Optar 135mm f/4.7 w/Graphex shutter

[pchaplo]

I just saw a strange mark. “Made in USA”

[John Layton]

I still have my 4x5 Crown/135 Optar combo (my first LF camera and lens)...and this thread inspires me to dust it off and take it for a spin!

[Ivan J. Eberle]

At normal handheld speeds Graflex/Rapax shutters usually work okay. At slower speeds the escapements tend to hang up or get rather sluggish as these lenses age (they are over 50 years old, after all). Often the shutters can often be brought back to life using a "Ronsonol bath" (once common lighter fluid, still available in tobacconist shops).

[pchaplo]

Remember to wear your fedora with a press card

[pchaplo]

Thanks for the tips regarding the shutter. At this point mine seems to work remarkably well, given the age. This lens reminds me of my father, knowing my interest, taking me to see the equipment of a local veteran newspaper photographer who was retiring — all 4x5 press camera gear! His latest technology was a Honeywell “potato masher” flash