollensak enlarging raptars
same focal lengths they are even less expensive.

Bob Carnie · Jul 6, 2016

I use the Apo Rodagon 150mm and its really nice.

Ian Grant · Jul 6, 2016

Bob Carnie said:
I use the Apo Rodagon 150mm and its really nice.

Like Bob I'm using a 150mm Rodagon that came with my De Vere 5108 about 12 years ago, I also have 135mm Componon & Componon S lenses and all 3 lenses are excellent. The markings are worn off the Rodagon which I assume is pre APO.

If you're tight on space/height then a 135mm lens is the best option and would be useful with MF as well for smaller enlargements.

Iab

DREW WILEY · Jul 6, 2016

My favorite "ordinary" enlarging lens for 4x5 is a 180 Rodagon. Being slightly longer than "normal" distinctly helps, provided you have enough column height. But if you cash in on one or two of those HM lenses, you might be able to leverage a 150 Apo Rodagon N - hard to find, but with wonderful
performance.

Patrick Robert James · Jul 6, 2016

You don't say what enlarger you are putting it on which may be a factor since a lot of longer lenses also are larger and you may not have a mount for it.

I use a 135mm Computar DL. The Computars are about as underrated as you can get. Difficult to find though. The ones I have owned have been better than the run of the mill Rodogons and Componons. I suspect their performance is close to the APO versions (I haven't tested those) but I do have an Orthoplanar which is even better supposedly. Frankly though, you wouldn't notice the difference between any of the lenses mentioned here until you got all the rest of your ducks in a row.

tallenpatterson · Jul 6, 2016

Patrick Robert James said:
You don't say what enlarger you are putting it on which may be a factor since a lot of longer lenses also are larger and you may not have a mount for it.

I use a 135mm Computar DL. The Computars are about as underrated as you can get. Difficult to find though. The ones I have owned have been better than the run of the mill Rodogons and Componons. I suspect their performance is close to the APO versions (I haven't tested those) but I do have an Orthoplanar which is even better supposedly. Frankly though, you wouldn't notice the difference between any of the lenses mentioned here until you got all the rest of your ducks in a row.

Durst 1200 4x5 and also a ZBE Sentinel w/Starlite 55. The Durst has literally everything with it and then some.

tallenpatterson · Jul 6, 2016

tallenpatterson said:
Durst 1200 4x5 and also a ZBE Sentinel w/Starlite 55. The Durst has literally everything with it and then some.

Probably letting the ZBE go though and keeping the Durst.

EdSawyer · Jul 6, 2016

The rodagon g 50 is your most valuable lens, worth 300-600usd on ebay. They are relatively uncommon.

For 4x5 lenses, I think the apo rodagon N 150 and apo componon 150 are probably the best affordable options($750-850, and $350-600, respectively.) An even better choice is the apo el nikkor 210 N, but expect to pay $3500+. Another interesting alternative that shares almost 100% of the AEN’s DNA is the nikkor am-ed 210mm large format lens. Well worth a try, esp at usual prices of $500-700.

Lower(?) grade choices include el nikkor 150A, and componon-S 150.

Ed

DREW WILEY · Jul 6, 2016

The mounts on most 4x5 enlargers simply won't support the extra wt of an Apo EL without deflecting, as if someone is really going to find one of these at a reasonable price! When I want super-duper apo performance at just one stop smaller optimum usage, I simply employ a 240 Apo Nikkor (non-EL). These are common and a relative bargain these days, and optically superior to any of the "official" enlarging lenses out there. But I've got plenty of headroom. They also allegedly exist in 180 version, but mostly only in longer focal lengths, more suitable for 8x10 or bigger negs than 4x5 work.

michr · Jul 6, 2016

I'm always stunned by the amounts others consider cheap, or too much money. If your pockets are as deep as mine, I'd first recommend a 135mm Enlarging Raptar which will set you back less than $40 on eBay for a clean one. It covers 4x5 pretty well, though a little soft and dark in the corners. I also have a 135mm Fujinon I use less often, but would recommend if you want a more modern contrasty look. If the coverage of the 135mm isn't enough, there are 162mm Raptars available for not much money <$50 on eBay as well, which I presume will cover 4x5 easily enough. I find those good enough for the work I do as an amateur. These might not be suitable at all for what you do, but when I hear "don't break the bank" this is where my mind goes.

Old-N-Feeble · Jul 6, 2016

^^^ Of course that's correct, michr. But the OP already has some extremely nice lenses to either keep or sell to raise funds for others. He/she has far more than enough value in what he has to raise funds and buy some of the very best lenses available in the two focal lengths he needs. You're right if he wants to raise as much cash as possible and spend as little as possible.

What we don't have a definition of is the size of the 'bank'. If the definition is less than the value of his existing lenses, that's easy... he can buy two of the best lenses available and still have cash left over. We also don't know the lower limit of quality is acceptable nor the magnification ratios.

Kilgallb · Jul 6, 2016

I bought a rodagon 150 mm for only $25 two years ago. It was a steal and well worth it.

Ai Print · Jul 16, 2016

tallenpatterson said:
Thank you for the info! Let me ask, If I also plan to use a XPan, which lens of this group would you suggest keeping for that purpose?

For Xpan negs I use a 90mm F4 Rodagon Apo so your 90mm HM is pretty much perfect. If I were to ever have the space to do mural work, I would use my 105mm F5.6 Rodagon G for that format.

For 4x5 I use a 150 F4 Rodagon Apo N, hard to find but spectacular lens, amazingly bright to focus with even at 20x24 and simply superb print quality. I suspect a 150 HM would be no slouch, not easy to find either.

Before the 150 Apo N I had a regular Rodagon 150mm 5.6 that I was not at all unhappy with so what you could do is find a nice clean version of one of those for $40-$70 and let it tide you over until you source either the 150 Apo or 150 HM.

darkroom_rookie · Jul 16, 2016

Kilgallb said:
I bought a rodagon 150 mm for only $25 two years ago. It was a steal and well worth it.

Similarly, I bought a Rodagon-G 210 for €36. Several years ago, of course. Cobbling an M72 lensboard for my 4x5 enlarger took a bit of an effort, though.

darkroommike · Jul 16, 2016

For 4x5 lens quality is rarely a factor, an 8x10 is only a linear 2x blow up, a 16x20 only 4x. For many years I used an Omegar (Rodenstock) and it sure fit the bill for me.

Eric Rose · Jul 16, 2016

My goto lens for 4x5 and MF is a 135 El-Nikkor. An oldie and a goodie IMHO. I also have the fancy APO lenses but for 98% of the prints I make I don't need to bring them out.

tallenpatterson · Jul 19, 2016

Well, just received a box from the guy that gave me the other items. Turns out, he found other enlarging lenses and sent them to me. They all look like new, most with the box they came in. I'll list them, you can give me feedback. Basically which one to keep for 4x5. I also realize that there are a few that won't cover 4x5, so I guess feedback on which ones to keep for the rest. On my enlarger now I have the Schneider HM 90mm, Schneider HM 45mm, and Rodenstock 50mm N. If you see something in the list that screams out to replace it, let me know. My negatives will be 4x5, XPan, and some 6x6 medium format.
Here goes:
1. Rodenstock apo-rodagon N 150mm f/4
2. Rodenstock 150mm f/5.6
3. Rodenstock apo-rodagon N 105mm f/4
4. Rodenstock apo-rodagon D 75mm f/4
5. Schneider HM 150mm f/4
6. Nikon El-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8 N

Best quality yet affordable enlarging lens for 4x5?

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