Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/09/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Frank My Rodagon is the 80/4 APO N. My El Nikkor is plain vanilla 105/5.6. So I'm a bit perplexed by the results. I even tried to convince myself otherwise, but the 105 performs at last as well as the 80. Maybe even better. I've used them both enough to rule out external influences. Just one of those situations where the 105 is a really good performer. I can't quantify a difference. I've just been amazed at times with the 105, but not by the 80. Could be that my expectations were higher for the 80. Thus the 105 exceeds expectations but not the 80, so one seems better when in reality they're equal. My mind has been known to play such games. I choose the 105 over the 80 most of the time. I think it was Ctein who did substantial testing of darkroom lenses, and wrote about the results in Darkroom Magazine. The El Nikkors -- apart from a couple of value triplet lenses like the 75 -- were some of the best. I do really like one thing about the 80. When I used a Saunders MF enlarger it worked great on both 2 1/4 and 35. I really only needed that one lens. Dave - -----Original Message----- From: Frank Filippone [mailto:red735i@earthlink.net] Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 12:04 AM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: RE: [Leica] Darkroom! Dave Rodgers..... 105 El Nikkor or the APO El Nikkor? The 105 regular is rather a good but not especially great lens..... the 80 mm APO Rodagons should be better, but your head must be higher, and you might be getting some vibration that is upsetting you.......???? I do rememerb there was an earlier and later version of the ROdagins.... difference and reason escape me, but the new APO ROdagon N lenses are truly spectacular, and every bit as good as the APO Componon HM lenses.... There are ranges of enlargement over which these lenses are optimized...... I do not have the figures, but we all can overuse the lens in ways that do not optimize the best features..... I had a 170 APO El Nikkor that performed no better than my 150 COmponon-S..... The APO was to work best at a n enlargement of 2x precisely, but I routinely make 4x prints..... so the 150 was the better lens.....I sold the 170..... Frank Filippone red735i@earthlink.net - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html