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View Full Version : Anyone use a Busch Rapid Aplanat?



BarryS
20-Jun-2008, 19:01
Just got a new lens from India-- an 18" Emil Busch Rapid Aplanat f:8 No. 5. Looks like it was imported by a trading company in Bombay--maybe it was used to photograph the Viceroy. Unfortunately, the iris was removed at some point, but I'm going to use it for portraits, so maybe wide open is ok. Plan B is to cut a slit and make some waterhouse stops, but I'd hate to cut into this lens. Any ideas on the performance and coverage of this thing?

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1161/aplanat16mb6.jpg

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/3882/aplanat15ld5.jpg

Jan Pedersen
20-Jun-2008, 19:08
Wow, Can't help you with any information about the lens but, it is a beauty and if the glass looks as good as the barrel it is a nice find.

BarryS
20-Jun-2008, 19:23
Jan-- Amazingly, the glass looks almost perfect. I sort of half-expected to get a fake brass lens, but it sure looks real. From what I've read, Aplanats are the same as Rapid Rectilinear lenses. I'm going to mount it in front of my Deardoff Packard shutter box and hopefully, it'll be my main portrait lens.

Jan Pedersen
20-Jun-2008, 19:32
Barry, look forward to see what you can do with this lens.
I have a TTH RR also out of India and i would not be surpriced if it is from the same source.
Aplanats and RR should be identical as far as i know.

Ole Tjugen
21-Jun-2008, 01:29
There are very slight differences between most RRs and most Aplanats, although the "rapid" or f:7 to f:8 versions are practically identical. The variations in quality between different makers are greater, in this case. And E. Busch was among the very best makers of Aplanats.

BarryS
21-Jun-2008, 07:45
Thanks Ole and Jan. Jan--how long is your RR and do you have any pics?

Lauren made the excellent suggestion of checking Rolyn Optical for an iris and it looks like they have one that would fit. Has anyone ever fitted a modern iris to an old barrel lens?

Ernest Purdum
21-Jun-2008, 09:41
If mounting a new iris proves too difficult or expensive and you don't want to cut the barrel for Waterhouse stops, you might go back even further by using washer stops. Unscrewing a cell every time you want to change aperture would be a nuisance, but from what you say you would rarely be doing it.

Ole Tjugen
21-Jun-2008, 10:23
Removing the (now useless) aperture ring gives you a nice precut waterhouse slot. ;)

Glenn Thoreson
21-Jun-2008, 12:03
I have a tiny Emil Busch f/6 Detective Aplanat in perfect condition. I mounted it on a 2X3 Speed Graphic. That's as far as I got. Maybe it's time to try it out. So many cameras, so many lenses, so little time................:D

Toyon
21-Jun-2008, 12:09
The estimable, Whitey Morangie, uses black painted wood washers that fit into the front flange. Though not as good as center stops, it is preferable to cutting your lens open. Aplanats are great wide open. Unless the lens is made for a larger format than you use, it may not be all that useful as a landscape lens. It also should be excellent for portraits.

Ole Tjugen
21-Jun-2008, 12:29
An 18" Rapid-Aplanat should cover 11x14", sharp from corner to corner from f:16. At f:32 it should cover 12x16". Central sharpness should be better than anything else - some of mine show details that should theoretically be impossible.

My only Busch Aplanat is a Weitwinkel-Aplanat Ser. C No.3. It covers 24x30cm at f:45, and is the direct reason why I believe that the best WA Aplanats are significantly better than the best WA Rectilinears.

Jan Pedersen
21-Jun-2008, 19:29
Thanks Ole and Jan. Jan--how long is your RR and do you have any pics?


Barry, my TTH RR is an 11,1" i use a Luc front mounted shutter on it.
This one was taken with the TTH

BarryS
21-Jun-2008, 21:23
Jan-- What a beautiful shot, I'll be happy if I can get anything similar. Not that you can tell much on a small JPG, but the center looks very sharp with a very smooth transition to the softer edges.

It sounds like my No. 5 might be too sharp if I stop it down too much. The suggestions for wooden front stops sounds like a good place to start and then I can decide if I want to add an iris. Is the calculation of aperture size any different for front-mounted stops? Ole- I thought something similar about the slot for the aperture control under the ring, but I have no idea on how to remove the ring--there's no obvious way to take it off.

Darren Kruger
21-Jun-2008, 22:27
Ole- I thought something similar about the slot for the aperture control under the ring, but I have no idea on how to remove the ring--there's no obvious way to take it off.

Look for a screw along the edge of the aperture ring. I think it is the dark spot on the second picture you posted.

-Darren

BarryS
21-Jun-2008, 22:55
Darren-- The hole in the ring is for the iris pin, but I just tried spinning the ring around counter-clockwise and it unscrewed! It thought the ring was on a track of some sort, but when you adjust the aperture ring, you're actually screwing and unscrewing it a little bit. Because the threads are very fine and the full rotation is only 90 degrees, I guess the slight shift of the iris pin is negligible.

My next question--is the 90 degree slot enough for waterhouse stops? Don't the stops have to completely fill the barrel, except for the aperture hole? I'm having a hard time visualizing what shape to make the stops. Should there be a holder inside the barrel to hold the stops in place and block out light from the sides?

Jan Pedersen
22-Jun-2008, 09:39
Barry, Thanks very much. Yes, the center is very sharp and when used on 8x10 as this photo the corners go soft. I have used it on 4x5 and then the whole frame is tack sharp.
Good luck with your Busch, it's a nice focal length.

pepitogrillo
22-Oct-2008, 04:19
Hi,
I've come across a Emil Busch Rapid aplanar Ser D Nš 5 f:8.
Glass is pretty clean, would somebody some photostaken with this lens?
Seller wishes me to pay 200-250 Euros for it. Is it a good price?
Thank's a lot for your help
Daniel

Sevo
22-Oct-2008, 05:00
Hi,
I've come across a Emil Busch Rapid aplanar Ser D Nš 5 f:8.
Glass is pretty clean, would somebody some photostaken with this lens?
Seller wishes me to pay 200-250 Euros for it. Is it a good price?


Rapid Rectilinears/Aplanars were the standard lens for about five decades, and there are lots of quality lenses of that type about. 200 Euros or beyond seem rather steep, unless that lens is in a as-new state throughout, including box and cover.

FWIW, I haven't ever paid more than 50 Euro for any of my perfectly useable RRs or RAs, and often much less, but then I am happy with good glass in a wasted exterior...

BarryS
22-Oct-2008, 06:03
I paid the equivalent of 80-90 Euros for my Busch Rapid Aplanat No 5, but the iris was missing, so if it has an intact iris, it would be worth a bit more. The price seems a little high, so I might offer 100-150 Euros and see what happens. The nicer rapid rectilinear lenses have been rising in price--especially for the longer focal lengths, but that range is still high.

goamules
22-Oct-2008, 07:22
I bought a Busch Portrait Aplanat that is pretty "rapid" at f6. It's a No. 2 and 8inch. It's discussed in another thread. I'm really looking forward to using it, because on the ground glass it looks great. I got a killer deal at $41, because it was mislabeled. I like that the brass is really nice, and the iris ring looks nickel plated. Very high quality looking lens. I hope you like yours and get the iris situation figured out.

pepitogrillo
22-Oct-2008, 14:26
Thank's everyone for the answers, I feel stronger to deal with the man ...
I forgot to mention it's a 470mm.
Thank's again
Daniel