In 2021 the Digital Enlarger Lens Test Archive (D.E.L.T.A) outgrew its original home at 16-9.net – and its remit. It continues to expand, and is now the most wide-ranging resource for film-makers and photographers seeking and using enlarger, projector, macro, repro, process and cine lenses to create digital work. Spanning more than 170 years, Delta collates information on almost 4,000 universally-adaptable lenses, and contains hundreds of unique reviews and articles.
The quick-browse catalogue below orders every lens by manufacturer and can be filtered by category or keyword.
The primary archive tracks generations of lenses with more in-depth information, and ranks hundreds for sharpness and rendition. Please use the main menu and search function to access further articles, pictures and videos.
QUICK-BROWSE CATALOGUE
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Steinheil Stellar 85/2.8
Tessar? projector lens. Metal body. Zebra nose. Perhaps AKA Staeble-Werk Stellar / Culminar. |
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Steinheil V-Cassarit 50/3.5
Plastic-barrel enlarger lens with triangular diaphragm. Optimised for high magnification ratio. |
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Steinheil V-Quinon 210/5.6
Enlarger lens. Planar design. |
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SVE 125/3.5
American slide projector lens for SVE Skyline Automatic Model 85 marked 5″ Coated Anastig. Aperture unmarked (estimated). Seems related to Ampro 125/3.5. |
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Taylor [S-] Tayon 50/3.5
Japanese black and silver enlarger lens marked S-Taylor Tayon, marketed by Taylor Optical of Seattle & Washington. Likely triplet. |
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Taylor C. ENL 150/4.5
Japanese zebra enlarger lens marketed by Taylor Optical of Seattle & Washington. |
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Taylor C. ENL 75/3.5
Japanese all-black enlarger lens marketed by Taylor Optical of Seattle & Washington. |
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Taylor Tayon 75/3.5 [V1]
Japanese black and silver enlarger lens marketed by Taylor Optical of Seattle & Washington. Likely triplet. |
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Taylor Tayon 75/3.5 [V2]
Japanese black and silver enlarger lens marketed by Taylor Optical of Seattle & Washington. Likely triplet. Example image by Chia-Feng Tsai. |
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Taylor-Hobson 100/3.5
Projector lens. Silver barrel marked 4” English National Optical, Leicester. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental 108/4.5
Silver English enlarger lens.
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Taylor-Hobson Ental 127/4.5
English enlarger lens marked 5″. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental 152/4.5
English enlarger lens. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental 190/6.3
English enlarger lens. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental 210/6.3
English enlarger lens. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental 266/6.3
English enlarger lens. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental 50/3.5
English reverse Tessar enlarger lens. The first generation Ental (replaced by Ental II in 1960) was very well made: many survive in excellent condition. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental 80/4.5
English enlarger lens. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental 82/4.5
English enlarger lens. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental II 108/4.5
British reverse-Tessar enlarger lens marked 4¼”. Lanthanum glass. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental II 125/4.5
Reverse Tessar enlarger lens marked 5”. Lanthanum glass. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental II 152/4.5
Reverse Tessar enlarger lens marked 6”. Lanthanum glass. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental II 190/5.6
Reverse Heliar enlarger lens marked 7.5”. Lanthanum glass. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental II 210/5.6
Reverse Heliar enlarger lens marked 8.25”. Lanthanum glass. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental II 266/5.6
Reverse Heliar (?) enlarger lens marked ’10½inch’. Lanthanum glass. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental II 317/5.6
Reverse Heliar enlarger lens marked 12.5”. Lanthanum glass. |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental II 50/3.5
Reverse Tessar enlarger lens marked 2”. Lanthanum glass. Pre-1965 models (#589833-610523) have TTH packaging and are marked ‘TAYLOR-HOBSON’; post-1965 models (#631185-692448) have Rank Precision packaging and are marked ‘RANK TAYLOR HOBSON’ (no hyphen). |
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Taylor-Hobson Ental II 82/4
Reverse Tessar enlarger lens. Pre-1965 marked ‘Taylor-Hobson’. Post 1965 marked ‘3¼” Rank Taylor Hobson’ (no hyphen). Lanthanum glass. |
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Taylor-Hobson Projection 152/2.3
Projector lens. Silver body. Black nose. Marked Ultimum 6” |
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Taylor-Hobson Projection Aperful 120/1.9
Projector lens. Silver body. Black nose. |
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Taylor-Hobson Projection Vutal 82.5/1.8
Projector lens. Silver body. Barrel diameter 52.5mm. Image circle: 45mm |
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Taylor-Hobson Varotal 16-160/2.2
