el-nikkor

[golunvolo]

I recently came by a couple of El-Nikkors: 50mm 2.8 and 70mm 4.

  It is there an adapter to an F mount? I tried the 50mm today and it was very nice.


  Thanks  in advance!

[Bjørn Rørslett]

They often have 39 mm (LTM) mount and thus any M39 to F adapter will do the trick.

The easiest solution for the *longer* EL-Nikkors is using a focusing extension; those with front 42 mm and rear F mount are pretty ubiquitous and tend to be not very expensive. A simple 42-39 step down ring is very cheap and allows you to mount LTM lenses to the helicoid. As it is inserted into the larger threads, it doesn't add any extra length to the set up.

Get the shortest possible extension if you intend to use the shorter EL-Nikkor or other [enlarger] lens heads. Otherwise getting infinity focus can be impossible and for the 50 mm class, usually impossible with a DSLR unless the lens is attached to a mirrorless camera.

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

I recently came by a couple of El-Nikkors: 50mm 2.8 and 70mm 4.

  It is there an adapter to an F mount? I tried the 50mm today and it was very nice.


  Thanks  in advance!

May I assume it is rather the f4/75mm??

Best to mount using a thin Nikon-M42 adapter, M42 focusing helicoid, M42-M39 adapter ring
in the sequence camera-to-lens, all to be found easily on ebay. Looks like that then (a thin
helicoid was used here)...

EL-Nikkor lens, thin M42-M39 ring, M42 focusing helicoid, Nikon adapter mounted:


all screwed together:


on camera, ready to shoot:


This was special helicoid which allows infinity focusing using a 3.5/63mm EL-Nikkor btw.

Adapter alone lacks focusing, so does extension rings, makes not much sense IMHO ;-)

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Klaus, exactly what I had in mind

[golunvolo]

May I assume it is rather the f4/75mm??

  Yes, you may. That's a wonderful solution. Thank you both for the information.

[benveniste]

Another solution is to use a BR-2A reversing ring and a 40.5mm->52mm adapter ring and reverse mount the lens.  This makes more sense if you're using it on a bellows or extension tube for greater than 1:1 magnifications.

[FGAng]

My experience with the F-mount using Df was that the 50mm f/4 EL-Nikkor can only work in the macro range, even with just M39-M42/M42-Ai. With M42 focusing helicoid (FH) throw in in-between it works in the macro range.  Exactly as Dr Klaus had put together.

I do not have a 70mm f/4 EL-Nikkor, but a Fujinar-E 75mm f/4.5.  With 2 sets of FH 12-17mm and 17-31mm I got infinity/long focus (to about 6m) and near range that roughly corresponds to the usual 0.6m to infinity.  Not ideal, unless I can get a set of FH that goes from 12-31mm.

Metering was a challenge...

[Akira]

The enlarger lenses are designed and corrected for closer ranges (in shooting lens terms).  For example, 50/2.8 is for 1:8 and 75/4.0, for 1:5.  Both are intended for even closer ranges than the venerable old Micro Nikkor 55/3.5 which was corrected for 1:10.

So, the inability to shoot distant subjects with these EL-Nikkors on Nikon DSLRs is of no problem to me.

As mentioned above, it is fairly easy to find the adapter or the combinations of adapters to attach L39 (LTM) mount lenses to F-mount cameras.  Just get closer and shoot away!

[golunvolo]

 Thank you all again for your input. Parts are already ordered and in its way to my eager hands.


 

[David H. Hartman]

I was once asked to run test several enlarging lenses by a camera store. There was an old and new style 50/2.8 EL Nikkor. Both were excellent performers. I owned a 50/4.0 and 75/4.0 EL-Nikkors. These are not only slower lenses but also simpler designs. I immediately replaced the 50/4.0 but still own the 75/4.0. As I recall I always used a 100/5.6 Componon-S over the 70/4.0 when possible.

The popular advice of the day was don't skimp on your enlarging lenses as that will limit all your lenses camera or something similar. I found this to be true and when I bought a heavy weight 10x critical grain focuser I found it to be extremely true. Properly alignment of the enlarger was also very important as a properly aligned enlarger allowed printing in the enlarging lens' sweet spot rather than stopping down for insurance.

I'd keep the 50/2.8 EL-Nikkor but I'd replace the 75/4.0.

Dave Hartman

[Checking an EL Nikkor brochure of the era, there was a 75mm but not a 70mm. I've edited the post above. I also check my equipment insurance list.]

[golunvolo]

I finally took the 70mm 75mm el-nikkor for a spin. It had an step ring and one of the Dr. Klaus´s helicoids (an excellent 20 to 40mm) to adapt it to a Nikon body. It does not go to infinity with this set up. Focusing, even with a k3 focusing screen and the lens stopped down to f/8 or f/11 was so difficult that I have to change to live view in order to get anything sharp, will have to keep on practicing. Without farther ado, what I get on the beach

[golunvolo]

Summer is better 

[golunvolo]

Portraits. The focus plane is narrow.
Note, second-eye focus is intentional and I usually don´t like it

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

well done! (but you have a 75mm, not 70mm, I had to tell you that before...)

[golunvolo]

Yes, 75mm f/1:4, I keep making that mistake... 

  Thanks Dr Klaus