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my enlarging lens is foggy...


jpk

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Hi!

 

I got back my focotar-2 from Leica, they cleaned it, but stated that there is still some fog inside. The prints look fine, but I wonder if I could even get better results if I find a copy without any fog. Please can someone tell me how important absolute clean glass for enlarging lenses is?

 

Many thanks in advance,

Jun

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It is just like a camera lens, you get low contrast. If low fog, I would leave it alone and use it.

 

DAG cleaned one of mine with no warrantee on the work as he thinks the fog is from people smoking and is sometimes difficult to remove. He got 3/4 of it out and one element was left. The lens was older, cheap, but one of my favorite large front element Focotars wich were scarce at the time. I opened the lens and used hydrogen peroxide + alcohol and literally HARD scrubbed it clean. The interior coating was most likely damaged in this process, but the lens works ok.

 

So I can believe their normal soaking or ultrasonic will not always remove it. And no competent repair person would do what I did.

 

Fog lowers contrast and dulls colors on camera lenses also.

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Hi

 

There is a difference

 

Fog in a taking lens fills in the shadows more than high lights.

Fog in an enlarging lens alters the high lights more than shadows

 

Depends on the shot you took and the effect you wanted

 

Noel

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Nice theory, but neither works optimally if fogged.

 

My post did not include the words optimal or works...

 

You used to be able to get soft focus lenses for e.g. photos of female of the species. Some people used a diffuser on the taking lens, but doing the same on the enlarger was not preferred... It gives a different effect...

 

Cosina sell some taking lenses in SC and MC, they seem to sell a lot more in SC than they anticipated originally, one could say the SC lens was not optimal but lots of people buy them from choice.

 

I'll give you that peoples likes are subjective.

 

But it is not a theory merely how diffuced light will fog sensitive emulsion.

 

Noel

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Thanks for the input. So I will be looking for a clean Focotar-2... Please, if anybody has one for sale, let me know.

Hi

 

Did you ask them to dismantle and clean? Unfortunately some lens are etched by fog and some of them are Leica lenses...

 

Noel

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