After months of research and window shopping, I have just purchased a very well-equipped used (mint condition) set up. A Saunders/LPL 670MXL dichroic enlarger, 4-blade 11x14 Saunders easel, Ilford safelight, neg carriers for 35, 645, and universal glass carrier, 2 reversible lens boards, GraLab 505 digital timer, Micromega focuser.

The lens that came with it is an EL-Nikkor 75mm f4 that is in great condition.

I will be printing more 35mm than 6x6. Will the 75mm lens do the job for both?

Thanks Roger

-- Roger Bird (rpbird@home.com), March 25, 2001

Answers

You can use the 75 for 35mm with no problem. The only "down side" is that you can't get as large a blow up as with a 50. For many years I used a 90mm for 35mm which allowed a cropped 8x10 image with an XL girder.

-- Robert Orofino (minotaur1949@aol.com), March 25, 2001.

I think you'll quickly get fed-up with doing the arm stretching exercises that go with using a 75mm lens and 35mm film. I'm also doubtful that you'll fill that 11 x 14 easel either.,br>An 11x mag with a 75 mm lens is just short of 1 metre throw, and I think the 6700 only has a 1.2 metre column....it's close, very close.
If I were you, I'd start saving for a nice 50mm lens for when you want to print bigger than 11x14.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), March 26, 2001.

The EL-Nikkor 75mm f4 is a "grade B" lens with 4 elements. Edge sharpness won't be as good as with a 6 element lens like the EL- Nikkor 80/5.6, Rodagon or Componon-S 80/4, especially with a glass negative carrier.

-- tim brown (brownt@flash.net), March 26, 2001.

If you print 35mm negatives with the 75, you'll get "grade A+++" results. That four element Tessar is wire sharp at the center of its field, which is what you'll be using. Tests in Darkroom & Creative Camera Techniques years ago showed it to resolve 80 lpm there. Of course, all the above comments about maximum magnification and long arms are correct, but, depending on your typical print size, you could already have an excellent setup.

-- Sal Santamaura (bc_hill@qwestinternet.net), March 26, 2001.

My print sizes will be mostly 8x10 with some 11x14 in the 35mm format. I guess the size with depend on the subject matter and the intended use of the photo.

Thanks Roger

-- Roger Bird (rpbird@home.com), March 26, 2001.

Well, after using the 75mm for a couple of months I have decided to buy a 50mm lens. My decision was twofold; 1) yes, my arms were getting tired reaching way up to the top to focus; and 2) I want to be able to print to 11x14 with some cropping in the 35mm format.

Since I am not doing any medium format yet, I traded up at a local store and got a good deal on a used EL-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8. What a nice piece of glass!

Thanks. Roger

-- Roger Bird (rpbird@home.com), May 26, 2001.

Another reason to prefer a 50mm is that the good ones are f/2.8, which means they are likely to be (at least, theoretically) diffraction limited at larger f stops (e.g. f/5.6) than longer focal length lenses (e.g., f/8 or f/11). Resolution will be better. However, whether you see that increased resolution is dependant on heaps of other variables (enlarger alignment, neg, element centering of the specific lens you have etc). The shorter extension is probably a more telling reason to go with the 50 mm i.e., if the longer eextension required by the 75 bugs you. Cheers, DJ.

-- N Dhananjay (ndhanu@umich.edu), May 26, 2001.