What do you think about old enlarging lenses?

[AllEx]

Since from the bigginig of my involvment with the photography I love to shoot Macro, I`m thinking to take from Ebay an (vintage) enlarging el-Nikkor lens (maby the 50 mm one or better the 63mm one). Wille I owne a full set of M42 tubes (with adapter for my D800, 110 extencion and a focusing helicoid, witch I intend in the future to use with objctives) do you think something like that would do the the job to reduse the diameter as for the el-nikkor to fit in my M42 tubes?
A second thing is that if i use the extencions i have (M42) how degradation would I have in my imagies?

[Saorsa]

I think you will find that the enlarging lenses have an M39 mounting thread. SInce M42 was the old Praktica mount you should be able to find adapters quite easily. I just googled m39 to m42 adapter and got a few hundred thousand hits in less than half a second.

Enlarging lenses are designed for a flat field of view (flat negative or slide to projected surface) and designed to work in a short range of distance (negative to projected surface) This makes them really good for document copying and macro.

Some of them are designed to allow a bit of light to bleed out to illuminate aperture markings etc. If the ones you get have this 'feature' remember that when the light is on the outside it goes the other way and can affect your image.

Have fun!

[Inkanyezi]

Regretfully, I have tried quite a few enlarging lenses, and those EL-Nikkor that I had, as well as Componon, were no good for digital photograpy. The reason behind was that the diaphragm blades reflected too much light, so that images became soft, particularly in the centre, when the lens was stopped down. They worked excellent for close-up on film, but were disappointing on digital, because the filter in front of the sensor reflects light back to the lens, which then was bounced back, to soften the image.

However, I have one enlarging lens that is splendid for close-up, so there are also good lenses out there. The ones I tried with disappointment were Componon 50 mm and EL-Nikkor 80 mm, but I have a friend who says he got good results with EL-Nikkor 50 mm.

The good enlarging lens I have is a Rodenstook Trinar 50 mm f/3,5. As most enlarging lenses, it comes with m39 thread, and I use it with M42 adapter like the one you link and extensions on my µ4/3 camera. I think it is really one of the very best lenses I have. The images below are taken with it, one of the flower pictures outside with backlight sun in the open, the other indoors with flash. The keys are taken with the tilt adapter.

The individual flowers are the size of a match head.

[AllEx]

Thank you Brian and Urban.

Brian,
I`ve heard that the 63mm one is gaining good results. I intent to perform focus stacking with it, so the flatness of it`s working way I supose will be corected (I`ll have to experiment with the step on my Stack Shot). For the light leaks what if I place black tape round aperture markings etc?

Urban,
I find your photos more than adequate, the problem, as I assume, is in choosing the write model. I intend to use a lens as wide as I`ll manage to find, for the moment I`m aiming an 63 mm f/2.8. I hope by avoiding any light as I could will give me some good results.

Thank you again,
AllEx.

[Inkanyezi]

In case the lens has the problem with reflective diaphragm blades, it is not important when stacking, as you can shoot wide open with good contrast anyway.

Those lenses have excellent contrast, also wide open, so for stacking I would prefer not stopping down much.

[Saorsa]

Black tape fixes all light leaks

Since you are stacking, just leave it wide open as suggested.

I used 50 and 80mm EL-Nikkors for a while until I got rid of my darkroom equipement. I did stumble across an old 50mm rodenstock out in a box in the garage so maybe I'll play with it for a while. I have an M39 adapter for my CX gear.

[AllEx]

In case the lens has the problem with reflective diaphragm blades, it is not important when stacking, as you can shoot wide open with good contrast anyway.

Those lenses have excellent contrast, also wide open, so for stacking I would prefer not stopping down much.

When i perform a stacking i prefear to shoot wide open. Very helping that those lenses have excellent contrast, I`ll be focusing on some lens with a wite apperture.Thank you for the tip.

[AllEx]

We have been posting the same time Brian, I think a 50 or 63mm El-nikkor with a max uperture near to 2.8 will do my job.

[Inkanyezi]

I light-sealed my Trinar lens by putting a small piece of the insulation of a black electric cable in the recess where light is supposed to leak to the F-numbers. In that way, I still have access to the numbers, and there is no goo on the outside. Inside, there is a kind of slot where light enters when it sits in an enlarger, and I capped that with some black flexible cable that I cut from one of the inner leads of an electric cable.

[tao2]

Hi Alexander,

Ah've owned and used a few enlarging lenses. The EL Nikkor 50mm is very good, in fact they've all been very good...

It's a what? An en... lar... ging lens...

Since enlarging lenses are darkroom lenses, there's no anti-flare coatings. Ah think ye'd only experience light leaks if ye reverse these lenses. The shots above were hand-held. Tripod mounted or on bellows brings out the best in them.

[Manfred M]

Old enlarging lenses are excellent for 2D copying work, using lights and a copy stand. They were developed to project a flat, contrasty image.

Robert - my old Schneider lenses definitely were anti-reflection coated and had that slight purple tinge that was common on lenses that were produced in the 1970s.. Anti-reflection coatings are also required to minimize internal reflections from the lens elements and was important tool in getting a contrasty image. These got damaged in a flood a few years ago and got thrown out. I just had a quick peak at my Leica Colorplan projector lens - same era and same anti-reflection coating is visible. I guess that they were put together "backwards" with respect to how they were designed from that standpoint, Light hits the back of the lens, rather than the front. I suspect that is what you are referring to?

[tao2]

Old enlarging lenses are excellent for 2D copying work, using lights and a copy stand. They were developed to project a flat, contrasty image.

Robert - my old Schneider lenses definitely were anti-reflection coated and had that slight purple tinge that was common on lenses that were produced in the 1970s.. Anti-reflection coatings are also required to minimize internal reflections from the lens elements and was important tool in getting a contrasty image. These got damaged in a flood a few years ago and got thrown out. I just had a quick peak at my Leica Colorplan projector lens - same era and same anti-reflection coating is visible. I guess that they were put together "backwards" with respect to how they were designed from that standpoint, Light hits the back of the lens, rather than the front. I suspect that is what you are referring to?

Hi Manfred,

Aye, missed out a couple of "somes" eg some lenses etc. Also lost a couple of whole sentences as well but you got the gist anyway...

[AllEx]

Boab your lights are highly appreciated (especially your link, and, by the way beautiful shots there).
I definitely will get involved with enlarger lenses (if not now in the future surely).

Manfred in Macro i figured out that exept from avoiding any light leaks to incert inside and interfere in your whatever prosedure (ex. tubes) you are using,the other important think is not to let the beams from, whatever your iluminator is, to directly hit the lens you are using.
Sealing of light is the most inportant thing in photography in general, if you want to avoid any blury and ugly resalts.
Have a nice day.

[Skugphotography]

Quality enlarger lenses are one of the best options for macro and micro photography. Enlarging lenses are designed for high resolution and for flat-field focus, and this is a major advantage on using it for macro and micro photography. For higher magnification ratios and greater image quality, reverse mounted enlarging lenses on a bellows is the most usefull combination.

[AllEx]

The problem I`m having is that I can`t find the "legetary" 63mm one that I prefear, but I don`t worry for the moment, as it is other things I`m doing now (I am constracting my first Macro rig). In all my future time I`ll be looking for an enlarger lens.
Thank you Skugphotography and wellcome to the forum.