Leitz Valloy II Lens options

BMbikerider · Mar 3, 2023

Ben wright said:
Hello,

I don't know if anyone has covered this already, I couldn't find anything. What are the better lenses that can be used on the Valloy II. I have the old 50mm Focotar but appears to have some fungus on it amongst other issues. I know someone selling a Focotar 40mm 2.8, has anyone used this on the Valloy II?

Many thanks

If your Enlarger is one of the early Leitz AF versions and want to retain the AF, you may be struggling because as I recall from a Leitz manual to retain the AF, the lens has to be calibrated, and not an easy task, if at all possible. Apparently it is all down to the back focus (rear element to film plane distance)

If your enlarger has a 39mm lens flange any one of the following are superb. A Schneider Componon 2.8/50 Apo, or Nikon 50/2.8 (all metal early version), or my preference, a Rodenstock 50/2.8 Apo.

The Leica 40/2.8 does have a reputation of being slightly more prone to developing fungus.

Hilo · Mar 4, 2023

BMbikerider said:
If your Enlarger is one of the early Leitz AF versions and want to retain the AF, you may be struggling because as I recall from a Leitz manual to retain the AF, the lens has to be calibrated, and not an easy task, if at all possible. Apparently it is all down to the back focus (rear element to film plane distance)

The Leitz Valoy II is without Automatic Focus. You are talking about the Focomats. Although
the AF of the Focomats is wonderful and they are great enlargers, I do prefer the Valoy II and I wish Leitz had developped this into a more mature enlarger.

But, I understand they did not, it would have competed with the Focomat Ic. So, I did it myself and had a coupler made between the columns of the Ic and the Valoy II. To bring the lens away from the column the same distance the Ic has.

The best thing about the Valoy II is the large helicoid that houses the lens. It is easy to clean these and give them new grease. You can take them apart, but you do not need to.

This 35mm enlarger takes any lens with the usual 39mm screwthread, I use it with a 38mm Olympus lens for half frame, and 40mm to 60mm lenses for 35mm negatives.

BMbikerider · Mar 4, 2023

Hilo said:
The Leitz Valoy II is without Automatic Focus. You are talking about the Focomats. Although
the AF of the Focomats is wonderful and they are great enlargers, I do prefer the Valoy II and I wish Leitz had developped this into a more mature enlarger.

But, I understand they did not, it would have competed with the Focomat Ic. So, I did it myself and had a coupler made between the columns of the Ic and the Valoy II. To bring the lens away from the column the same distance the Ic has.

The best thing about the Valoy II is the large helicoid that houses the lens. It is easy to clean these and give them new grease. You can take them apart, but you do not need to.

This 35mm enlarger takes any lens with the usual 39mm screwthread, I use it with a 38mm Olympus lens for half frame, and 40mm to 60mm lenses for 35mm negatives.

I am not well versed with Leitz enlargers except the V35. I know about the Focomats and the Valoy and wasn't sure of the build of the Focomat with the parallelogram height adjustment was common on some of the Leitz enlargers. I know the AF on the V35 could be problematic at times.

I used to have an enlarger that was made in Britain called Gamer. It was a hybrid of bother the non AF Valoy models and the Focomats. It looked and worked exactly like a Focomat but retained the large heilicoid focussing of the Valoy. I owned one in the 1980's but sold it on when I partially went over to colour printing. It was very well built and even had small drillings in the focussing pivots for periodic lubrication to stave off ear on the bearings.

With the increase in price of colour materials and chemicals I am considering going back to B&W only and if I was to come across one of these Gamer enlargers that may just be the push I need.

The picture below is the same model that I had (but wasn't mine)

Hilo · Mar 4, 2023

BMbikerider said:
I am not well versed with Leitz enlargers except the V35. I know about the Focomats and the Valoy and wasn't sure of the build of the Focomat with the parallelogram height adjustment was common on some of the Leitz enlargers. I know the AF on the V35 could be problematic at times.

I used to have an enlarger that was made in Britain called Gamer. It was a hybrid of bother the non AF Valoy models and the Focomats. It looked and worked exactly like a Focomat but retained the large heilicoid focussing of the Valoy. I owned one in the 1980's but sold it on when I partially went over to colour printing. It was very well built and even had small drillings in the focussing pivots for periodic lubrication to stave off ear on the bearings.

With the increase in price of colour materials and chemicals I am considering going back to B&W only and if I was to come across one of these Gamer enlargers that may just be the push I need.

The picture below is the same model that I had (but wasn't mine)

This Gamer enlarger looks very special. And yes, it seems somewhere in between the Focomat Ic and the Valoy II. The Leitz Focomat enlargers also have these small holes which were painted red. We're supposed to drop some oil in there now and then.

Was your Gamer enlarger 35mm only, or also larger? Without the automatic focus system, to go larger was much easier.

BMbikerider · Mar 5, 2023

Hilo said:
This Gamer enlarger looks very special. And yes, it seems somewhere in between the Focomat Ic and the Valoy II. The Leitz Focomat enlargers also have these small holes which were painted red. We're supposed to drop some oil in there now and then.

Was your Gamer enlarger 35mm only, or also larger? Without the automatic focus system, to go larger was much easier.

It was 35mm only but what well engineered piece of equipment it was. The only problem I had with it was due to the very tall column it was prone to shake if you were not ultra careful. I fitted an angle bracket to the wall behind and screwed into the metal pate at the top which sorted that out.

Leitz Valloy II Lens options

BMbikerider

Hilo

BMbikerider

Attachments

Hilo

BMbikerider

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency