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Thread: Leitz lens Epis f:3,5

  1. #1

    Join Date
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    Paris EU
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    Leitz lens Epis f:3,5

    I have seen this in different focal length: 400, 600, 800, 1200 mm etc
    They can be really heavy, 50, 60 kg.
    Mainly used for conference room images projection. I would like to know if there has been tentatives of mounting one of these for picture making. It is evident that a huge camera would have to be constructed for a lens of this kind.
    Any confirmed information about will be much appreciated.
    Thanks for your contribution.
    MAC

  2. #2

    Re: Leitz lens Epis f:3,5

    Hi Miguel,
    I just got hold of a 325mm Epis, and am wondering the same thing. when I have time I may construct an external mount to fit it to the end of a Speed Graphic and see what it does. the aperture seems rather generous for the length indeed.

    Cheers,
    Tobias

  3. #3

    Re: Leitz lens Epis f:3,5

    This is the lens(s) used on the Leitz Epidiascope projectors, right?

    This may be a bit off-topic, but does anbody know what the epidiascopes go for? I may have access to a second-hand one locally, for about $1300. It's a huge beast, and appears to be fitted with a Leitz 400mm lens, which I am sure is an Epis f/4 lens. The device is certainly huge!

    Any info would be much appeciated in terms of current prices, and any users around here?

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    2

    Re: Leitz lens Epis f:3,5

    Quote Originally Posted by Miguel Coquis View Post
    I have seen this in different focal length: 400, 600, 800, 1200 mm etc
    They can be really heavy, 50, 60 kg.
    Mainly used for conference room images projection. I would like to know if there has been tentatives of mounting one of these for picture making. It is evident that a huge camera would have to be constructed for a lens of this kind.
    Any confirmed information about will be much appreciated.
    Thanks for your contribution.
    MAC
    Hello Miguel,

    Are you sure about a 1200mm, and also it being an f3.5?

    As f3.5 I only know 600/700/800/1000mm, plus as f4.8 800/1000/1300mm....and weight not really exceeding 30kg AFAIK.
    All this from both real-life samples (first- and second-hand), plus documentation.
    And if you have seen the complete projectors, you might realize that a 1200/3.5 might become too large in diameter to build a suitable projector around it....the light path might become too long, before the diameter has cleared the lower structure.
    (for this reason, the 600mm episkop units had a vertikal lens, mirror above the lens, while the longer lenses are horizontal, mirror behind the lens....at some point, even the longer lens might have to be mounted vertically as well....8-))

    Image size is about A5-size, officially, but there was also a Röntgen Large Lecture Hall (Epi)Diaskop (German: Grossraum Epidiaskop), which would do A4.

    The trick is finding either a complete Grossraum Epidiaskop (and burn in hell for cannibalizing such a lovely piece of academic/industrial optics!....), or be lucky to find an already cannibalized lens *with* lensholder/focusing-helicoil.
    (sadly most dismantlers are either not smart enough to do the latter, or are daunted when facing this elaborous & hefty job....8-))
    (the real sad part is that when taking only the (diaskop/upper) lenses as well, they leave behind the most unique part: the diaskop projector, 4x5"/9x12cm, with 1500W bulb (just like the 4x 1500W used for episcopic projection (weird: the documentation shows only 6x 1000W, but I have yet to see one of those))
    And both diaskop and episkop upper part can be dismounted rather easily, as a complete unit....

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    2

    Re: Leitz lens Epis f:3,5

    Quote Originally Posted by philosomatographer View Post
    This is the lens(s) used on the Leitz Epidiascope projectors, right?

    This may be a bit off-topic, but does anbody know what the epidiascopes go for? I may have access to a second-hand one locally, for about $1300. It's a huge beast, and appears to be fitted with a Leitz 400mm lens, which I am sure is an Epis f/4 lens. The device is certainly huge!

    Any info would be much appeciated in terms of current prices, and any users around here?
    In Europe you should be able to find one of these smaller units for 1/10th of that price....)
    With 'smaller' I mean units you could still lift yourself (not carry, they are not only to large/clumsy but also to sharp-edged to handle them for any signficant distance without thick working gloves & either a good sense of logistics or two strong men).
    400mm/f4.0 is rather decent for a smaller one, more common was 250/300/325/350mm.

    The largest lens I have seen on such a 'small' unit is an 800mm/f3.5, but even the lens alone is something you would not want to carry in one hand/arm....
    (800mm/f4.8 also exist; the structural difference being that the f4.8 always came with two bulbs, the f3.5 with only one, so the end-result on-screen might be equal)

    The larger units, Grossraum (Large Lecture Hall) Epidiaskop, are 300-400kg....and only if you are lucky Leitz mounted them on their own set of wheels....)
    (and if you are really really lucky, you got the bonus of 2 wheels that could also steer!....)))
    (try pusing 400kg around tight corners without! (been there, done that, still have nightmares))
    (often they were simply build into the lecture hall, rock-solid, into masonry/brickwork/concrete, and only when reconstruction of the building became necessary, they were forced to be dismantled....until that time (often stretching several decades of non-use!), everyone shivered at the thought of that nasty job....)

    If shipping across the pond was not so cost-prohibitive, I could send you a smaller one....

    Btw, in the USA & UK there were a few alternative brands as well, although also in more older generations (like the Aldus (UK)), and not as huge as the largest Leitz'es.

  6. #6

    Re: Leitz lens Epis f:3,5

    Quote Originally Posted by WJM View Post
    In Europe you should be able to find one of these smaller units for 1/10th of that price....)
    With 'smaller' I mean units you could still lift yourself (not carry, they are not only to large/clumsy but also to sharp-edged to handle them for any signficant distance without thick working gloves & either a good sense of logistics or two strong men).
    400mm/f4.0 is rather decent for a smaller one, more common was 250/300/325/350mm.

    <snip>
    Thank you for sharing your experiences WJM! Very interesting...

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    Re: Leitz lens Epis f:3,5

    Well, here is a picture of what must be the Leitz episcope (EPIS) lens. This is the F4 variety and the focal length shows it is the 400mm version.
    It's really not too big. 10cm diameter and 2.2 kilos.
    Not marked as the epis - only Ernst Leitz - Wetzler.
    As expected - a triplet.

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