Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/11/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Well, I had both the 50 and 80 Minolta enlarging lenses, with that awfull 'system' enlarger of theirs. I still have the enlarger, in a box someplace, but got rid of the lenses right away. They are far from acceptable for most kinds of demanding printing. Even the Vivitar VCE lenses blew the Minoltas out of the water. But the VCE lenses have Schneider's proprietary iris design, which leads one to suspect that they might be a rebagded S/K product. The best value going right now is the previous generation Focotar (1). It's not just sharpness, as anyone who has used vintage Leitz lenses knows. It's the mid range and micro-contrast that the 'others' just cant seem to replicate. Then again how man y people are capable of making anything larger than an 11x14 print, for thhose differences to become apparent. Slobodan Dimitrov Studio G-8, Angels Gate Cultural Center http://sdimitrovphoto.com On Nov 11, 2005, at 12:48 PM, <creativevisions@verizon.net> wrote: > Hi Ben, > > I have collected 50mm, 80mm, 100mm and 150mm from the major > manufacturers over a span of 30 years. > You would be surprised by some of my findings. > > Some of them are at their optimum when only stopped down 1 stop. > Most are at their best 2 stops from maximum aperture. > One of the names which seems to be left out most of the time is > Minolta. Their 80mm f5.6 C.E. I found to be every bit as good as > the comparable Schneider, Rodenstock and Nikkors. > Eugene Smith also liked this lens a great deal. > Ansel Adams preferred the APO-Nikkors. These were slow (f9.0) but > in a league of their own. > > Take care, > Mike > > >> From: Benjamin Marks <benmarks2005@gmail.com> >> Date: Fri Nov 11 10:01:04 CST 2005 >> To: lug@leica-users.org >> Subject: [Leica] Re:OT enlarging lenses > >> You will get a lot of different answers on this one, I suspect. I >> LOVE my >> 50mm Schneider Componon-S. I had been using an EL-Nikkor, and the >> Schneider >> was just a huge leap forward for me. I recently bought (for >> cheeep!) a Leitz >> enlarger with an older Focotar, and I am eager to see what it can >> do. But I >> gotta say, that Schott glass is yumm-o. I believe that enlarger/easel >> alignment is important to get the most out of any enlarging lens. >> This is a >> little like high-end eyepieces for telescopes or normal lenses for >> view >> cameras: there is something good to say about the premium lenses >> of all the >> brands (Nikon/Rodenstock/Schneider -- I may have forgotten others). >> Ben Marks >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information