Zoom cine lens marked Rank Optics – Taylor Hobson Vidicon |
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TDC Vivid Trionar 100/3.5
Projector lens with black plastic body marked 4”. |
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Telesar 150/4.5
Black Japanese enlarger lens. Likely triplet. |
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Telesar 50/3.5 [V1]
Black Japanese enlarger lens with part-silver nose marked Anastigmat. Likely triplet. |
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Telesar 50/3.5 [V2]
Black Japanese enlarger lens. Likely triplet. |
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Telesar 75/3.5
Black Japanese lens supplied with Minori enlargers. Likely triplet. |
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Telesar 90/4.5
Black Japanese lens supplied with Minori enlargers. Likely triplet. |
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Telex Super Sestar 50/1.2
Japanese projector lens marked 2”. AKA Singer 50/1.2. Image circle 30-35mm. |
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Testrite 90/4.5
Lens supplied with Fotolarger Merit III enlarger. |
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Tetranon 50/4.5
Japanese-made enlarger lens tested in Photo-ciné Revue in 1980 when it retailed for 198 francs. |
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Tewe Noristar 85/2.8
Slide projector lens. Black plastic body. Made in Berlin. |
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Thimble 25/3.5
25mm image circle. Perhaps AKA Ultima, Escot enlarger lens. |
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Tominon 105/4.5
Tessar copy lens by Tomioka for Polaroid MP-4/5. Often seen in Polaroid or Copal shutters. |
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Tominon 114/3.8
Tomioka lens made for Polaroid 180/185 Land Camera. Integral shutter. Not directly adaptable to M42. |
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Tominon 114/4.5
Tomioka lens made for Polaroid 180/185 Land Camera. Integral shutter. Not directly adaptable to M42. |
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Tominon 127/4.7
Copy / macro lens by Tomioka for Polaroid CU-5. |
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Tominon 135/4.5
Tessar copy / macro lens by Tomioka for Polaroid MP-4/5. |
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Tominon 17/4
Double-Gauss copy / macro lens by Tomioka for Polaroid MP-4/5. Optimised for 4-5x. |
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Tominon 17/4
Double-Gauss copy / macro lens by Tomioka for Polaroid CU-5. Optimised for 4-5x. Shorter FFD than MP-4/5 version. |
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Tominon 26.9/4.5
Macro lens made by Tomioka. Probably made for a microfilm viewer |
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Tominon 35/4.5
Reverse Tessar copy / macro lens by Tomioka for Polaroid MP-4/5. |
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Tominon 50/4.5
Symmetric triplet copy / macro lens by Tomioka for Polaroid MP-4/5. |
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Tominon 75/4.5
Reverse Tessar copy / macro lens by Tomioka for Polaroid MP-4/5. Often seen in Polaroid/Copal shutters. |
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Tominon-E36 C 80/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or C. |
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Tominon-E36 C 86/5.6
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or C. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 100/4.5
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 48/4
Multicoated mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. Samples may be marked ‘Tominon-E36 MC’ or ‘Tominon-MC’ |
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Tominon-E36 MC 51/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 55/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 58/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 60/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 68/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 71/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 76/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 82/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 86/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E36 MC 90/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all samples marked Tominon and/or MC. |
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Tominon-E66 MC 94.1/4
Multicoated enlarger lens (No. 28492) made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Markings vary. |
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Tominon-E90 MC 115/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all marked Tominon; some just E90 MC. |
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Tominon-E90 MC 96/4
Multicoated enlarger lens made by Tomioka for Noritsu mini-lab. Not all marked Tominon; some just E90 MC. |
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Tomioka 100/
Enlarger lens |
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Tomioka 50/
Enlarger lens |
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Tomioka 75/
Enlarger lens |
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Tomioka Copal-E36 100/4.5
Multicoated mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. Markings vary (some Tominon-Copal and/or MC). |
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Tomioka Copal-E36 51/4
Multicoated mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. Markings vary (some Tominon-Copal and/or MC). |
