I own an Ilex Paragon 7.5 inches, f/4.5 lens (serial #4422) that I bought only with B&W work in mind. I've been satisfied with it so far. I now have an opportunity that would require me to use color transparency film, but I'm not sure I can do the job with the lens (the other one is so ancient and little known that the question isn't even worth asking). What do you think? Is this apparently uncoated lens made in the late 1940's sufficiently corrected for color aberrations to be used with color film?
The design, as far as I know, is a relatively contrasty Tessar type. Will the contrast inherent to the design compensate for the relative lack of contrast caused by the lack of coating? Or should I use a very contrasty film (Velvia 50, for instance) as some form of compensation? But then, the wild colors of Velvia 50 on a lens not designed for color might just be too much...
Any opinion? I'd rather lose the (small) opportunity than buying a more modern lens. I'm saving for an old 8x10...
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