I picked up this enlarger secondhand - very cheap. The only problem is with the lens: there is some sort of spot/clouding between the elements. As lenses for 35mm are very cheap I am thinking of buying a secondhand one. Two question: 1. Thread: appears to be about 38/39mm which I think is standard. Can anyone confirm this? 2. I have a book which shows lense sizes for various neg sizes. For 35mm it recommends 50 to 75mm. Could I use a 75mm and get a larger projection on the baseboard? Or would it give me problems with the autofocus/distortions? Many thanks for your hints. Klaus

-- Klaus Werner (kwerner@zetnet.co.uk), January 02, 1998

Answers

It is a ZENITH enlaregr, not zeith....

-- Klaus Werner (kwerner@zetnet.co.uk), January 02, 1998.

Wow, that takes me back. That was the first enlarger I ever used. It cost #20 new, including lens. The enlarger was pretty good, the lens was crap. The lens thread is indeed standard, known as "Leica" standard, because it is the same as used by Leica screw-thread lenses. Any lens that uses this thread will fit, provided the lens isn't physically too large for the mount surround.

Any focal length other than whatever your lens is will upset the autofocus. As far as I recall, the autofocus wasn't very good anyway.

A longer focal length, such as 75mm, will give a smaller projected image, not larger. If it is a proper enlarging lens, you won't get any distortions.

To get a larger image, you can swing the column round and project on to the floor.

-- Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com), January 02, 1998.