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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Yamasaki E-Congo 105/5.6
Japanese enlarger lens. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo 135/4.5 [V1]
Japanese enlarger lens. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo 135/4.5 [V2]
Brass-body Japanese enlarger lens. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo 135/5.6
Japanese enlarger lens. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo 150/4.5
Tokyo-made all-black enlarger lens. Part of a seven-lens range, mostly four-element. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo 50/3.5
Japanese enlarger lens. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo 75/4.5
Japanese enlarger lens. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo Jr 35/3.5
AKA Vivitar, AICO-PSL, Samigon enlarger lens. 30mm image circle. Product image by SubClub. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo Jr 75/3.5 [V1]
AKA Vivitar, AICO-PSL, Samigon enlarger lens. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo Jr 75/3.5 [V2]
AKA Vivitar, AICO-PSL, Samigon enlarger lens. |
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Yamasaki E-Congo Jr 75/3.5 [V3]
AKA Vivitar, AICO-PSL, Samigon enlarger lens. |
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Yashica 40/3.5
AKA Hoya / Osawa Tominon / Bogen / DO Industries enlarger lens |
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Yashica 50/2.8
AKA Hoya / Osawa Tominon / Bogen / Beseler ColorPro / Omicron EL enlarger lens. |
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Yashica 75/4.5
AKA Hoya / Osawa Tominon / Bogen / Beseler ColorPro / Omicron EL enlarger lens. |
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Yashica E-Yashinon-DX 21/3.5
Enlarger lens likely made by Tomioka. Part of Atoron ENLA-Unit |
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Yashica Yashinon 32/3.5
Industrial lens likely made by Tomioka. |
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Zeiss Ikon Diatar 100/2.5
Projector lens for Zeiss Ikon Ikomat. Silver barrel. Scalloped black nose. Example image by J Lim. |
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Zeiss Ikon Diatar 150/3.5
Projector lens for Zeiss Ikon Ikomat. Silver barrel. Scalloped black nose. Successor to Orikar 150mm. |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar III 100mm
Projector lens for Zeiss Ikon. Soft overall. |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar III 105mm
Projector lens for Zeiss Ikon marked A-G Dresden 10.5cm Series III. Soft overall. |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar III 115mm
Projector lens for Zeiss Ikon marked A-G Dresden f=11.5cm Serie III. |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar III 120/2.4
Projector lens marked A-G Dresden f=12cm Series III. Soft overall. |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar III 125mm
Projector lens marked “A-G Dresden f=12.5cm Series III.” |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar III 140mm
Projector lens for Zeiss Ikon marked A-G Dresden 14cm Series III. |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar III 95/2.1
Projector lens marked with arrow and ‘Zeiss Ikon A-G Dresden f=9.5cm”. Silver barrel, black nose. Images by Retrofocale > |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar IV 110mm
35mm projector lens for Zeiss Ikon marked “f=11cm Serie IV”. Silver barrel, black nose. |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar IV 125/2
Projector lens marked ‘Zeiss Ikon Kinostar f=12.5cm Serie IV”. Silver barrel, black nose. |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar IV 130mm
Projector lens marked ‘Zeiss Ikon Kinostar f=13cm Serie IV”. Silver barrel, black nose. Aperture unmarked (estimated f2). Images by UK Classic Cameras > |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar IV 80mm
35mm projector lens for Zeiss Ikon marked “f=8cm Serie IV”. Silver barrel, black nose. |
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Zeiss Ikon Kinostar IV 85/1.8
Projector lens marked ‘Zeiss Ikon Kinostar f=8.5cm Serie IV”. Silver barrel, black nose. Images by Adaptarian > |
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Zeiss Ikon Orikar 100/2.5 [V2]
Projector lens. Brass body. Marked Zeiss Ikon Orikar. |
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Zeiss Ikon Orikar 100/3.2
Silver metal body projector lens for Zeiss Ikon Ikolux. |
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Zeiss Ikon Orikar 100/3.5
Projector lens for Zeiss Ikon Aviso II. Aperture unmarked (estimated). |
