Shortest feasable modern lens for 5x7?

mjs · Mar 23, 2011

I'm still trying to shoehorn the cast iron monster Elwood 5x7 enlarger into my minature, height-challenged darkroom. It currently has an older 7" or so lens; is there a shorter focal length modern enlarging lens which would not require the head to be raised as far for a given enlargement as my current lens? Thanks!

Mike

Ian C · Mar 23, 2011

The shortest lens that is specifically designed to cover the 5” x 7” format is 180mm, which is approximately 7”.

So no, there’s no shorter lens for enlarging a 5” x 7” negative.

mcilroy · Mar 23, 2011

The older 150mm EL-Nikkor (53mm mounting threads i think) will cover 5x7 just fine. Some others also cover, but show vignetting and/or unsharp corners.

outwest · Mar 23, 2011

I'll second the old 150 EL-Nikkor with 53mm threads.

vpwphoto · Mar 23, 2011

I may be off base here... but what about any of the super-angulons that cover 5x7? I know it is expensive... but so is raising the roof. Do what you must. I suppose some of the WA lenses from Woolensack might be worth a try. Ansel Adams something about the enlarging lens should be the same as the taking lens... but this is one point where I think he was a bit "daf".

I bet there is a 120 mm that will do the job.... distortion etc... now that's a horse of another color.

aoresteen · Mar 24, 2011

Can you mod the enlarger to wall project ie horizontal?

markbarendt · Mar 24, 2011

aoresteen said:
Can you mod the enlarger to wall project ie horizontal?

That's actually a built in feature on the Elwood.

I actually went with a coffee table height base on my Elwood.

mjs · Mar 25, 2011

My darkroom is quite small and rather odd; it's tucked into a corner of the basement utility room and measures about five feet square, with one corner cut at an angle for the doorway (so as not to crowd the washer and dryer outside the darkroom.) Frankly, the 7 foot ceiling height is the longest dimension! Horizontal would be more limiting than vertical, I'm afraid.

Mike

rjmeyer314 · Mar 25, 2011

I use a 131mm Repromaster on my 5x7 Elwood. That's about 5 1/2 inches. It will easily cover the 5x7 negative size. I can print 20x24's on my baseboard with no problem.

mjs · Mar 28, 2011

Excellent, thank you!

Mike

Shortest feasable modern lens for 5x7?

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