BEOON advice please - functional checks prior to purchase

[Guest]

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So, for how much is the Focotar 2 going? Surprised if there is a run of enlarging lenses, of which there must be many around.

[tsleica]

The other option if you want to do 35mm and esp..larger formats...2.25 film and up to LF..just find a Valoy 2 enlarger on the cheap...and locate the rarer copystand attachment for it...and this will do everything just dandy...! You will have to level out the cam though..and I would rather use a cam with a tilting screen more than the M screen if I were doing reams of work....I have the BEOON too and it works great for 35mm and is tiny..but the Valoy..works just as good..and is cheaper...but with a harder to find copystand attachment and having to level out the camera if it is not on there full time...

Macro lenses fail in the corners..use a Focotar 2 or a Rodenstock or el cheapo Nikon 50mm enlarging lens..get the 6 element lenses if you can..but the Focotar 2 is an excellent lens..but oft times cloudy..but even then..sharp as can be..and not a bad macro lens as well if you mount on a camera w/39mm ext tubes and an adapter..

Edited August 27, 2017 by tsleica

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[Steve Ricoh]

So, for how much is the Focotar 2 going? Surprised if there is a run of enlarging lenses, of which there must be many around.

On completed listing £465, ouch!

[Guest]

I bought mine for US$200 last year — and there were a good number listed. I just checked now and there is "buy now" price on one from Germany for $165. Hard to believe the £465 is a representative price...

[Steve Ricoh]

I'm on ebay.co.uk for account reasons.

 

The only one currently listed is this:

Leitz Germany 4,5 / 5cm Focotar DOOCQ for Focomat I and Valoy II For €79.01

 

First things first, I need to get the BEOON purchased

[Reeray]

@Steve

 

I seem to remember reading that a Focotar 1 is poor compared to the updated Focotar 2, which does seem to be the benchmark. However, I have no qualms with the much cheaper and more obtainable Schneider Componon S 50mm f.2.8 which you may like to consider.

 

Here are two 35mm test images i shot using Ilford Delta 100, Beoon and the above Schneider. No artistic intent but, as can be seen, corner to corner sharpness with no fall off.

 

Just a thought.

 

 

[Steve Ricoh]

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Thanks Ray, your excellent results speak highly of the Componon S 50 2.8 - and broadens my search options.

[Steve Ricoh]

Good news, looks like I've managed to secure a BEOON, less loupe, but as I'm unlikely to use the loupe it's no big deal.

 

Now, just the enlarger lens and light table and I should be up and running.

[Avatar]

@Steve

 

I seem to remember reading that a Focotar 1 is poor compared to the updated Focotar 2, which does seem to be the benchmark. However, I have no qualms with the much cheaper and more obtainable Schneider Componon S 50mm f.2.8 which you may like to consider.

 

Here are two 35mm test images i shot using Ilford Delta 100, Beoon and the above Schneider. No artistic intent but, as can be seen, corner to corner sharpness with no fall off.

 

Just a thought.

 

 

Good timing on this thread! I have a Beoon on the way. I'll first try a 50mm Summarit. How much of an improvement is there using either the Fotorar 2 or the Schneider over the one that comes with the Beoon?

 

Thanks!

Edited August 29, 2017 by Avatar

[Reeray]

There's no lens with the Beoon unless the seller is throwing one in.

[Steve Ricoh]

@Steve

 

I seem to remember reading that a Focotar 1 is poor compared to the updated Focotar 2, which does seem to be the benchmark. However, I have no qualms with the much cheaper and more obtainable Schneider Componon S 50mm f.2.8 which you may like to consider.

 

Here are two 35mm test images i shot using Ilford Delta 100, Beoon and the above Schneider. No artistic intent but, as can be seen, corner to corner sharpness with no fall off.

 

Just a thought.

 

 

Ray, can you remember the aperture setting (on the Componon S) for these? Lots to read on the Internet, one review indicated centre sharpest at f4 and best corner sharpness at f5.6, but the review I read was using the lens reversed. Any concerns about it having only 5 blades?

[Reeray]

Steve. I use f8 always. I focus wide open as recommended and use the Beoon column to make critical adjustments, again as recommended. Focus peaking with live view zoomed in also. Having satisfied myself that all is sharp I lock the column, stop down to f8 and that's it for the whole roll. Leica suggest f11 when using the M3 and 50mm DR, so I reckon I'm in the ballpark at f8.

