Minox lens for enlarging

Given the rarity of short focal length lenses for enlargers, has anyone tried scavenging a lens from a trashed Minox and mounting it in an enlarger to use for printing?

K. Dauer's thread "Source for enlarging lens" provided a valuable

experience (the first in submini news groups ) of using microfiche reader lens

He used an Olympus microfiche lens.

<p> A non working Minox with good lens is usually repairable. Nonetheless it is a good idea to try

to take the lens out and mount it as enlarging lens. I have a dead Rollei 110, I was planing to dig out the lens and use it as 8x11mm enlarging lens, but never get to really do it.

In general this might be a resonable way to get a short focal lenght

lens,

but:

1. I agree with Martin: it is better to repair the minox

2. If you would pull out the lens from the camera,

there would be no mechanism to focus anymore

3. The enlarger for this need a special construction

to bring the lens as close as 15 mm to the negative.

The most enlargers do not allow this.

4. If one would do this anyway: The lenses from the

models II, III, IIIs and B are not useable, because

they need a curved negative holder.

 

<p>

 

From my experience, the very best solution is a

minox enlarger, the second best solution a

35 mm enlarger with a 28mm (or such) lens.

This isn't my idea, (I saw it on www.subclub.org) but I have been

using an 18mm interchangeable lens from a Pentax 110 SLR. These

lenses are not as hard to come by as you might think, and

once "bodged" onto your standard 35 MM enlarger give really good

results. I paid £20 (UK pounds) for mine, and have never looked back.