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Tomioka Copal-E36 55/4
Multicoated mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. Markings vary (some Tominon-Copal and/or MC). |
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Tomioka Copal-E36 64/4
Mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. |
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Tomioka Copal-E36 68/4
Multicoated mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. Markings vary (some Tominon-Copal and/or MC). |
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Tomioka Copal-E36 71/4
Multicoated mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. Markings vary (some Tominon-Copal and/or MC). |
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Tomioka Copal-E36 80/4
Multicoated mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. Markings vary (some Tominon-Copal and/or MC). |
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Tomioka Copal-E36 82/4
Multicoated mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. Markings vary (some Tominon-Copal and/or MC). |
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Tomioka Copal-E36 90/4
Multicoated mini-lab enlarger lens made by Tomioka. Markings vary (some Tominon-Copal and/or MC). |
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Tomioka Copal-E66 75/2.8
Multicoated enlarger lens (No.1032) made by (and sometimes marked) Tomioka Opt. Japan, or Tominon. |
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Tomioka Copal-E66 93/4
Multicoated enlarger lens (Nos. 2095 / 1265 / 1266) somtimes marked Tomioka Copal, or Tominon. Markings vary. |
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Tomioka Copal-E66 94.1/4
Multicoated enlarger lens. Markings vary. |
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Tomioka Copal-E90 105/4.5
Multicoated enlarger lens. Markings vary. |
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Tomioka Copal-E90 115/4.5
Multicoated enlarger lens often marked Tomioka Japan. Markings vary. |
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Topcon E.Toko 75/3.5
Tokyo Kogaku enlarger lens. Tokyo Optical Co. |
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Topcon Simlar 75/3.5
Tokyo Kogaku (Tokyo Optical Co.) lens made for Laurelflex 6×6 |
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Topcon Simlar-F 180/1.9
Tokyo Kogaku (Tokyo Optical Co.) projector lens. |
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Topcon Toko 75/3.5
No aperture markings. Similar to Agfa Colostar enlarger lens. Tokyo Kogaku = Tokyo Opticol Co. |
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Topcon Toko 75/4.5
Tokyo Kogaku enlarger lens (Tokyo Opticol Co.) |
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Topcon Topcal 50/3.5
Tokyo Kogaku enlarger lens (Tokyo Opticol Co.) |
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Topcon Topcor 220/5.6
Tokyo Kogaku enlarger lens (Tokyo Optical Co.) |
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Topcon Topcor 50/3.5
Tokyo Kogaku enlarger lens (Tokyo Opticol Co.) |
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Toshikato 50/3.5
Japanese enlarger lens with zebra aperture ring. Likely triplet. |
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Toshikato 75/3.5
Japanese enlarger lens with zebra aperture ring. Likely triplet. |
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Triplet 100/2.8
Projector lens made in Belarus marked 5M. |
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Triplet 75/2.5
Projector lens made in Belarus. |
Acknowledgements: The DELTA project wouldn’t have been possible with the naysaying of experienced lens collectors; the death of film; the opposition of my wife; the embezzlement of shady eBay sellers and Japanese auction agents; the re-branders; the same 50/3.5 seen in a thousand guises; the unhelpful attitide of extant manufacturers who jettisoned their history without a backward glance (Schneider, Rodenstock et al); the corporations who swallow the legacies of decades without concern for their preservation; the disregard of librarians and archivists who no longer value photographic publications; the copyright laws prohibiting reproduction of adverts advertising things no longer made, once made by people and companies that no longer exist; the museums failing to digitise their collections and refusing to grant access to material rotting unseen in their basements; the sheer bloody-mindedness of Agfa serial numbers; the arrogance of those who have previously written about alt.lenses and imagine their sayings to be unalterably definitive, despite being patently erroneous; widespread dementia and death befalling a generation of those with inside knowledge of the industry; widespread withering of the information internet and the rise of regurgitated AI gobbledygook; the majority of used camera dealers who regard these lenses as pointless relics and have no interest in deploying them as taking lenses and regard their slow-moving stock as an irritation; clueless marketing people devoid of specific product knowledge; an overwhelming majority of photographers apathetic about the benefits and possibilities of alt.lenses; the publishers who failed to express an interest in a book deal; the army of DIY botchers who took their lenses apart and didn’t know how to put them back together again; a postal system that loses packages as a normal happenstance; and all the fungus. Against this tide stand we few. You know who you are. Thank you.