I bought a well used 50 mm Schneider Componar enlarging lens from e-bay. When I received it, it was well packed and no signs of damage. I put it on my Durst M600 enlarger and it would not focus. I tried both the normal and recessed lens boards. I also tried it on a Federal enlarger. It would not focus a 35mm negative on either enlarger. I tried using the lens like a boy scout uses a magnifying glass to focus the sun to a tiny spot which will start paper on fire. It would only give a large "circle of confusion", not a point. All the other lenses I tried this way, both enlarging, and camera lenses would focus the sun to a point. They all also would give an image of a distant light bulb on the ceiling when held at their focal length away from a piece of paper. The 50 mm Componar would not. There are no signs of anything wrong with the glass, no indication of separation of the elements, everything looks normal. I'm puzzled and so is the guy I bought it from who tested it by making a print at F8 with an Omega enlarger before sending it to me. Anyone have any ideas about this problem? BTW the test I did were all done at maximum aperture.

Walt Black wblack@fgi.net

-- Walter F. Black (wblack@fgi.net), September 04, 1999

Answers

Send it back and ask for a refund. Caveat Emptor. james

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), September 04, 1999.