Passable 75mm Lens?

Hi,

I'm on a limited budget and picked up a Rodenstock EL-OMEGAR 4.5 75mm (Made in Germany!) for $10. I want to use this with 645 and 6x6 for the time being until I can afford an upgrade. There is a little dirt in the glass but it's otherwise clear, also there are no click stops.

Will this lens give me decent images or am I throwing paper away using this?

Thanks.

It could be fine. You really have to be the judge. You will know soon enough.

Why not just test it yourself? You already purchased it so what's a couple test sheets? Lenses can vary from sample to sample, and you might as well test and find the sweet-spot range for aperture while you're at it.

If someone says "Nah, it's a so-so lens, don't bother", would you really just stick it in a cupboard and never try it?

Check carefully how well it performs in the corners with 6 x 6. That is the most likely area where it could show its limitations.
It may be fine.
The click stops might be temporarily dis-engaged. Some lens feature that capacity.

David Brown said:

It could be fine. You really have to be the judge. You will know soon enough.

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M Carter said:

Why not just test it yourself? You already purchased it so what's a couple test sheets? Lenses can vary from sample to sample, and you might as well test and find the sweet-spot range for aperture while you're at it.

If someone says "Nah, it's a so-so lens, don't bother", would you really just stick it in a cupboard and never try it?

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I'll give it a shot next time I set up for a run. I just did about 30 prints, now my back needs a break.

MattKing said:

Check carefully how well it performs in the corners with 6 x 6. That is the most likely area where it could show its limitations.
It may be fine.
The click stops might be temporarily dis-engaged. Some lens feature that capacity.

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I don't think this lens has any features let alone engaging or disengaging clicks.

Is it an f/3.5 or an f/4.5 lens?
If f/3.5, this may give you some useful info: http://store.khbphotografix.com/Used-EL-Omegar-75mm-f-3.5-Enlarging-Lens-for-6x6cm-Negatives.html

MattKing said:

Is it an f/3.5 or an f/4.5 lens?
If f/3.5, this may give you some useful info: http://store.khbphotografix.com/Used-EL-Omegar-75mm-f-3.5-Enlarging-Lens-for-6x6cm-Negatives.html

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4.5 and plastic.

Dear Cholentpot,

If it is in good shape it will be fine.

Neal Wydra

With really good quality enlarging lenses being the price they are and paper as expensive as it is, I will never understand skimping on the enlarging lens. Ever.

Ai Print said:

With really good quality enlarging lenses being the price they are and paper as expensive as it is, I will never understand skimping on the enlarging lens. Ever.

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Ya see, my other lens is a Rodenstock 50 3.5 and I figured this one is also a Rodenstock so it would be of similar quality. Couldn't pass a good deal. Neal here says that it'll work so I'll give it a try.

I would be willing to bet you'll do just fine with it if you use it a couple of stops down. F8 or 11 and things should be plenty sharp even into the corners. You can always get by with it until another sweet deal on something like a Fujinon 75mm f2.8 EX comes along.

John Wiegerink said:

I would be willing to bet you'll do just fine with it if you use it a couple of stops down. F8 or 11 and things should be plenty sharp even into the corners. You can always get by with it until another sweet deal on something like a Fujinon 75mm f2.8 EX comes along.

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I learned to always stop down to 11 if possible. Is this bad advice?

Cholentpot said:

I learned to always stop down to 11 if possible. Is this bad advice?

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It depends on the enlarging lens. Some of the better, more costly enlarging lenses are actually better at wider apertures than closed down to F11. Three and four element lenses seem to benefit from being stopped down to f8 or so. It's mainly a corner/edge thing with the cheaper lenses. I have an old Schneider 4 element lens that is as sharp as all get out in the center wide open, but doesn't sharpen up in the corners until between f8 and f11. I have a 50mm f2.8 APO Rodagon that is better around f4 than it is at f8 or f11.

Cholentpot said:

I learned to always stop down to 11 if possible. Is this bad advice?

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Usually the best performance is 2 stops down from maximum aperture.

rodenstock makes good lenses. might check and see if there's a switch that turns click stops on and off -- some have that reature.

Craig said:

Usually the best performance is 2 stops down from maximum aperture.

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even leica lenses perform their best stopped down, usually to f 5.6 or 8.

Cholentpot said:

I learned to always stop down to 11 if possible. Is this bad advice?

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There are many rules of thumb that are decent advice, but in this case, it's so easy to test, why not know the actual truth about a given lens vs. "everybody says so".

Raise the column for a print of the size you're likely to do. If paper expense is an issue, cut paper into, say, 3" strips and lay them angled so you get the center and 2 corners. Find the correct exposure, and then use the timer to get the various f-stop combinations correct. Take an old negative and scratch a fine grid in it with a sewing needle as your test neg. Make sure your enlarger is reasonably aligned, mark each strip with the f-stop using a sharpie, and in ten minutes you'll know exactly how the lens performs.

I'm a big fan of testing. Use internet advice and old wive's tales as starting points, but find the real truth about a piece of gear. You often find out more than you set out to, and I find testing is good for the technical/practitioner side of the soul. Even the sloppiest worker can feel good about doing a test. And what if you find your particular lens is just fine from F4 to F16? Opens up a lot of possibilities for negs that need a lot of dodging and burning, or cuts your exposure time for things like lith prints.