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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

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enlarging lenses 1976
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 10:46 pm
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 10:46 pm
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A listing of enlarging lenses from Popular Photography Magazine's 1976 Buying Guide:



#1


#2


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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 11:12 pm
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 11:12 pm
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Very helpful - thank you.


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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 11:17 pm
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 11:17 pm
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16:9 wrote:
Very helpful - thank you.


You're welcome. If I find any other listings, I'll add them to the Library.


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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 11:27 pm
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 11:27 pm
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Please do - it's already added four lenses Delta didn't know!


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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 4:28 am
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 4:28 am
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I was not aware that Besler was already marketing E/L lenses this early.


I've had a couple of Besler enlargers with either nikkor, or Schneider lenses.
The Schneider was easy to work with.

-D.S.


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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 9:50 am
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 9:50 am
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Beseler has a long tradition of not making enlarger lenses!

From 1975 Beseler thinly repackaged the Komuranon-E range, marketing them as Beseler Professional. Unless they swapped out the Komura for the 75mm focal length, the PopPhoto listing is in error here stating that the 75mm was f3.5 - it was almost certainly f5.6.

From around 1978, the company switched to slightly more opaquely rebranding Hoya lenses under the name Beseler Color Pro.

Retaining the name, but switching manufacturer again, from 1985 Beseler Color Pro meant buying a Kowa/Computar lens.

And of course a Beseler HD was always a Rodenstock Rodagon.

Durst, Gnome and Vivitar pursued a similar rebranding policy.


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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 10:16 am
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 10:16 am
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Adverts of the period seem to confirm the absence of a Beseler Professional 90mm - perhaps the company felt it wasn't necessary to borrow this item from the Komuranon-E range.

See the Delta listing for confirmation of the above: https://deltalenses.com/index.php/product/beseler-professional-50-3-5/

The 50mm got a Silver award and scored 84.3% at close range working apertures, and only dips around 2% at distance, so it's a viable taking lens for a mirrorless camera, too. For DSLRs, the FFD might be a bit short . . .


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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 10:55 am
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 10:55 am
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Another thing to watch out for: the P.R.O.-distributed Japanese 50/75/105mm lenses were known as Hansa (with the S rendered as a reverse Z) not El Hansar


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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 3:42 pm
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 3:42 pm
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16:9 wrote:
Beseler has a long tradition of not making enlarger lenses!


The difference between "Marketing" and "making" E/L lenses is fairly large...

-D.S.


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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 3:49 pm
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 3:49 pm
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For sure - as you said. And sometimes even companies that did make lenses (Agfa) didn't make the lenses they marketed.
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