I am using a Kaiser VP6005 b/w enlarger with a meopta anaret s 50mm lense. My problem is that it is not giving an even illumination across the easel and therefore affecting my prints at the edges, which are lighter. i am a relative novice but have a basic grasp of darkroom practise.

i have the analyser pro from rh designs and have been using the densitometer on it to measure the differences from centre to edge on film base+fog through the enlarger that i know has a uniform density and it is from 0.00 in the centre up to about 0.3/0.4 at the edges. that is about 3 Zones in zone system terms and cant be right.

i have checked everything possible, adjusted the lamp, tried different heights, with and without the lense but get nowhere.

i do not have the experience to be able to make an informed guess at the cause other than bad choice of enlarger and lense (the kaiser advertising bumph states how much work has gone into making the lighting even). i was in contact with the importers but they seem to have disappeared.

for snapshot prints its fine(contact prints are dark in the middle lighter at the edges) but if i want to progress into more serious photography it will be a major prob because i will never get accurate readings or tone reproduction.

what is the usual amount of fall-off that can be tolerated from enlargers and does it get smaller for better ones?

any advice would help, i have just bought a schneider componon lense which may or may not solve it but will at least be a good investment(i hope.