enlarger lens without click stops

Hi All,

I have been using Fujinon EP 50mm/3.5 for printing, and the lens is
really very good. But one problem is it does not have click stops.

I have on several occassions switched on the enlarger before stopping
the lens down to working aperture. And I am never sure if I have set
the aperture correctly. I cant see the aperture setting in the safe
light.

I am sure lot of experienced printers have used lenses without click
stops. I would really appreciate any tips for using such lenses.

thanks for any tips,
Sreenath

Many enlarger lenses have click stops that can be disengaged. Maybe
yours has click stops that you could engage by shifting the aperture
ring towards or away from the front of the lens, or by shifting a
slider on the barrel of the lens.

sreenath wrote:
Hi All,

I am sure lot of experienced printers have used lenses without click
stops. I would really appreciate any tips for using such lenses.

If you always use one aperture, you can probably get good
at stopping it down in the dark by feel. If your lens goes
from f/3.5 to f/16 and you want f/8 or f/11, it is probably
easiest to turn the dial all the way and then back up to your
standard printing aperture.

Another thing is to get a darkroom flashlight. I use a mini
maglight with a piece of #25 gel filter in front of the lens.
It is very handy for seeing into bits of the darkroom that
the main safelights don't illuminate well.

Peter.
--

In article .com,
sreenath wrote:

I am sure lot of experienced printers have used lenses without click
stops. I would really appreciate any tips for using such lenses.

Perhaps not. I've never seen an enlarging lens that didn't have them,
including a Fujinon EP I've used. Perhaps your lens is simply
defective?

I use a lens that when pushed UP engages click stops, or when pulled DOWN
disengages them. Since I often print at about 1/2 scale, but may open the
lens up between sequential prints to make adjustments, I find the clicks are
essential in assuring exact repetition of exposure. I have never used the
non-click mode.


"Peter Irwin" wrote in message
...
sreenath wrote:
Hi All,

I am sure lot of experienced printers have used lenses without click
stops. I would really appreciate any tips for using such lenses.

If you always use one aperture, you can probably get good
at stopping it down in the dark by feel. If your lens goes
from f/3.5 to f/16 and you want f/8 or f/11, it is probably
easiest to turn the dial all the way and then back up to your
standard printing aperture.

Another thing is to get a darkroom flashlight. I use a mini
maglight with a piece of #25 gel filter in front of the lens.
It is very handy for seeing into bits of the darkroom that
the main safelights don't illuminate well.

Peter.
--

On Thursday 24 February 2005 22:11, sreenath wrote:

I have been using Fujinon EP 50mm/3.5 for printing, and the lens is
really very good. But one problem is it does not have click stops.

It probably does have click-stops. They are most likely disengaged. I
think with Fujinon enlarger lenses, you pull down the aperture ring to
engage or disengage f-stop detents. Can't remember exactly.

I have on several occassions switched on the enlarger before stopping
the lens down to working aperture. And I am never sure if I have set
the aperture correctly. I cant see the aperture setting in the safe
light.

Here's how I eliminate that happening: I used a grain magnifier, and
always do my final focus check AFTER stopping the lens down to the
printing aperture. To view the f-stop, I hold the palm of my hand in
the light stream under the lens and reflect some of it back onto the
f-stop markings, then stop down. You could also use a small darkroom
flashlight instead. If you follow this procedure, your prints will
always be in focus (some lenses, even good ones, focus shift when
stopping down), and you'll never ruin another sheet of paper by
forgetting to stop down. You will have to get a grain magnifier, but
you should have been using one all along.

--
Stefan Patric
NoLife Polymath Group

Stefan Patric wrote:
On Thursday 24 February 2005 22:11, sreenath wrote:


I have been using Fujinon EP 50mm/3.5 for printing, and the lens is
really very good. But one problem is it does not have click stops.


It probably does have click-stops. They are most likely disengaged. I
think with Fujinon enlarger lenses, you pull down the aperture ring to
engage or disengage f-stop detents. Can't remember exactly.

On my Schneider Symmar S 150mm f/5.6 (relatively new), the clickstops can
be engaged or disengaged with a slider on the side of the barrel. There is
also a dimly-lit aperture scale visible when the enlarger light is on.

When printing B&W, I count clicks (1/2 stop clicks with this lens) to get
the aperture I want. When printing color, I disengage the clicks and set
the color analyzer to all colors and adjust the aperture to make the meter
read zero.

--
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Thanks for all the helpful tips. Thanks for those who sent emails.

After one of the replies suggested that this particular lens indeed had
click stops, I opened the lens and removed a cir-clip. The lens has
been designed with click stops, and someone had removed the tiny spring
and the ball that provides the click-stop effect.

I had bought quite a few of these lenses on eBay, and the click stop
mechanism has been removed in ALL of them.

As one reply suggested, perhaps these lenses were used with some
enlarging meter or color analyser that could not work easily with
clock stops.

So one more think to worry when buying stuff on eBay!

thanks,
Sreenath