Zeiss 100m help

**1Good1** · 7-Feb-2008, 07:43

Hi all,

I have been lurking for several months and appreciate all of the information here.

Last night I aquired 2 lens' the first is a Carl Zeiss Tessar 1:3.5 f=100mm Nr 4196152. Synchro-Compur Graflex. It looks like it's barrel has been painted black, it comes off with my fingernail; the glass looks really clean to me. The back threads are pretty beat up. The apeture apears to work well, the shutter not at all. I can't get it to close and don't want to try to force it. I haven't paid the gentleman that is selling it to me because I don't know if it will be serviceable or if it will give me good coverage for my 4x5 (Toyo 45AII) He said if it is usable he will let me have it for $50.00. I think that is probably way cheap even with repairs, no?

Assuming it is repairable where should I send it and how much should I expect to pay? Besides a lens board what do I need to be able to use this lens once it is fixed?

Thank you,

Jeff Goodrich

questions for the second lens in a second post

**Peter K** · 7-Feb-2008, 07:58

Hi Jeff,
with an image circle of 120mm the Tessar 100mm doesn't covers 4x5". But it's a very good lens for 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 (roll)film. And the shutter could be repaired and cleaned at e.g. S.K.Grimes.

Peter K

**Zack Widup** · 7-Feb-2008, 08:05

My first thought is "Why would someone want to paint it?" I'd be concerned that the paint got somewhere it doesn't belong. Someone sure didn't know what they were doing. It may not have been the person currently selling it, though.

SK Grimes and Carol at Flutot's both seem to have really good reputations for shutter repair. I am just about to send a shutter to Carol as we exchanged e-mails and she impresses me.

A CLA would be about $50 from her. From what I've been told, if she can't fix it, it most likely can't be repaired.

Once it's working, you shouldn't need anything but a lens board to mount it on your camera in order to use it.

Zack

**1Good1** · 7-Feb-2008, 09:00

Thanks for the info.

The man that wants to sell me this lens is in his 80s and hasn't used his cameras in the last 20. He has 5 or 6 old press cameras and about 12 lens' and he doesn't know what goes where. One of his friends gave him his old cameras and lens' 25 years ago and every thing is mixed together and most of it is in poor shape.

Peter, I am pretty new to LF and don't know enough to tell if a lens will cover 2 1/4 or 8x10. It sounds like this lens won't work for me, Thank you. On a side note, the old gentleman has several cut film holders for 2 1/4 X ? and 2 old press cameras. Is cut film still readily available or does one have to cut his own film for these cameras/filmholders?

Zack, Thank you for the information, I will pass it along to the person selling the gear. Would you mind sending contact info for Carol and SK Grimes? PM is fine if they don't want email addresses in the forum.

Thanks.

Jeff

**Peter K** · 7-Feb-2008, 10:04

Hi Jeff,

press cameras were ofte used with smaller formats and rollfilm. So it makes sense to use a Tessar with this cameras. Cut film also in this small sizes are made by Ilford.

The black paint could be used to avoid notice, the same as with blackened guns.

Here is the link to S.K. Grimes http://www.skgrimes.com/index.htm

Peter K

**Glenn Thoreson** · 7-Feb-2008, 10:08

2 1/4X3 1/4 sheet film is available through several souces. www.digitaltruth.com and www.freestylephoto.biz are a couple. If you want a wide angle lens for 4X5, look for a Schneider Angulon or a wide field Ektar. There are many others, too. The prices your seller is asking for those lenses is too high, even though they are good lenses. They are very common and the cost of repair is equal to what clean, a properly working lens is worth.

**Dan Fromm** · 7-Feb-2008, 11:01

Jeff, I'm not sure that lens would a good value for you if free.

The tipoff is that the shutter is engraved "Graflex." This almost certainly means that the lens was made to be used on a Graflex XL. There's nothing wrong with XLs or lenses made for them, but the shutter won't have a cable release socket and may not have a "T" setting. The cable release usually attaches to an XL lens' focusing mount, not directly to the shutter.

What this means, practically speaking, is that focusing through the lens isn't going to be easy. Do check to see whether the shutter has a "T" setting or a cable release socket, I could be mistaken.

The lens itself is a fairly good one, but as other posters have said is for 2x3, not for larger formats.

Older Synchro-Compurs are often quite gunked up, Carol Miller worked a miracle on one of mine a couple of years ago. If I am mistaken about the shutter, i.e., if the shutter has a "T" setting or a cable relase socket, and you are a gambler in a small way and want to shoot 2x3, its not a bad gamble. Otherwise, pass on it.

Good luck, have fun,

Dan