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Zeiss Ikon Orikar 150/3.2 [V2]
Projector lens. Silver metal barrel. |
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Zeiss Ikon Orikar 75mm
Black metal body slide projection lens. Aperture estimated. |
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Zeiss Ikon Orikar 80/2.8
Standard lens for Zeiss Ikon Aviso and Ikolux series projectors. |
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Zeiss Ikon Super Talon MC 60/2.8
Multicoated lens for Zeiss Ikon Ikolux / Perkeo slide projectors. Likely AKA Kett Super Talon 60/2.8. Product image by Kamerastore. |
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Zeiss Ikon Super Talon MC 90/2.5
Multicoated slide projector lens – updated version of Zeiss-Ikon Super-Talon 90/2.5 (note hyphenation). Likely AKA Zett Super Talon 90/2.5. Optional on Zeiss Perkeo range. |
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Zeiss Ikon Talon 200/3.5
Multicoated slide projector lens marked Zeiss Ikon Talon Serie III. Also available for Zeiss Perkeo series with optional support and image field lens. |
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Zeiss Ikon Talon 250/4
Multicoated slide projector lens for Zeiss Perkeo series. Available with optional lens support and image field lens. |
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Zeiss Ikon Talon 45/2.8
Single-coated wide-angle lens for Perkeo pocket slide projectors. |
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Zeiss Ikon Talon 85/2.8 [V1]
Standard slide projector lens for Perkeo projectors. [V1] is single-coated in plastic barrel. Probably AKA Zett Talon 85/2.8. |
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Zeiss Ikon Talon 85/2.8 [V2]
Standard slide projector lens for Perkeo projectors. [V2] is multi-coated in metal barrel. Also known in Zeiss catalogue as ‘Talon Speziale’. |
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Zeiss Ikon Talon MC 150/3.0
Multicoated lens for Perkeo slide projectors. |
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Zeiss Ikon Talon MC 150/3.5
Multicoated slide projector lens marked Zeiss Ikon Talon. Probably AKA Zett Talon 150/3.5 |
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Zeiss Ikon Talon Special MC 85/2.8
Upgraded slide projector lens for Perkeo projectors. Optical formula uncertain, but weight is doubled vs standard Talon 85mm, so likely at least four elements. Product images by Kamerastore > |
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Zeiss-Ikon Super-Talon 90/2.5
Multicoated lens for Zeiss Ikon Royal slide projectors. Appears to be early single-coated version of Zeiss Super Talon (note different hyphenation). Images by Vintageglas. |
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Zeiss-Ikon Vario-Talon 110-200/3.5
Multicoated zoom lens for Zeiss Ikon slide projector |
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Zeiss-Ikon Vario-Talon 70-120/3.5
Multicoated zoom lens for Zeiss Ikon slide projector. Concave front element. |
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Zenobia E.Hesper 50/3.5
Japanese enlarger lens. After 1956, Daiichi Kōgaku K.K became known as Zenobia Kōgaku K.K. |
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Zett Fafix Anastigmat 80/3.5
Projector lens marked Zett-Projektion Braunschweig. Black body. |
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Zett Super Talon 60/2.8
Multicoated lens for Zeiss Ikon Ikolux / Perkeo slide projectors |
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Zett Super Talon 90/2.5
Multicoated lens for Zeiss Ikon Ikolux / Perkeo slide projectors |
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Zett Super Zettar 85/2.5
Slide Projector lens marked Zett-Projektion Braunschweig. Silver body, black nose. |
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Zett Talon 85/2.8 [V1]
Multicoated lens for Zeiss Ikon Ikolux / Perkeo slide projectors. Probably AKA Zeiss Ikon Talon. |
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Zett Zettar 100/2.8
Slide projector lens. Silver metal body marked Zett Projektion Braunzweig. |
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Zett Zettar 150/3.0
Medium format slide projector lens fitted to Zett 66. Silver metal body marked Zett Projektion Braunzweig. |
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Zett Zettar 85/3
Slide projector lens with black plastic body marked Zett Projektion Braunzweig. White fascia. |
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ZKBK OKP2 60/2
Russian projector lens. |
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.