42" Red Dot Artar

[Lester Ferdinand]

I was recently given a 42" Red Dot Artar. I currently shoot 5x7 but I was wonde ring which format would be suitable for the 42" lens? I have been considering b uilding a larger camera to fit the lens.

Thanks

[David VanMeter]

Sounds like you need an old Winnebago painted black inside. :-)

[mike rosenlof]

It can make a very nice telescope objective. I'm actually serious. I helped my son make a telescope with a 14 inch RDA and a 50mm Yashinon for the eyepiece. Very sharp, but not a really high power telescope. Something with this lens could be very good for moon or planetary viewing.

If you think of 6 inch as normal for 4x5 film, then you can scale it (factor of 42/6 = 7) and get about 28x35 inch film. Good luck finding this stuff on the shelf at Walmart! :-)

A little bit more seriously, you can get striking long lens perspective effects with such a lens on 5x7 or 4x5 film. The difficulty is focusing the beast and building or buying a camera that can rigidly hold a lens so far from the film plane.

[Doug Paramore]

Years ago, one of the photographers at Life magazine made a camera to take such a lens out of plywood by making two long boxes, one sliding withing the other, and connected to the camera. He got some outstanding LF telephoto shots. The boxes would need to extend to at least 3 1/2 feet for infinity focus. Maybe the black painted Winnebago is the best idea. Might be a good winter day project.

Regards,

[Chris Partti]

Q: "What format is suitable for a 42" Red Dot Artar?"

A: "Any format it wants."

But seriously folks, it looks like the Wisner 11x14 and larger models actually have enough bellows extension for this lens (the 20x24 model has 60") so it's at least possible to use it on a commercially available camera (if you can afford one, that is).

[rich silha]

hello! rich silha here, you have a great find there. i bought a used 42" artar and had steve grimes install it in a #5 shutter. that lens should cover at least 22x30 at infinity. t he lens is sharp but focus is a challenge as well as vibration. it is similar to a 210 lens on 4x5 when i u se it on my 20x24. have fun!

[Anthony J. Kohler]

According to my math, that would be a nice portrait lens - on a 20x24. The normal lens for that should be around 31" or so. Ron Wisner's lens table for the 20x24 doesn't even go that long.

Enjoy. I'm jealous.