What's the longest lens can I put on a Beseler 23C?

[eric]

I have a 23CXLII enlarger (I think that is the model). I have the Zone VI cold light head. I've bought, a while ago, a 135mm lens and noticed that I cannot even focus, the bottom bellows hits the stopper. I can use a 100mm lens for 6x6's and have good distance between paper and lens. I was just wonder, if there is a limit to the size of lens I can use or perhaps I was doing something wrong when I used the 135mm?
I wonder if that is the cone shaped lens board is used for?

 

[Nick Zentena]

How big of a print did you try? The limit is the bellows length. At infinity the 135mm lenses needs to be roughly 135mm from the film plane. But infinity is a pretty big print. The smaller the print gets the further from the film plane it needs to be.

The 23 is a 6x9 enlarger. It's reasonable to assume it was designed to use a max 105mm lens. I guess you could use a lensboard with some sort of extension.

 

[MattCarey]

Just a double check--did you move the top bellows to the 2x3 (6x9) position?

Matt

 

[Robert Hall]

I have been able to use a 105mm. That's about it.

 

[eric]

How big of a print did you try?

I may be doing something wrong but I want to make small prints

I like to use a bigger than normal lens so I can have some room for my hands between the paper and the lens.
So I should be using longer lenses right? Cause it seems to work. I can use an 80mm for 6x6 negs but I like using the 100mm for 6x6 negs and I want to print something small like on a postcard or a 5x7 paper.

The 23 is a 6x9 enlarger. It's reasonable to assume it was designed to use a max 105mm lens. I guess you could use a lensboard with some sort of extension.

I think that is right. I have a 100 right now. Looks like someone posted that a 105mm works on it.

Oh also, thanks for the tip to raise the top bellows but I have a cold light head so it only sits on top of the bottom bellows with no options. Unless I'm doing something wrong there too which is a good probability. Can I raise the cold light head?

 

[craigclu]

Extended lens boards help.... They're on the auction site quite often and tend to go at very reasonable prices. I think I paid less than $15 for the 2 I have. The small extension amount is more useful than it looks in practice.

 

[Donald Miller]

I may be doing something wrong but I want to make small prints

Oh also, thanks for the tip to raise the top bellows but I have a cold light head so it only sits on top of the bottom bellows with no options. Unless I'm doing something wrong there too which is a good probability. Can I raise the cold light head?

Moving the cold light head will not serve any purpose for what you want to accomplish. The distance that you are concerned with is the distance from the negative to the lens. If your maximum bellows extension has been reached, then the only other thing is to fabricate an extended lens board cone, if one is not commercially available, or modify the enlarger to allow more bellows extension.

 

[ann]

i wouldn't raise the cold light, it is meant to sit as close to the negative stage.

THe longer lens will allow one to make smaller prints.i.e. a 100 mm gives smaller size 35mm prints than the standard 50. I don't think this set up will support a 135mm lens. you might try a 105