What to do with Rodenstock Omegar Enlarging Lens?

[cooltouch]

I was browsing through some boxes of stuff I'd stored away years ago, and came across a 50mm f/4.5 Rodenstock Omegar that used to be part of my darkroom outfit. I sold all my darkroom stuff off years ago, but somehow I managed to miss this piece.

Rather than sell it too, I'm wondering if I can put it to any practical use. One thing I can use it for is a loupe, but I don't really need one. I already have a couple and I can always look through a reversed wide-angle lens if I want to observe a subject at high magnification. Being an enlarging lens it has no focusing helical. I suppose if I had a set of bellows, which I currently don't, I could use it as a macro lens, but I've already got a few good macro lenses already.

So I thought I'd ask you folks, see if y'all might have any clever ideas of what to do with an old enlarger lens?

[Lloydy]

I use a Wilon 105mm f4.5 enlarger lens on an Zenit bellows that came real cheap, and they work very well on my Pentax K10.

[luisalegria]

Well, its good for handheld macro of course. A bit dim though.

No need for bellows - use extension rings, and focus the camera by moving back and forth. I do that with bellows anyway, when handheld.

Its lighter and handier than bellows besides, and nearly all macro lenses.

[Screamin Scott]

Probably get better results if you reverse it. I don't believe it's an asymmetrical lens which is why I suggest reversing it. The Rodenstock Rodagon (which I have) is asymmetrical, and you gain nothing by reversing it .

[cooltouch]

The magnification is somewhat greater when reversed, but the field of view is noticeably narrower as I look through it. More like looking through a tube reversed than the right way.

Let's see -- most enlarging lenses use the same thread as the old leica screw mount, correct? That might be the easiest way to go. Get some LSM extension rings, then an adapter for LSM -> EOS for my DSLR.

Wonder if it'll be worth all the trouble, though. As I recall, when I sold my other Rodenstock enlarging lens on eBay, I got about $10 for it.

[luisalegria]

If the thread is M39, then all you would need, assuming you already have extension rings for your camera and an M42 adapter, is an M39-M42 adapter ring, which usually go for $10 or so.

Granted, there is small benefit in this lens probably.

[martyn_bannister]

[Scheimpflug]

If you have to buy something to make it work, keep in mind that the M39 to Nikon/Canon/Pentax/etc adapters are about the same price as the M39-M42 adapters. One less piece to worry about.

[kds315*]

[Krisgage]

I had a 2 enlarger lens and I used for macro purpose.

[luisalegria]

Just FYI -

Its not safe to assume that an enlarger lens is M39

I have 7-8 enlarger lenses, and of these just one is M39

American-made ones (Wollensak, DO, Elgeet, Ilex, Bausch&Lomb) rarely are.

[Scheimpflug]

[luisalegria]

My collection has all sorts of threads, the American ones are non-metric (i.e., one is @ 41.5mm or close, another is more like 52mm, etc., most mounts seem to have used view-camera type lensboards with mounting rings, but even my Schneider Componar seems to be about 25mm.

Best to measure to be sure.

[Attila]

[Lloydy]

Wow......that's very good indeed.

[Attila]

yes, shockingly, G1 is not the best camera at all.

[sceptic]

If you want to use your enlarger lens as a normal lens on your camera and be able to focus without moving your camera back and forth, I'd suggest something like this:
https://www.fotodioxpro.com/lens-mount-adapters/fotodiox-pro-lens-mount-adapter-m42-42x1mm-screw-mount-lens-to-canon-ef-m-eos-m-mirrorless-digital-camera-system-with-macro-focusing-helicoid.html
Just put an M39-M42 adapter ring on the lens threads and you're good to go.
You will probably not be able to focus on infinity, as the flange distance of the enlarger is different (shorter) than that of regular M42 lenses