El Nikkor enlarging lenses

This were great enlarging lenses (and still are I suppose). The 50mm El Nikkor has achieved a reputation as a good lens to put on the end of a bellows (preferrably reversed) to use for macro work.

There are 3 versions of this lens:

I have the first two lenses and need to perform some tests to determine which (if either) is best, whether they perform best reversed at certain magnification ranges, and what aperture yields the best resolution.

I am told that the f/2.8 is considered better than the f/4 for macro work (though this is not to say that the f/4 is bad). The EL-Nikkor 50/2.8 is a 6 element, 4 group design. The 50/4 is a 4 element, 3 group design.

Here is a diagram of what the 2.8 versions look like inside. The 2.8 is on the left, the 2.8N is on the right.

The 2.8 is easy to tell from the 2.8N. The 2.8 has large aperture markings on a rotating ring that match up with a dot. The 2.8N has smaller markings that pass through a window with a line nearby.

Here is what the 2.8 looks like:

And here is what the 2.8N looks like:

And here is a link to a story about the design of these lenses.

Actually these lenses are mentioned in passing in a story about the design of the Nikkor 13mm f/5.6. The 2.8 was designed by Mr. Wakimoto of Nikon (described as a wizard lens designer), and the 2.8N was done by Mr. Mori (to whom Mr. Wakimoto "takes off his hat").

Feedback? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Mineralogy Info / tom@mmto.org