Which 135mm and 300mm Enlarging Lenses For BIG Prints?

[Patrick Robert James]

O-N-F, you mentioned the Agfa Repromaster lens a few posts ago. I had one a couple of years ago, a 305mm I think, that I used on a camera. It was a sharp lens, big and heavy as well. They are cheap (I think I paid $60) with a large image circle so maybe take a look at that one. I seem to recall that it is a six element design. I am working off of memory though so don't quote me...

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Just wondering, what is the paper worth in the size you want to print? Whenever I look at large sheet prices I cringe... but if it's coming of a roll, maybe the cost per foot or whatever is not to bad? (just need to fork out the initial $$$$ to get started)

Yes, fifty-six inch roll paper and it is pricey even by the foot. It's okay because I'm not likely to shoot many images... ever... that merit such large prints. I still want the opportunity to try it though. It's a boyhood fantasy.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

O-N-F, you mentioned the Agfa Repromaster lens a few posts ago. I had one a couple of years ago, a 305mm I think, that I used on a camera. It was a sharp lens, big and heavy as well. They are cheap (I think I paid $60) with a large image circle so maybe take a look at that one. I seem to recall that it is a six element design. I am working off of memory though so don't quote me...

I keep looking for information regarding less pricey options vs. "G" series lenses but continue to come up short. From what I gather the Apo Process lenses can work fairly well but I'm pretty nit-picky and want my prints very sharp center-to-corner with plenty of micro-contrast. If I can see very little difference up-close between murals made through Agfa Repromaster or Apo Nikkor lenses vs. G-Componon or Rodagon-G lenses then I'll certainly save that cash and use one of the former. If the differences are significant then I'd rather keep looking for the latter.

My ignorance is always costing me much time and/or money...

 

[Bob Carnie]

I am really interested in how you are going to make these monster prints in a single tray.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

I am really interested in how you are going to make these monster prints in a single tray.

I may be fooling myself about that but I hope I can make it work. The tray would be on a tilt-table with very large/fast fill and dump valves with hoses... at least an inch in diameter. Chemicals would be on heavy-duty selves above the tray. Dumping would occur via a huge valve at the far end of the tray in a shallow sump area with a V-shaped wedge to help facilitate gathering of fluids at the dump valve. Chemicals will be saved in buckets to reuse. Rinse and wash water will go to the septic tank. Processing time will be fairly long to avoid unevenness and streaking. I'm thinking stainless steel is a must if I use the same tray for all chemicals.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

I found a 300mm Apo Rodagon in an obscure little shop here but it doesn't look anything like the enlarging lens. It has a fixed aperture of f/7 and is in a straight barrel with a flange at the rear. It appears to be multi-coated. Any idea what this is?

 

[Bob Carnie]

you will need to devise a way that the paper is separated from the drain .. the paper is very limp and you stand the very real chance of destroying the print with the quick dump that you are thinking about.

QUOTE=Old-N-Feeble;1462299]I may be fooling myself about that but I hope I can make it work. The tray would be on a tilt-table with very large/fast fill and dump valves with hoses... at least an inch in diameter. Chemicals would be on heavy-duty selves above the tray. Dumping would occur via a huge valve at the far end of the tray in a shallow sump area with a V-shaped wedge to help facilitate gathering of fluids at the dump valve. Chemicals will be saved in buckets to reuse. Rinse and wash water will go to the septic tank. Processing time will be fairly long to avoid unevenness and streaking. I'm thinking stainless steel is a must if I use the same tray for all chemicals.[/QUOTE]

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

you will need to devise a way that the paper is separated from the drain .. the paper is very limp and you stand the very real chance of destroying the print with the quick dump that you are thinking about.

I may be fooling myself about that but I hope I can make it work. The tray would be on a tilt-table with very large/fast fill and dump valves with hoses... at least an inch in diameter. Chemicals would be on heavy-duty selves above the tray. Dumping would occur via a huge valve at the far end of the tray in a shallow sump area with a V-shaped wedge to help facilitate gathering of fluids at the dump valve. Chemicals will be saved in buckets to reuse. Rinse and wash water will go to the septic tank. Processing time will be fairly long to avoid unevenness and streaking. I'm thinking stainless steel is a must if I use the same tray for all chemicals.

