Greetings, I have a Beseler 23C and am looking to purchase another lense for 120 enlargements. Though I rarely (if never) print 120, I have found several older negatives of my grandparents and the negatives are a variety of sizes from 6x4.5 to 6x9 (some even a bit larger than 6x9). Would a 105mm lense cover these sizes for enlargements to 8x10? I can't afford a lense for each size at the moment and am hoping one will suffice. Thank you. Ken

-- Kenneth Bruno (salmon70@hotmail.com), March 25, 2002

Answers

You should get adequate coverage with a 105 mm. You might want to look at your larger negatives and see if you want to print them full frame. I have printed from older negatives like these and always did quite a bit of cropping. 75mm is adequate for up to 6x6, and 90mm is sufficient for 6x7. 105mm is fine for 6x9.

-- Jim Rock (jameswrock@aol.com), March 25, 2002.

Jim, Thanks for the reply. If I were to acquire a 105mm, would it be useful for many, if not all, of my 120 printing needs? What is the drawbacks for using a lense of this length with say the 6x4.5 format? Ken

-- Ken Bruno (salmon70@hotmail.com), March 25, 2002.

The major drawback to using 105mm with 645 negs is that it will reduce the largest print you can make with your enlarger (without resorting to removing the enlarger baseboard, etc.). Also, you could be using the lens further from the optimum magnification level of the lens. This is not a big problem unless you are making 16x20 prints or larger. There are actually some benefits of using a 105mm lens for 645 such as increased edge sharpness (because you will not actually be using the edge of the lens where sharpness and light fall-off is typically the worst).

The actual covering power of an enlarger lens is specified by the manufacturer, so it best check their specs. El-Nikkor and Rodenstock 105's will cover 6x9. The Schneider Componon-S 100mm will also cover 6x9 (it's actually 102.3mm). But focal length is not the only factor that determines the maximum format size that it covers.

-- Michael Feldman (mfeldman@qwest.net), March 25, 2002.

Michael is correct regarding the limitations. If you are only doing 8x10's or 11x14's, you should not have a problem. However, if you are making very large prints you may have a problem with magnification. I would check the 6x9's you are looking to enlarge. If you are planning to crop from the sides, it might be better to get a 90mm lens as you will not need the extra coverage (90mm is generally the suggested lens for 6x7). You can then use a more appropriate lens for the various medium formats.

-- Jim Rock (jameswrock@aol.com), March 25, 2002.