Kodak 5x7 autofocus enlarger Model E. A lens question

[false_Aesthetic]

Hey,

So I finally got this enlarger almost up and running.

Made a negative carrier + lens board. Popped a 150mm F9 Kowa repro lens in it (yes, it covers 5x7) and tried to focus the thing.

Unfortunately I cannot collapse the bellows enough to make it focus properly.

I don't think this is an issue of how thick the board underneath the easel is or how far the easel is away from the base of the enlarger because I'd have to move the easel up about 8" to focus properly.

My thought is that the lens is simply too short for the enlarger but I'm unable to find a definitive answer via google.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[rjmeyer314]

The normal focal length for a 5x7 enlarger is probably 210mm. It may not be possbile to use a 150mm lens due to the autofocus hardware. It probably is designed to only work with 1 focal length lens. It may also expect an easel of a specific thickness. If the autofocus feature can be disabled you may still need a recessed lensboard to focus a 150mm lens.