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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Astro-Berlin Pan-Tachar 100/2
Gauss lens. |
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Astro-Berlin Pan-Tachar 125/2.3
Gauss enlarger lens. |
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Astro-Berlin Pan-Tachar 50/1.8
Projector lens in black body marked Astro-Gesellschaft |
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Astro-Berlin Pan-Tachar 50/2.3
Projector lens in black body marked Astro-Gesellschaft |
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Astro-Berlin Pan-Tachar 75/1.8
Cine projector lens in silver metal body marked Astro Germany. Pat Pending. |
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Astro-Berlin Pan-Tachar 75/2.3
Black body. |
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Astro-Berlin Pan-Tachar 75/2.3
Cine projector lens in brass body marked Astro-Gesellschaft |
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Astro-Berlin Tachonar 75/1
X-ray cinematography lens. Black body. Silver mid-ring. |
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Astron 105/4.5
Japanese enlarger lens. AKA Ilford? |
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Astron 135/4.5
Japanese enlarger lens. AKA Ilford? |
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Astron 150/4.5
Japanese enlarger lens. AKA Ilford? |
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Astron 35/3.5
AKA Vivitar, Aico PSL, Samigon enlarger lens. Image circle: 30mm. |
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Astron 50/3.5
Japanese enlarger lens. AKA Ilford? |
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Astron 50/4.5
Japanese-made enlarger lens. AKA Ilford? |
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Astron 75/3.5
Japanese enlarger lens. AKA Ahel, Astron, Ilford (?), Prinz Autocrat, et al. Some lenses unserialled. |
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Astron 90/4.5
Japanese enlarger lens. AKA Ilford? |
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Astronar Anastigmat 75/3.5
Black body. Likely triplet enlarger lens. Made in Japan. |
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Astronar Anastigmat 90/4.5
Enlarger lens. |
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Bauer Neovaron 80/2.8
Multicoated projector lens. |
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Bausch & Lomb 152/1.4
Double Gauss projector lens. |
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Bausch & Lomb Baltar 100/2.3
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Baltar 152/2.7
Projector lens |
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Bausch & Lomb Baltar 18/2.3
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Baltar 25/2.3
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Baltar 30/2.3
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Baltar 35/2.3
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Baltar 40/2.3
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Baltar 50/2.3
Cine lens. C-Mount. Silver metal body. |
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Bausch & Lomb Baltar 75/2.3
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Cinephor 140/1.8
Projector lens marked 5.5” |
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Bausch & Lomb Cinephor 146/2
Petzval projector lens marked 5.75” |
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Bausch & Lomb Cinephor 75/2
Projector lens marked 3” |
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Bausch & Lomb Cinephor II 127/2
Petzval projector lens marked 5” |
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Bausch & Lomb Macro Tessar 158/6.3
Macro tessar |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar 100/2
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar 152/2.3
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar 20/2
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. Image circle c35mm. |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar 25/2
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. Image circle c35mm. |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar 30/2
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. Image circle c35mm. |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar 35/2
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. Image circle c35mm. |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar 50/2
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar 75/2
Cine lens. Black body. Made in Rochester, NY. First serial letter is production year. |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Cinephor 108/1.8
Coated projector lens marked 4.25” |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Cinephor 127/2
Coated projector lens marked 5” |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Cinephor 133/2
Coated projector lens marked 5.25” |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Cinephor 152/1.8
Coated projector lens marked 6” |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Cinephor 159/2
Coated projector lens |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Cinephor 178/1.8
Coated projector lens marked 7” |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Cinephor 75/2
Projector lens marked 3” |
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Bausch & Lomb Super Cinephor 95/2
Coated projector lens marked 3.75” |
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Beck Apochromatic 210/10
Blue/purple coated dialyt process lens marked 8.25”. |
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Beck Enlarging Anastigmat 108/4.5
Enlarger lens marked 4.25” |
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Beck Enlarging Anastigmat 57/4.5
Enlarger lens marked 2.25” |
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Beck Enlarging Anastigmat 82/4.5
