Enlarger turret for lens, how useful in a home darkroom?

[ac12]

@Serius
I'm glad someone else is worse off than me.

 

[ac12]

Well my 2nd turret has arrived

Now to get the additional lenses to populate it.
I'm still trying for a Componon-S 100 or EL-Nikkor 105, but I keep getting outbid. Oh well, I have plenty of time to wait for that lens.

 

[dpurdy]

One thing you might think about. I have my darkroom in a basement and the humidity can get pretty high. I had a set of Schneider lenses all get hazy and one got fungus. Now I keep my lenses in a Tuperware container with silica bags to keep them dry. Changing lenses is so completely easy and quick that using a turret to make it even easier is not worth anything to me. I would rather keep my lenses in the dry box unless I am using them. Having a turret with all my lenses on it would be tempting to just leave them all out all the time.
Dennis

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Well my 2nd turret has arrived

I think you need a third...

:devil:

Ken

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

One thing you might think about. I have my darkroom in a basement and the humidity can get pretty high.

Me too. I finally gave in and purchased a small room dehumidifier on wheels. What a difference. Set it to 50% and the room is now perpetually cool and dry. I used to hate to store stuff down there. Now it's overflowing because it's my favorite place. I have to turn it off when processing film so the film doesn't curl when drying.

Ken

 

[ac12]

Dennis,
I had always used single lens mounts in the past, and changing lenses wasn't a big deal. This is my first exposure to a turret.
I like your idea of a tupperware with silica gel. thanks.

 

[ac12]

Well I'm back to a single turret with 50+80+105, and a single lens board with a 135.
I read the D5 manual and it turns out that the standard chassis D5 has a maximum baseboard magnification of 4x with a 150 and 4.8x with a 135. So I can get a larger magnification with the 135, and the ability to print 16x20 (if I want to). The 150 would barely make it to 16x20, with no room to crop, which I always seem to do.

I am still considering a 2 turret setup later; 50(35mm)+80(6x6)+90(6x7) and 105(6x9)+135(4x5).
But the 90mm lenses for 6x7 are not listed in the 6 element lenses. I have to drop down to the 4 element lenses to find a 90, but I won't be enlarging as much as 35mm so the 4 element lens probably would not have a visible difference to me over a 6 element lens.

 

[MattKing]

I use a 90mm Beseler Color Pro lens which is excellent for 6x7.

And a modern Rodagon 80mm f/4 which is also excellent for 6x7, when I need more magnification.

 

[ac12]

I solved the clearance problem of using a 50mm lens on the turret w/o using spacer. I just picked up a Fujinon-EP 50mm/f3.5 lens (at a good price). It does not stick out back as far as the EL-Nikkor. I mounted it with the flush adapter w/o a spacer and the turret rotates just fine. So if the EL-Nikkor does not focus with the spacer, I have a backup plan.

Just that on the Fuji, the aperture ring turns in the opposite direction from the EL-Nikkor. Oh well, that's what I get for not using a matched set of lenses on the turret.

Now I am wondering if the Rodagon or Componon-S are similar to the Fuji, and don't stick out back as far as the EL-Nikkor.