It is possible (without great difficulty) to use a large format enlarger lens on a large format camera. Is there a way of mounting the lens and a suitable shutter assembly? The reason for asking is that I am looking for a 300mm lens for a 5x4 camera but they seem rather difficult to come by, especially second hand, however I have found a few 300mm enlarging lenses.

-- Mike Dodd (m.e.dodd@open.ac.uk), January 21, 1998

Answers

Mike, You could use a 300mm enlarging lens on a 5x7 view camera, but finding a shutter that you could mount the lens into might be a problem. Most of the 300mm enlarging lenses that I have seen use a flange to mount to the enlarger, not a threaded base as with the smaller lenses. Occasionaly you can find a used "Packard" shutter which mounts in front of, or behind the lens. This shutter opens and closes via an air bulb, no fast shutter speeds, only "b".

If you need a lens to cover 5x7, a normal 210mm lens, like a Schneider Symmar, Rodenstock Sironar or Calumet Caltar will cover quite well, not huge movements, but they cover edge to edge and then some.

For 5x7 you need a minimum of 219mm of image circle to cover. 210mm lenses average about 305mm of image circle.

-- Britt Leckman (bleckman@gmu.edu), January 22, 1998.