-
older 8x10 lenses
I am looking for one or two 8x10 lenses, and I would like to know something abou t Kodak (Commercial) Ektars, Ilex Paragons, Meyer and Bausch and Lomb(spelling?? ) lenses. Such lenses seem to be on the market, and not too expensive. Are they recommendable (for black and white)? What experiences do you have with such lens es?
Lukas Werth
-
older 8x10 lenses
Try this link: http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/ektar.html
-
older 8x10 lenses
I only do black and white and have some experience with "vintage glass".
I can't address any of the brands you mentioned, but I do have experience with a couple of Turner and Reich convertibles. I have a 12" and a 15", the 12 is in a Betax No. 4 shutter and the 15 is in a Ilex No. 5 shutter. The 12" was patented in 1913 and the 15" was patented in 1895, when they were actually built I can't say.
I have had both cleaned and calibrated, the fellow that does this for me charges $45.00, and sends back the actual shutter speeds with the lens. The shutters are the style that don't require cocking, they cock and fire in the same step. The No.4 is 1/2 to 1/50 and the No. 5 is 1 to 1/50, although the Ilex is only able to produce a top speed of 1/25.
The lenses are uncoated, and the 12" has one small bubble in it, and the 15" has a half dozen or so bubbles, otherwise there are no scratches or hazing of the lens elements. I cannot detect a degradation of the image because of these defects. I have compared the 12" to a current Fuji 300, and it holds it's own against the current lens. I am only doing contact prints at present, so I cannot testify as to the image quality at 3' by 4', and I seriously doubt that I will ever print that large anyway!
My test for sharpness is to focus on infinity, and include some bare branches of a tree at infinity, and see how sharp they look under a loop. Both of these lenses produce a "barb wire" sharp twig on the negative and print, and that is sharp enough for me. They both can produce a high contrast image, but flare is a concern, but can be dealt with both at the time of exposure and in the darkroom. I have yet to have a flare situaion that made the image unprintable, although I avoid back light like the plague, and always have.
I hope this address a few of your concerns, I hope to find a wide field ektar, in the 200mm range to tell you about.
-
older 8x10 lenses
I've used Kodak Ektars, Wide Field, and Commercial Ektars [bigger circle for more movements] since the late 50's. I've compared these to new Schneiders and the newer lense certainly have more contrast. It does make a difference with color film, but with the 8x10, I usually shoot b&w. Occasionaly I am asked to shoot an 8x10 trans of a painting, but usually the 8x10 is for personal work. I LOVE those Ektars. They're available used. EBay, the Internet auction location; MidWest, Columbus Camera, etc. all have Web locations for price comparisions. You shouldn't need to spend more than $500, and probably much less, for anything that Kodak made, which will fit your 8x10. Start at 190mm Wide Field Ektar, a 250mm Wide Field, a 300 [12"] Ektar or Commercial Ektar, a 360mm [14"] Commerical Ektar.......... they're out there waiting for you.
-
older 8x10 lenses
I too shoot only b&w and I too love the Kodak Ektars. I have a 10" WF Ektar and a 14" Commercial Ektar for my 8x10 Deardorff. Don't expect too much from the old shutters, though. Have them tested, then put a piece of tape on the front of the lens with the true shutter speeds written on them. For a lot of images shot with these lenses, go to http://www.ravenvision.com/rvapeter.htm and look around. If it's 8x10, it was shot with one of the above Ektars.
-
older 8x10 lenses
The Ektars are nice lenses. All Ektars were single coated, I think. Many are still being used in commercial studios for advertising, selling silverware, soda pop, shoes, etc. All the Ektars are pretty good, with the Commercial Ektars getting a bit better quality control (to satisfy picky pros), hince the name 'Commercial', to differentiate them from the standard Ektars. The 'Wide Field Ektars' are just that, with a larger circle of illumination than the standard or commercial Ektars. The 10" wide field was a favorite with AA for 8x10. Many of the (at least longer) Ektars used Ilex shutters, but most used Kodak shutters. The Ilex Paragons, I believe, were coated versions of an older Kodak design, the precursor to the Ektars. They should be fine. Do not think these lenses are for B&W only. They can give great results in color as well.