Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/10/04

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Focotars (was Focomat IC)
From: "Henning J. Wulff" <henningw@archiphoto.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 20:26:42 -0700

At 5:21 PM -0700 10/4/99, Mark Rabiner wrote:
>"Henning J. Wulff" wrote:
>>
>> At 3:26 PM -0500 10/4/99, Anderson, Ferrel E wrote:
>><Snip>
>> I also tried the first Focotar, and it definitely was a poorer performer.
>> At f/8 (its optimum aperture) it was not nearly as good as the latter
>> Focotars at 5.6, and probably not as good as the newer ones at 4.5. At f/11
>> it also fell off noticeably.
>>
>> I've tried a lot of enlarging lenses, but mostly in the 70's. The El
>> Nikkors, Componons and Apo-Rodagons of the time were no match for my
>> Focotar, and even though all the competitors were f/2.8 lenses, they all
>> had to be stopped down to 5.6 to print reasonably; same as my Focotar. The
>> f/2.8 apertures were only good for focussing, ><Snip>
>So you wanted to print wide open like Ralph Gibson. Stopping down a couple
>was a
>problem? Were you all Zip aligned?
>><Snip>
>> One lens I've wanted to try was the 105/5.6 El Nikkor that covered only 35.
>> Apparently it defined the pinnacle of enlarger lens performance in the
>> 70's. Unfortunately, it cost around $1500 or more at the time that I bought
>> my Leica Hologon for less than $600 Canadian. Priorities :-).
>><Snip>
>Huh? the 105/5.6 El Nikkor that covers 6x9cm and cast about $250?
>Mark Rabiner
>I've been using the 80/5.6 El Nikkor which cost $180 and the extra $60 would
>have gotten me top quality I think instead of "real good" quality. I'm due for
>an upgrade and will wait for Erwins Report before deciding what to do.

No.

__$1500+___ in the 70's. It was an Apo and only covered 35.

   *            Henning J. Wulff
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