Enlarger lens marked 3.25” |
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Bell & Howell Focus-Tronic 100/3.5
Coated slide projector lens marked 4” fitted to B&H Focus-Tronic. Black body with white fascia. |
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Bell & Howell Procomat 127/3.5
Metal barrel projector lens with zebra nose marked 5″ Anastigmat. |
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Bell & Howell Trionar 100/3.5
Coated slide projector lens marked 4” fitted to B&H Project-Or-View 500. Black body. Some versions white fascia. |
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Bell & Howell Trionar 127/4
Coated projector lens in black barrel marked Anastigmat. Fitted to Bell & Howell 708. |
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Bemecron-EL 50/2.8
Rebadged Hoya Super-EL 50/2.8 black enlarger lens (AKA Osawa Tominon, etc). |
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Bemecron-EL 75/4.5
AKA Osawa Tominon / Beseler ColorPro / Omicron EL / Hoya Super-EL / Yashica enlarger lens. |
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Bencini Comet Doublestar 85/3.5
Fitted to Bencini Comet M1 35mm slide projector. |
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Bender 85/2.8
Zebra lens made by Bender Optical Works (BOW, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK) fitted to Lumaplak Maxilite 300 & 400, Wonderlite 300 and Cool-Lite 400 slide projectors. Later Quartzlite 500 version is identical, but all black knurling. |
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Benoist Berthiot 110/2.4
Black multicoated slide projector lens marked Super Star |
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Benoist Berthiot 125/2.8
Black slide projector lens fitted to Royale 35mm Twin. Aperture unmarked (estimated). |
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Benoist Berthiot 127/3.5
Black slide projector lens marked Inox. Aperture unmarked (estimated). |
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Benoist Berthiot 140/2.4
Black multicoated slide projector lens marked Super Star |
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Benoist Berthiot 150/3.3
Projector lens. Silver body, black nose. Marked Anastigmat. |
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Benoist Berthiot 150/3.5
Black slide projector lens fitted to Kodak Carousel. Aperture unmarked (estimated). |
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Benoist Berthiot 180/4
Black metal barrel slide projector lens marked Star. |
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Benoist Berthiot 210/3.5
Black slide projector lens fitted to Kodak Carousel. Aperture unmarked (estimated). Marked SIMDA. |
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Benoist Berthiot 210/4.5
Projector lens. Silver body, black nose. Marked Anastigmat. |
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Benoist Berthiot 250/4.3
Black multicoated slide projector lens marked Super Star 2. Barrel diameter: 52mm |
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Benoist Berthiot 60/1.6
Projector lens. Silver body, black nose. |
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Benoist Berthiot 60/2.8
Black metal body slide projector lens marked F=60mm. Aperture unmarked (estimated). |
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Benoist Berthiot 70-120/2.8
Black multicoated zoom slide projector lens marked SIMDA. |
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Benoist Berthiot 75/2.8
Black all-metal projector lens. |
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Benoist Berthiot 80-125/4
Black metal-barrel zoom 35mm slide projector lens, made in Paris. Aperture unmarked (estimated). |
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Benoist Berthiot 90/2.5
Projector lens. |
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Benoist Berthiot 90/2.8
Black plastic barrel slide projector lens marked f:90. Aperture unmarked (estimated). Some versions white fascia. Others marked Inox. |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar 110/2
Petzval projector lens marked Benoist Berthiot. |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar 115/2
Petzval projector lens marked Benoist Berthiot. |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar 120/2.1
Petzval projector lens marked Benoist Berthiot. |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar 125/2.1
Petzval projector lens marked Benoist Berthiot. |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar 130/2.1
Petzval projector lens marked Benoist Berthiot. |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar 235/3.5
Petzval projector lens marked Benoist Berthiot. |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar 75/1.9
Petzval projector lens marked Benoist Berthiot. |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar 90/1.6
Petzval projector lens marked Benoist Berthiot. |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 100/1.8
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 105/2.2
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 110/2
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 110/2.3
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 130/2.1
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 140/2.2
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 70/1.55
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 75/1.55
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 80/1.5
Projector lens marked Benoist Berthiot GC |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 80/1.55
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 85/1.75
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 90/1.65
70mm projector lens |
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Benoist Berthiot Cinestar GC 95/2
70mm 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.