Kodak Ektar 203mm f7.7

[paulr]

I agree with Philippe. My first lens for 4x5 was an ektar of this vintage. It was capable of some nice looking results under some circumstances, but was just not remotely up to the standards of modern lenses for contrast and sharpness. If you wanted a soft, glowing, old lens look, it was perfect. but i sold it and saved my pennies for a modern multicoated lens.

[Dan Fromm]

paulr, Philippe, I believe every word you write. I must not be as discriminating or sensitive to fine differences as you.

But I have got somewhat variable color rendition with the same lens, subject, emulsion, and session. My best explanation is slight variations in exposure, as in, sun came out from behind a cloud after I'd metered and before I shot, sun went behind a cloud, I knew I was over-/under-exposing a little but was stuck, ...

And EKCo certainly stressed the idea that their coated lenses were ideally suited for color work. I know advertisers sometimes, um, go a bit beyond the real, but I have a certain amount of faith in R. Kingslake, who I'd swear reported the same.

Regards,

Dan

[Roger Rouch]

A couple of onths ago I sold my Ektar 203 on Ebay for slightly over $100. It wasn't the finest example, but the glass was perfect and it had been CLA'd with in the last couple of years. I was able to include the CLA receipt to the buyer. So maybe there are some deals out there. I wasn't too disappointed in the color redition. Colors was just a tad on the pastel compared with my modern multi coated lenses. Some might even consider this desirable, and in low light with no opprotunities for flare, I'll bet you couldn't tell the difference between the Ektar and a modern coated lens. And sharpness was never an issue. The thing about the older lenses that I've owned is that half or more did not have accurate shutter speeds at the slower end of the range. Unless you can have it tested to verify, you're probably in for some experimentation to determine how well it will do, and then a decent chance it will required CLA at maybe $50 to $100 to get going right.

[Glenn Thoreson]

To get proper sync for your electonic flash, do not cock the flash timer on the Flash Supermatic. That will give you the zero delay needed for your SB-28.

[pepeguitarra]

Oh, and I forgot. The 203 Ektar is sharpest wide-open.

And the Kodak Anastigmat 203/7.7 is even sharper than the Ektar wide open. In fact at f11 they are the sharpest, winning the Anastigmat. This is with the Anastigmat:

Naturaleza Muerta con Hibiscus by Palenquero Photography, on Flickr