Kodak 18" Ektar Process lens

[Steven Barall]

Hello all. I have a Kodak 18" Ektar Process f-10 lens. The lens stops down to f-128 or so with the iris and then it also has an aperture wheel with rather small holes drilled into it that pivots into the lens barrel . It is indeed coated but the coating is a rather heavy looking gold color. What is this coating, is it common and is it's purpose related specifically to it being a process lens?

Also, I have had the thing for many years having taken it from a heap of stuff heading for a dumpster (it's in the original wooden box) but I have never had a camera big enough to handle it. Is it well known or just another process lens and by any chance does anyone know off hand what the image circle is? I'm not planning on selling it I just want the info for my own knowledge.

Thank you all for your expertise and your willingness to share it. -Steven

[Gene McCluney]

While this is a graphic arts lens intended for process cameras to make litho negatives of line art for burning printing plates, it will probably be a very good camera lens for general photography. 18" should be good for covering an 11x14 negative with some movements..but being a process lens, it is probably not very wide-field. The name "EKTAR" indicated Kodaks "top-of-the-line" lenses. In general, older process lenses are very sharp, but of somewhat less contrast than modern camera lenses.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

I had an 18" model once upon a time. It was a good lens, as sharp as any Artar or for that matter any other lens I have owned. As I recall sharp coverage was about 17" or so but the image circle is much larger. It is a 4/4 dialite, same design as an Artar or a Apo-Ronar. I can't say what the gold coating is. Mine was yellowish.