[a.noctilux]

Good timing on this thread! I have a Beoon on the way. I'll first try a 50mm Summarit. How much of an improvement is there using either the Fotorar 2 or the Schneider over the one that comes with the Beoon?

 

Thanks!

 

So no lens comes with BEOON.

 

Summarit-M 50mm f/2.4 or 2.5 would be fine, but not the original Summarit f/1.5 which has too much field curvature and not great in close focus quality (even if nice for distant photos).

 

Just an idea on my tests, BEOON + Summarit-M 2.5/50 and Kodachrome 64, the beautiful film grain can be clearly observed.

[Steve Ricoh]

Apologies in advance for all these questions...

 

For BEOON work, what's the best size Light Pad (not yet having said BEOON [awaiting delivery] I can't measure) A3 or is A4 ?adequate?

[a.noctilux]

Not too large, I use A3 light table (old no-LED type from 1980's) that is to hide most part.

A4 would be fine.

Remember to have some black material to cancel flare.

[Steve Ricoh]

The LED light pads I've looked at look less than robust enough to support the weight of a BEOON, plus the weight of a camera. I'm wondering if the BEOON needs to be supported on blocks of wood or something to keep it off the fragile glass Light Pad.

[Doug A]

The LED light pads I've looked at look less than robust enough to support the weight of a BEOON, plus the weight of a camera. I'm wondering if the BEOON needs to be supported on blocks of wood or something to keep it off the fragile glass Light Pad.

 

If you are digitizing 35mm negatives you will want the base of the BEOON resting directly on a solid surface - either the surface of the light pad or a sheet of glass. The channel for 35mm strips built into the base depends on the solid surface to hold the film in place.

[Guest]

...I'll first try a 50mm Summarit. How much of an improvement is there using either the Fotorar 2 or the Schneider over the one that comes with the Boon?...

 

Substantially better. I wrote the following in post #7 above: As for the lens to use, the manual states that any 50 mm lens will work. Originally, last year I started using the DR Summicron-50. Then, on someone's recommendation, I bought a Focotar 2 enlarging lens; but, not having done any rigorous testing, couldn't see a difference in the rough type of Tri-X shots I was making, in which softness in the corners did not matter. Last week, when I started digitalizing E100S and Kodachrome transparencies, I tried one image with these two lenses and could see immediately that the corners were much sharper with the Focotar — a big improvement. It's simply because enlarging lenses are designed for a flat field, while macro lenses are not. While I used the DR Summicron at f/11, as specified in the manual, I set the Focotar 2 at f/5.6.

 

Just now, I did some quick googling on the Focotar 2: the general opinion is that the Focotar 2 is substantially better than the earlier Focotar 1, which was a Schneider lens. Some people think that the Focotar 2 is among the best enlarging lenses, but I suspect you're not going to see that much difference if you use an APO Rodagon 50 or an EL-Nikkor 50, but I haven't tried those lenses on the BEOON.

 

On the optimum aperture of the Focotar 2 50mm, I've tried it on the BEOON at f/5.6, 8, and 11 — and concluded that f/5.6 was the best, but my testing was not rigorous. Someone wrote: My conclusions are that the Leica 50mm f4.5 Focotar-2 lens displayed the best perfomance at f5.6, and diffraction definitely reduced resolution at f8 and beyond. For instance, resolution was at the optimum in the central region at f4.5, but slight color fringing and flare (vignetting too probably) would reduce the quality of enlargements at this aperture. At f5.6 resolution evened out at over 240 l/mm across the central 2/3 of the image, and the slight color fringing and flare visible at f4.5 disappeared altogether. 

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[Guest]

The LED light pads I've looked at look less than robust enough to support the weight of a BEOON, plus the weight of a camera. I'm wondering if the BEOON needs to be supported on blocks of wood or something to keep it off the fragile glass Light Pad.

 

Steve - I use an Artograph 920 LX, which is very solid. It easily supports the BEOON and camera. If you think than the film might be bulging in the mask you can also hold press down down on the mask with two fingers while the epsosure is being made — I use the 2s self timer facility,

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Steve Ricoh]

That's good to know Mitch, the Autograph mentioned must be quite robust to support the combined weight - at a guess 2kg if not more.

 

I've been looking at two, the Autograph you mentioned at 6500K and the LitEnergy at 5200K. That leads on to the question what is the ideal colour temperature for scanning / photographing negatives and slides. Apparently daylight film stock is formulated for 5600K and logically the light table would be best if close to that temperature.

 

In terms of physical size, a.noctilux informed me that an A4 size pad should be big enough.