Wilon 1:3.5/50 Does anyone of you know this?

Dongrappo · 2019-12-17T13:58:13+00:00

Hallo liebe Leute Bei all dem Zeug das ich nun angesammelt habe, war unter Anderem auch ein Wilon 3,5/50mm Will. Wetzlar Objektiv dabei. Das sieht recht mod...

Dongrappo

Hello everyone Among all the stuff I’ve collected, there was also a Wilon 3.5/50mm Will. Wetzlar lens. It looks quite modern, but there’s almost no information about it. However, there is some information available about the company. Based on the maximum aperture, I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s a Tessar type. In an English-language thread, I read only a very brief, glowing review of the Wilon in question, whilst elsewhere the feedback was average. However, it was only a brief mention, with no further details or examples, etc. It has a diameter of approx. 23mm and I’ve just swapped it into the old Liesegang Uni-Rax II plate, replacing the built-in Enna-Trigmat 1:4.5 f=6cm “C”. The results with the Enna at 13x18 enlargements that I took yesterday don’t look too bad at all. However, the Wilon has a higher light intensity and a wider aperture range going up to f22, whereas the Enna only goes up to 11. And why the Uni-Rax? Well, I really like the feel of the old Liesegang enlarger. So much attention to detail in the whole construction. Just the plastic tab on the column scale, which is softly illuminated by the opal lamp, making it easy to read exactly which height setting you’re using even in the dark. The book-style stage with AN glass on top, built-in red windows for the film stops that are projected in red, and the small ‘Test’ panel for fine-tuning the sharpness is simply brilliant. Focusing is also very sensitive and precise to operate. Back to the topic: Does anyone have any experience with the Wilon? Oh yes, according to the instruction manual, some older Kaiser models (7002, 6002, 3502) were available with a Wilon, albeit for the MF 4.5/75mm, alongside Schneider-Kreuznach and Rodenstock. One more question: could a 23mm lens be converted to 39mm using an adapter? So many questions. Best regards, Werner

KlausWehner

I haven’t seen this lens for myself. However, there are several reasons to believe that it is a simple design with fairly average performance. I wouldn’t compromise on an enlarger lens. Good lenses can still be bought relatively cheaply at the moment. With a decent 4-element enlarger lens, you’ll get good enlargements. For slightly higher standards and larger magnification ratios, I would recommend a 6-element enlarger lens. Please bear in mind that you’ll be investing a lot of time and consumables. Cutting corners in the wrong place isn’t going to give you lasting satisfaction. Best regards, Klaus

Dongrappo

Klaus Wehner wrote : ‘I haven’t seen this lens for myself. However, there are several reasons to believe that it is a simple design with rather average performance. When it comes to enlarger lenses, I wouldn’t compromise. Good lenses can still be bought relatively cheaply at the moment. With a decent 4-element enlarger lens, you’ll get good enlargements. For slightly higher standards and larger magnification ratios, I would recommend a 6-element enlarger lens. Please bear in mind that you’ll be investing a lot of time and consumables. Cutting corners in the wrong place isn’t going to give you lasting satisfaction. Best regards, Klaus

Thanks for your assessment, Klaus. I’m asking about the Wilon more out of curiosity, as I have a Componon-s for 50mm and a 105mm Anaret for medium format. The 2.8/50 Nikon EL, which I recently came across, is unfortunately quite hairy on the inside. That might be suitable for winter, but not so much optically. :-D The Wilon was compared to Schneider and Rodenstock Apo lenses in an English-language forum by a user – the only review of that lens I could find at all. But word would surely have got round. Although Will Wetzlar had apparently already built some really good models in other areas. On the enlarger screen, however, the projection looks razor-sharp and high-contrast right into the corners even at wide-open aperture. It could well be a good four-element lens. I’ll just give it a go on the Liesegang, which is fitted with a 23mm lens plate. It’s only in the 75/80mm range that I’m still missing a good one. I’ve got two Rodenstock Trinar 75mm lenses left, one with mould, the other OK. Just in terms of feel, they’re pretty rubbish. Optically, they’re probably OK for smaller formats. It’s just that my 50mm Rolleinar EL is almost just as bad mechanically. Well, with the 50mm Schneider and the 105mm Anaret I’m already getting on very well, and I’m glad they were included with the crocuses and am delighted to be able to call such good equipment my own. Nevertheless, I like the Wilon on the Liesegang and I’d simply like to know a bit about the lens. Oh yes, as I eke out an existence on the poverty line (by Western standards) – something that for most other photography enthusiasts and working people isn’t really worth mentioning – it is, unfortunately, often a real issue for me. As I know from times when I was doing quite well financially myself that this is simply impossible to comprehend, it is never meant as a reproach. So I’m delighted that I’ve just been given a load of film, and most of it works perfectly despite its age. None of this is a problem, really, but I like to point it out now and then to put things into perspective a bit, and perhaps the reader might then think to themselves, ‘Right, I’m actually doing quite well,’ and feel a little gratitude for their own situation. Which is a lovely thing, I think. After all, we’re often inclined to focus on the empty half of our own glass, aren’t we?! Oh dear, has this turned into a sermon now? Well, it is Advent, after all. So thank you for the practical tips, and as for the content, I completely agree with your assessment. “Good lenses can still be bought quite cheaply.” Yes, there’s a trend emerging there, isn’t there? Prices are rising again when it comes to laboratory technology. At least, that’s what I’ve observed over the last few years. Warm regards, Werner