True, that. I'm thinking of using a long dowel-shaped (cylinder) clamp on one side to pinch the paper, probably with a small paper fold at the end to make it thicker. This will help with paper handling and provide a way to hold it in position in the tray. The reason for the dowel shape is it'll allow me to roll the paper onto it for transport out of the wash.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

If you're still looking for a lens, I have a Konica Hexanon GR II 260mm f9 that would probably do the trick. It is a process lens that will cover 11x14 if you're using it as an objective lens, but it should do very nicely for your purposes aiming the other way round.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Thank you, T-F-C. I have deals in the works for 150mm Rodagon-G and 300mm Componon-S lenses. Do you think the GR II will make sharp images center-to-corner at 12-15x? Reversed, right?

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

You wouldn't need to reverse it - Given that it is sharp corner-to-corner on 11x14 film, I would think it would work well making substantial enlargements from 8x10 negatives. How big, I can't say, as I've never enlarged anything as big as you're looking to enlarge. But the quality of the lens is legendary - I know of people who have bought the lens and then sunk another $800 or so into having it custom fit into a Copal #3 shutter to use it. These came off of very high-end repro cameras used in professional shops.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Thank you, T-F-C. I'll research using GR II lenses for this purpose.

 

[ChuckP]

Apo Rodagons are process lenses. The ones I've seen are in barrel with adjustable fstop starting at f5.6. My data says they are corrected between 1:3 and 3:1. Not good for the magnifications you want. I use a 240 as my enlarging lens for large format. But "normal" size prints.

I found a 300mm Apo Rodagon in an obscure little shop here but it doesn't look anything like the enlarging lens. It has a fixed aperture of f/7 and is in a straight barrel with a flange at the rear. It appears to be multi-coated. Any idea what this is?

 

[bill@lapetelabs.com]

At the lab, we frequently print "enlarged" contact sheets. We use a Durst Laborator 184 to enlarge an entire roll of 35mm or 120 (6x6) up tp 20x24. With a 300mm lens and a 380 to 380 condenser set convex to convex, set to horizontal. The antinewton glass carrier makes easy work of the job. We can get larger with a adjustment to vertical, but so far , no need.
Bill

 

[silverhalides]

Rolling Cylinders.

When processing murals, I use a pair of cylinders that I made by cutting 5 ft. lenths of plastic drain pipe (1.5 inch works well) and gluing caps on the ends. They are light enough to float and are essential for lifting soggy fiber base paper out of a bath.
I just tape one end of the paper to one of the cylinders anddraw the paper acrass an 18 inch trough. When the first pass is made i wrap the wet end onto the other cylinder and roll it back. I use a diluted developer to achieve 6 or 7 minute developing times.
Good luck with the murals. Please keep us posted.
Jack

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

I haven't looked at the forum for awhile... been trying to keep up with some pressing issues here.

I bought a 300mm Componon-S for 8x10in and am now looking for a 360mm G-Componon or Rodagon-G... or an Apo version of either would probably work just as well. Wish me luck.

I bought 150mm Rodagon and 150mm Rodagon-G lenses for 6x12cm so, assuming those perform well, I'm all set for this format.

It'll be awhile before I can test them because my darkroom build is months away. After buying lenses and with other things going on here I'm financially tapped out... more than tapped out. I don't have an enlarger yet anyway.

I need to slow down a bit though because I need to keep some cash on-hand here for something very important.

 

[mesantacruz]

just to let you know... old-n-feeble... when i was thinking of making a darkroom.. i ended up making my darkroom sink out of wood... i ended up using rust-o-leum to paint it. I used L brackets, and wood glue... then i used caulking (the one with adhesive in it) Anyway, you can look up the various ways to make a wood sink, but it's quite easy, i've never built anything out of wood before, but this came out pretty well... Point being... you can make your sink any size you'd like... and if the wood you use is light enough, you can stand it up agains a wall when you are done. I've decided i'm never going to buy a darkroom sink... but if i ever need a larger sink, i'm going to build it myself.