ならともかく

ならともかく is used to say "if it were X, that would be understandable/acceptable, but…" It sets up a contrast between something that might be reasonable or expected and something that is not. The speaker acknowledges that X could be fine or excusable, then presents the actual situation as being different and often unreasonable or surprising.

The structure is: Noun／Clause + ならともかく, followed by a second clause that presents the contrasting reality.

Acknowledging one thing while rejecting another

The first clause (before ならともかく) presents a hypothetical or more acceptable scenario, and the second clause presents what the speaker actually finds problematic or surprising.

Common patterns

ならともかく often appears with contrasting pairs – cheap vs. expensive, beginner vs. expert, one person vs. many, etc. The first item is typically the more "forgivable" or "expected" case.

Nuance

This expression carries a tone of criticism, complaint, or surprise toward the second clause. The speaker uses the first clause as a benchmark of what would be tolerable, emphasizing that the actual situation goes beyond that.

ともかく by itself means "anyway" or "setting aside," and the addition of なら ("if") creates the conditional contrast: "if it were X, that aside, but…"

A closely related expression is はともかく, which means "setting X aside" without the conditional nuance. ならともかく specifically highlights a hypothetical acceptable scenario.