The ancient type of light meters were extinction meters.Originally Posted by Dan Fromm
IIRC a numbered density filters of increasing density were used to see the subject by eye. The lowest desnsity filter that allowed to see the subject was used to determine exposure. I cannot tell the era or how popular were.
I have an old Actinometer where you have to look through a tiny filter.
By changing the density you get a view like "subject in moonlight" ( in other words there is nearly nothing to see), and from there you have to read the exposure values seen on a tabel.
I don't believe in much popularity :-)
But I find this old exposure cards somehow usuable:
Interesnting !!
Mr. Ponting, on Scott's Antarctic Expedition (1910), used similar Watkins Bee Exposure Meter in the far south, with impressive results.
https://www.google.es/search?q=Ponti...w=1920&bih=993
Picture is awesomeHello Steven,
I'm an admirer of Heliar imaging subtleties, let me tell you what I learned until now.
Beyond excellent link provided by Mr Fromm perhaps you know this: http://www.antiquecameras.net/heliarlenses.html
My most desired glass is Universal Heliar 36 (for 8x10) , as you may see this glass was born in 1926 and it takes the 1902 design, but adding a difusion ring to adjust softness, this ring displaces the inner element out of its "ideal" position in order to add an adjustable amount of spherical aberration.
The term "Universal" comes from the 1926 aesthetical canon, this lens can be a general sharp taking lens, or an adjustable soft lens, so a Pro of the era had two lenses in one. The "kind of softness" it delivers it is particularly pleasing (to me), this comes from the "shape of the difusion", here in this shot (zooming in) you can see that some light from distant bright points is directed to the center of the image, this tells about the "nature" of the difusion, in the same way that there are different kinds of Bokeh, here difusion is set at 2.5:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/558734...CFXgHM-mPf6rW/
Beyond difusion, of course the Heliar Bokeh nature is also impressive, IMHO japanese photographers are the most proficient to evaluate that, japanese imaging subculture about Bokeh is very strong, they are able speak hours long about bokeh subtleties of a glass. And it is not by chance that Heliars were highly regarded in Japan.
Shutter:
In the far past, with low speed emulsions of the era, shutters were not "mandatory" at all, still old camera (bulb...) shutters for barrels could be used.
As Told by Mr Gales the straight way is a Sinar shutter, but the 36cm it also can be DIY mounted in a Compound #5, I don't know if the #5 limits a bit max aperture.
Attachment 170814
Another DIY way I consider is to take a Graflex Speed Graphic shutter and to mount it in the rear of the front standard.
Regards
also photograher is awesome, please see other photographs of Leo Velimir!
After even more research, terminology, compatability, etc, a good fit for the Voigtlander Heliars from 3A up, the Ilex No 5 Universal shutter is a good fit. The lens mounting thread is 3.00 in front and rear, for the 11.75 Heliar f4.5 298-300 has a max opening of 2.62 inches (66.6mm) so, using a max iris for the Ilex of 2.5 inches gives a slight f stop reduction to about 4.7. Information from here https://sizes.com/tools/shutter_photo.htm
Max shutter is 1/50 of second, but for my intended use that is really fast and people generally can sit still longer than that, except for my nutty 5 year old boyI can also front mount it without having the optics remounted in a custom tube by skgrimes (which is relatively cheap, but not that cheap, even cheaper to front mount, but risk of vignetting if movements used) Anyway, it looks like now the options are available to mount most "ancient" lenses into modern shutters, more or less. But I only plan on obtain a few for use, besides the 11 3/4 voigtlander. Depends on how my tastes develop. But I am also starting to collect them and build a small museum of sorts in my house. I love optics, lenses, cameras and cool mechanical things like them, telescopes too.
Anyone know of a good optics shop that can restore lenses? Deglue, reglue, align, etc?
The Bee meter was not the extinguishing type if I remember right. It involved putting a bit of specially treated paper into the meter and giving it a quick exposure, and compare the result. That sounds like it was more like a crude Polaroid test shot to me.
Kent in SD
In contento ed allegria
Notte e di vogliam passar!
The one most often recommended here is http://www.focalpointlens.com/. I've never used them, replacing the lens has always been less expensive than having it reworked. A lens designer posts here as Nodda Duma. Ask his advice.
Old lenses are cemented with Canada balsam, newer with synthetic adhesives. There have been many discussions here about separating and recementing cemented lens groups. The site's search engine isn't particularly good. This sticky http://www.largeformatphotography.in...mainly)-lenses is in the lens section. It contains, among other things, instructions for using Google Advanced Search with sites. Try it.
About aligning, how best to do it depends on the lens. V-blocks are often recommended, but according to a friend who sort-of worked at Boyer, the firm's last owner aligned Beryl groups (Boyer's Dagor type) by hand. Again, ask Nodda Duma.
The Tessars can be very nice, especially wide open. Below is a CZJ Tessar I use that's from c.1914. And, don't forget the Velostigmats! Those give a soft, low contrast look as well--another of my favorites. Maybe I have too many favorites? The Velostigmat is in a fancy Volute shutter and is c.1910. Not only do I love the "look" these vintage lenses & shutters give, I also love the way they look!
Kent in SD
In contento ed allegria
Notte e di vogliam passar!
I definitely like the look of the Velostigmat. It just looks cool. Part of wanting to use old lenses in their original barrels, is the mystique.
Imagine, your out and about with your fancy point and shoot, or high end digital camera and fancy quad-coated lens (being facetious) your camera is made from magnesium, carbon fiber, plastic, etc and you got yourself a 64GB super fast memory card. Then you run across someone with a wooden 4x5 or 8x10, a lens made from real brass (not painted or anodized) shooting a portrait or landscape, taking an eternity to compose the shot and ready the camera. You focus manually, you take a meter reading manually, you set shutter speed, based on your chosen f stop, meter reading and film choice, insert a film holder, wind up the shutter, grab your mechanical cable release and take the picture. Then in amazement when they ask to see the picture, you tell em come back in two weeks. Best part is, your picture is infinitely better most likely than anything they have been shooting. And all the while you were preparing, they took like 50 shots of whatever.
I just think it is cool how what I have is so different and unique to almost everyone else and how I have learned more about photography switching back to film and going to 4x5 than most of them will know about their next meal.
Basically, its the wow factor you get when they see you with something essentially from the 18th-19th century and getting the performance of a modern 10,000 dollar digital set up.
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