KlausWehner

If you have another lens with a similar focal length to the Wilon, you could simply take an enlargement with each lens. Then you can decide for yourself how good the lens is. I would expect the most noticeable differences to be in the contrast and the drop in sharpness towards the edges. It certainly wouldn’t be a problem to have an adapter thread to M39 made for your Wilon at a machinist’s. It might even be possible to print one quickly on a 3D printer. The question is whether it’s worth the effort. Best regards, Klaus

KlausWehner

Just a quick addendum: A 75 mm or 80 mm enlarger lens isn’t strictly necessary if you have a 105 mm Anaret to hand. That should (probably) do a very good job of enlarging your 6x6 negatives. You’ll need to extend the bellows slightly further, which will give you a slightly greater distance to the base plate. But I suspect neither of these will be a problem. Give it a go. If it works, the advantage is that you’ll only be using the central area of the image circle and avoiding the generally weaker peripheral areas. Best regards, Klaus

Dongrappo

Klaus Wehner wrote : Just a quick addendum: A 75 mm or 80 mm enlarger lens isn’t strictly necessary if you have a 105 mm Anaret to hand. That should (probably) do a very good job of enlarging your 6x6 negatives. You’ll need to extend the bellows slightly further, which will give you a bit more distance from the base plate. But I suspect neither of these will be a problem. Give it a go. If it works, the advantage is that you’ll only be using the central area of the image circle and avoiding the generally weaker peripheral areas. Best regards, Klaus

That’s clear enough. It’s just that I’ve already reached the limit because of the Kaiser’s short column. On top of that, the column—which is already quite delicate—shows its weaknesses even more when it comes to stability. And with small prints, the bellows extension also reaches its limit in terms of sharpness. I can’t get a 10x15 print sharp from a 6x6 negative anymore. Well, in that case I can switch to the Krokus. I just still need a proper negative stage. I realise that a slightly ‘larger’ lens is better, as I remain within the optimal mid-range of the optics. Although the expensive lenses can, of course, usually reproduce a clean and sharp image right up to the edges with some margin to spare. It would simply be an advantage for the little Kaisers, precisely because of the column height and bellows extension. Otherwise, I’m very impressed by the performance of the 4.5/105 Anaret.

KlausWehner

Yes, if it doesn’t fit mechanically, there’s not much you can do. One option would be to extend the bellows using an extension ring. Extending the column would also be possible – but that would certainly be too much of a faff. Limiting yourself to slightly smaller magnification formats, on the other hand, would be a measure that would also benefit image quality. What magnification ratios are you aiming for? The Anaret is a good, affordable lens. With a bit of patience, you’re sure to find a 75 mm Anaret. You can often pick up a Ysaron quite cheaply too. The quality is comparable. Best regards, Klaus

Dongrappo

Right, first of all, I wish you all a wonderful and healthy New Year in 2020! (Welcome to the future!!!) So, I’ve now modified the Kaisers. What I mean is that I’ve managed to glue in glass at the top of both AN units and it’s now flat. There’s also the option of buying a newer and larger column for the Kaiser. Although individual parts are always much, much more expensive than complete sets. It’s just that they’re hardly ever available up here in the north. In central and southern Germany, you often find good deals, or even good equipment for free. I’m very happy with the lenses so far. I managed to take the Nikon 2.8/50 apart and clean it. There was a coated layer on the lenses inside. Now there’s still a tiny bit of ‘glass fungus’ right at the very edge of the front lens; on the inside, which I couldn’t quite remove. It shouldn’t affect the image, though, and according to reports, it probably won’t release any spores into the environment that would be dangerous for the other optics. I also expose all glass parts, optical elements and condenser lenses to daylight after cleaning, as UV radiation and air are apparently the enemies of fungal spores. I’ll test the Wilon again later. I believe it’s actually a quite useful lens. Well then, many thanks and warm regards, and wishing you good light, Werner

Renate

The lens is probably a simple triplet. I saw a list of a few Wilon lenses in an old book. They are all three-element lenses. However, there is only a 4.5/50 mm lens listed, not the 3.5/50. In my youth, my pocket money was tight and even 3-element lenses were expensive for me. Today, however, even APOs are available at reasonable prices and are therefore my standard choice for magnification. Many old lenses, even from well-known brands, are 3-element lenses. Even Leitz had such lenses in its range. Best regards Renate

trifft_nix87

Better late than never xD Wilon lenses, known for their 1:3.5/50 specifications, were frequently used in surveillance cameras in the 1990s, for example in department stores. https://ibb.co/cQTmhdS