Gast
Further down in the forum, Meister Mirko mentioned that people are welcome to put items up for sale:
Apo Rodagon 4.0/80 mm
The lens shows no signs of wear and has been used very little by me. (It’s in top condition and has always been cleaned carefully with a soft brush. Only the plastic packaging is slightly scratched.)
As I have been working with a Leitz Focomat IIc for quite some time now, it is dead capital for me.
Price: €200
The item can be sent by post or collected in Hamburg.
If you’re not happy with it, I’ll take it back.
trommelspecht@freenet.de
By the way, I’d love to start a discussion about the Focomat IIc (even though we’re in Meopta territory here).
Well then, Merry Christmas, and to the hard-working FOTOIMPEX team too!
Dierk
MirkoBoeddecker
No problem at all: you can list whatever you like, as long as it’s related to analogue photography.
It would be great, though, if you could post an update once it’s sold so I can move or close the thread.
Mirko
Gast
Hi Dierk,
Well, I really enjoy working with my Focomat, even if it’s just the Ic model – in case that’s what you wanted to know... :D
Best regards, Sven.
Gast
Well, I was actually referring to all the hype surrounding the Focomat.
Here’s an example:
The enlarger is fitted with the Focotar 5.6/60mm and the Vario-Elmar 4.5/100mm, although by today’s standards the Elmar’s optical performance is simply a disaster.
Now I’m wondering whether the prices on the second-hand market for this piece of kit actually still reflect its true value. I don’t think so; I suspect people are paying for the nostalgia factor as well. But perhaps there are differing opinions on this.
Regards
Dierk
Urnes
Hi Dierk,
Just pop the Rodagon into the Focomat. I used to have the 4.5 50mm in mine too, and I spent ages fiddling around with different developer and film combinations because I wasn’t happy with the image quality. I then managed to get hold of an S-Componon at a bargain price, and now I’m absolutely delighted with it. Of course, the different lens means there’s a slight focus difference; when switching formats from 18x24 to 30x40, that amounts to perhaps a three-quarter turn of the worm gear. But once you’ve decided on your format, you’ll hardly need to make any further adjustments, especially if you’ve stopped down to f/8.
My connection to the Focomat isn’t so much a childhood dream, though; I was given my two as gifts. What I love is simply the fact that the frame can be set very quickly and precisely, and that the negative stage is a touch larger than my negatives, so I can print with a black border.
I have to agree with you, though, that the prices on the second-hand market are really unjustifiable. For the same price, I picked up a well-preserved 13x18 enlarger with a colour head. There are also other alternatives in this class, such as Agfa’s Variosskop or the Kienzle enlargers, which are even available up to 4x5", and I believe Teufel also used to make a similar device.
Regards, Sven.
Gast
Changing the lens on the IIc isn’t that straightforward, because it uses special worm gears that only the particularly narrow Leitz lenses fit into.
This isn’t a problem with most other autofocus enlargers. With those, the only hassle is the focal length tolerance. Because, as in your case, for example, it’s not always 50mm inside where it says 50mm on the label.
But you could also give Schneider a ring. They would certainly sell you a selected lens for your enlarger where the actual focal length matches the nominal focal length. The only question is whether it’s worth it.
I’m currently having the 100mm lens replaced, which also involves milling out the lens worm gear. I can’t really explain rationally why I decided to do this, though. It’s probably that feeling when my hands glide over the solid metal body and my eyes take in the consistently high level of sharpness of the negative...
But apart from those erotic moments in the darkroom, I also think that a second-hand Kienzle, Varioskop or Focomat IIa is just as good if you want autofocus for medium format. But in my opinion, the lenses are always the tricky part. Because technical developments in lens construction have, after all, progressed quite a bit over the last 30 years.
Regards
Dierk
Gast
