Mounting an El-Nikkor 105mm 5.6 to a Nikon PB-4 Bellows

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I know this question has probably been asked time and time again, but despite my many, many Google searches for the correct information, I'm still not sure on how to proceed and or what to buy.<br>

I have a Nikon PB-4 bellows and just received an El-Nikkor Nikon enlarging lens, specifically the 105mm f5.6 lens. In simple terms, please explain how to mount my 105/5.6 to my PB-4? What adapters do I need? And would the same adapters work work with my PB-4 and another Nikon enlarging lens, the El-Nikkor 135mm/5.6?<br>

Any help would be very much appreciated.<br>

Thank you,<br>

Fred S. Grandinetti</p>

 

<p>The PB-4 has a female F mount in front. The 105mm EL has a Leica-thread 39mm on its rear.<br /> If you wish to mount it unreversed, you can get an adapter that allows attaching Leica-thread (M39) lenses onto a Nikon F mount. There probably are many generic third-party adapters that you can get for $15-20 that will do this. If you wish to mount the lens in reverse position, you can use the same adapter in combination with a conversion ring that Nikon used to make that had a male 40.5mm thread on one side and a male M39 thread on the other. That's because the EL lens has a negative 40.5mm filter thread at its nose. I remember buying just such a ring from B&H several years ago.<br /> Or, more simply, you can drill a 39mm hole in the center of a body cap and secure the enlarging lens (in unreversed position) to it, then mount that on the front of the bellows. You would need an easily-obtainable 39mm retaining ring to do this; some people might just epoxy the lens to the body cap :).<br /> I'm not familiar with the PB-4, but, with bellows that are short enough when they are compressed, you can actually focus from macro distances to infinity with that 105mm lens, again with the lens unreversed. It's kinda fun to do this. From what I remember, all EL Nikkors up through the 135mm use an M39 thread, but only 105mm and longer lenses will be able to focus to infinity with most bellows.</p>

<p>I'm curious, since an EL-Nikkor is designed to project "flat field to flat field". How does it do with 3 dimensional subjects?</p>

<p>Hi L.M. Tu,<br>

I do want to mount the 105mm 5.6 El Nikkor unreversed on my PB-4 bellows. Is there a special name for the Leica thread (M39) to Nikon Mount adapter? Any idea where I can get one? Is there an updated link I can go to? Other links that directed me to eBay were out of date and no longer working.<br>

Thanks for your reply.<br>

Fred</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Search for item 140498965637 for the M39 to M42 ring.</p>

<p>Search for item 290425338209 for th M42 to F-mount Nikkor adapter.</p>

<p>Note: No relation to the selling nor ever purchase from them</p>

<p>I got a m42 - F adaptor and a leica 39mm to m42 adaptor. I attachand my EL's attaching the 39 to m42 adaptor to the EL and then screw it into the F/m42 adaptor. This way I can mount the EL to my bellows. Both 39-42 and m42-F adaptors are easier to find out than a 39mm-F one.</p>

<p>Sorry for the belated response, I haven't logged onto PN for a while...You should just search for something like "m39 Nikon adapter."</p>

<p>If you don't need the special features of the PB-4, you can also look for old bellows with an M39 thread in front and an F mount in the rear. There's a Novoflex set which I purchased for $25, about the cost of a simple adapter ring, and this setup allows me to focus to infinity with the EL 105mm.<br /><img src="http://i702.photobucket.com/albums/ww23/lanmtu/novoflex.jpg" alt="" /></p>