Dallmeyer De Luxe 2 Inch f3.5 Enlarging Lens

Dallmeyer lenses seems to have a cult following.  Some of its lenses are rediculously expensive in the tens of thousands of dollars territory.  I can't lie.  I love Dallmeyer lenses; some of them are truly unique in image rendering, especially the bokeh with painterly quality.  But, these lenses are not affordable for most of us.

I don't have much experience with Dallmeyer lenses.  I had a Speed 1 inch f1.5 c-mount cine lens that I got in a junk bin for $5 when c-mount lenses were pretty much useless.  It produced very swirly bokeh on my Panasonic G1 M4/3 camera and it was fun for a little while, but I didn't like the effect, so it was gone.

Last year at one of the camera shows, I bought a Dallmeyer Dallon 12" f7.7 large format lens but only shot it a few times, because it was difficult to use due to the focal length and flare, but I like the pictures it produced.  The bokeh was captivating and attractive.  In fact, I am hoping to use it much more often this year.

Few weeks ago, I saw a Dallmeyer De Luxe 2 inch f3.5 enlarging lens in excellent condition, and it was somewhat affordable, so I went for it.  It came few days ago and I couldn't wait to give it a go.  The rear thread of the lens is slightly larger than standard 30mm used on many folder camera lenses; I had to enlarge my 30mm to 52mm step-up ring so that the lens thread could go through.  Once the hole was enlarged enough, I glued the lens to the step-up ring, and mounted it on the Yeenon 18-33mm focus helicoid.  It can focus relatively close but also able to attain infinity focus.  All set for a photo shoot!

I am not disappointed with the lens.  It's very sharp and produces nice colours. Stopping down to f11 to f16, the edges are almost as sharp as the center.  What I like most about it is the overall pleasing rendering, especially the bokeh, which I thoroughly enjoy.  The colour is also very nice, although it's not really an issue for most lenses as it can be adjusted in post.

Will update with more pictures.

All pictures below shot with a Dallmeyer De Luxe 2 Inch f3.5 & Sony A7