Enlarging lens recommendation needed! 6x7

J Rollinger · Jan 2, 2011

My Schneider Componon S 80mm has a bad case of the fungus so i need some advice on a great quality lens for printing 6x7. Should i go with another Schneider ? I dont know about other manufactures so i need some help..

Thanks

bdial · Jan 2, 2011

The big three are Schneider, Rodenstock and Nikon, there are lots of opinions about what that order should be though.

My 80 happens to be a Minolta Rokkor it produces a good result, and tested well in Ctein's tests published several years ago, and compliled in his Post Exposure book. For 35 and 4x5 I have El-Nikkors, mostly because those three came with the enlarger, I'm happy with all three.

jp498 · Jan 2, 2011

The Schneider Componon S 80mm is really nice. I have one and some El-Nikkors. They are all nice image quality, but the Componon-s is the nicest to use with the backlit aperture and wide-open lever.

J Rollinger · Jan 2, 2011

A friend is offering me a El-Nikkor 80mm f4. Is the Nikkor as good as the Schneider Componon S 80mm?

Mark Crabtree · Jan 3, 2011

J Rollinger said:
A friend is offering me a El-Nikkor 80mm f4. Is the Nikkor as good as the Schneider Componon S 80mm?

I don't think there is an 80 f4. The Nikkor 80 is only offered as f5.6 as far as I know. The 75 f4 EL-Nikkor is a less expensive 4 element design and not intended for 6x7 anyway.

The 80 5.6 EL-Nikkor in the newer version with illuminated f/stops is an outstanding lens. It is sharp at full aperture, but may need to go down to f8 for evenness of illumination on 6x7 (I haven't checked that).

A 90 would also be a nice length for 6x7. I believe Fuji made an excellent one.

I have a Vivitar branded Schneider Componon S 80 f5.6 you can have cheap if you want it. I've got a mess of extra enlarging lenses I've accumulated. Personally, I'd spend the extra to get a late version Nikkor or Fuji at today's low prices.

hpulley · Jan 3, 2011

So the 75mm f/4 El-Nikkor is only meant for 6x6?

I also need to get set up for 6x7 so this is pertinent for me as well. I only have my good old 50mm f/2.8 El-Nikkor for 35mm, 126 and 110 at present. Really could use a shorter lens for 110...

Bob Carnie · Jan 3, 2011

Apo Rodagon 90mm is a great lens for 6x7 and 6x9

Mark Crabtree · Jan 3, 2011

hpulley said:
So the 75mm f/4 El-Nikkor is only meant for 6x6?

I also need to get set up for 6x7 so this is pertinent for me as well. I only have my good old 50mm f/2.8 El-Nikkor for 35mm, 126 and 110 at present. Really could use a shorter lens for 110...

Yes, Nikon listed the 75 as being for 6x6. The 80mm is listed as 6x7.

J Rollinger · Jan 3, 2011

My friend gave me the Nikon today and it is a 75mm not 80mm like i thought. I also have a Componon-S 150mm that has some fungus and i would like to save this lens. Can i clean it? The fungus is around the sides of the rear element and the threads... The glass looks good on it. Here is a photo of the 150 that i believe i can save. How can i clean it?

hpulley · Jan 3, 2011

Mark Crabtree said:
Yes, Nikon listed the 75 as being for 6x6. The 80mm is listed as 6x7.

Good to know, thanks. Above it says even the 80 is marginal for illumination of 6x7but OK if stopped down to f/8. Might look for a 90.

Mark Crabtree · Jan 3, 2011

hpulley said:
Good to know, thanks. Above it says even the 80 is marginal for illumination of 6x7but OK if stopped down to f/8. Might look for a 90.

Just to clarify. I didn't meant to imply that the illumination is imarginal for 6x7; I have no reason to think it is. I only wanted to indicate that this lens is very sharp wide open, but that I had not checked for evenness of illumination wide open on 6x7.

80 is just a bit on the short side for 6x7, but works fine. As you go larger in format, most people tend to print at lower magnification, so you can get away with a somewhat shorter lens. But a 90 or 105 does work great also.

hpulley · Jan 3, 2011

Thanks for the clarification.

sandermarijn · Jan 3, 2011

Bob Carnie said:
Apo Rodagon 90mm is a great lens for 6x7 and 6x9

One more vote for that lens (although it's probably overkill for 99.9% of practical purposes).

craigclu · Jan 3, 2011

I used an 80mm Rodagon for years with 6X7 (8 being the sweet spot), never feeling that I was suffering at all. I stumbled into a 90 APO Schneider a few years back and now use that. Beyond 8X10 it starts to show its advantage but the Rodagon was good enough that the difference is ever so slight. The Rodagon seems to print subtle tones a bit better (such as light clouds and transitions in skies, etc). I came into a large number of good enlarging lenses awhile back and I believe I still have a couple of the Rodagons around here if you end up leaning that way in your choices.

John Koehrer · Jan 3, 2011

J Rollinger said:
My friend gave me the Nikon today and it is a 75mm not 80mm like i thought. I also have a Componon-S 150mm that has some fungus and i would like to save this lens. Can i clean it? The fungus is around the sides of the rear element and the threads... The glass looks good on it. Here is a photo of the 150 that i believe i can save. How can i clean it?

Inside or out, it's just a simple retaining ring & a little ammonia on a Q-tip.
Don't drop it.

Robert Hale · Jan 3, 2011

HI J Rollinger and John Koehrer.

A 50/50 mix of Hydrogen peroxide ( 6% hair bleach ) and cloudy or plain ammonia gives a much more active clean.
If this mix does not clean the glass then you can pretty much bet the glass has been etched and cant be cleaned.

Regards

Rob

thefizz · Jan 5, 2011

I'm very happy with my 90mm Computar DL f4.5 for 6x7 negs.

Enlarging lens recommendation needed! 6x7

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