Lens hood and filters for 215mm f/4.8 Ilex Caltar

[David Karp]

Hi all,

I have a new to me 215mm (8 1/2") f/4.8 Ilex Caltar convertible. With the help of forum members, I learned how to mount the flange on a lensboard. Now that it is ready to go, my thoughts turn to how to attach a lens shade and filters to this baby.

First the lens shade. I seem to recall reading somewhere that someone made a push-on type lens shade for lenses like this. The outside of the lens barrel measures approximately 63mm. Does anyone have a suggestion for attaching a lens hood to this lens?

Now for the filters. I will use this lens with my WP kit, so most of my lenses accept 67mm filters or have a step up ring to to 67mm. Suggestions for using filters on this lens?

Finally, I will use the lens converted from time to time. This requires removal of the front lens set and use of a yellow filter. Did anyone make a filter adapter that threads into the shutter? This would make things much easier, since I imagine focusing should be done with the filter in place. My arms are not that long, so holding the filter in front of the shutter opening and focusing at the same time would be a tough task! An adapter like this with the filter in place would also keep dirt/debris out of the shutter.

Thanks in advance!

[lenser]

Simplify with a Cokin or Lee filter system. Cokin made two sizes of lens mounts for the small filters which mount via a three thumb screw (padded) external ring which fits the normal filter holder. It works perfectly and allows for up to three filters to stack including a Polarizer if you wish.

If your camera allows, you can also mount it on the rear cell inside the camera either by mounting it and then attaching the lens or by removing the back and mounting it to the lens from the inside. Piece of cake either way.

[Keith Fleming]

I have a set of Protar VII cells in an Alphax shutter. S. K. Grimes made a custom adapter that screws into the front of the shutter and permits the use of a 52 mm filter and lens hood when I am using a single Protar cell. As David Karp noted, this ensures the shutter blades are not exposed to dust and dirt.

As an aside, Grimes later made a second adapter for the rear of the Alphax that permits use of a 52 mm close-up lens as a meniscus lens. Both adapters and 2 close-up lenses results is something like a Periskop lens--and its focal length can be varied by changing one or more of the close-up lenses. Lots of possible variations.

Keith

Keith

[David Karp]

Hi Keith,

That makes sense to me. I am sure that the Grimes adapter was not cheap!

Thanks for the information.

[John Kasaian]

A Kodak series press on filter adapter will work, Not sure of the series size (Series VII?) you'll want though. It is threaded for Wrattan filters and lens shades. The sort of things you find at camera swap meets, estate sales, the misc. camera stuff that sometimes they throw in with stuff you bought on ebay, and those boxes of stuff they keep in the drawers at old time camera stores.

[David Karp]

Hi John,

I miss camera stores with those boxes! Always a treasure waiting to be discovered.

So, I will have to start looking for one of those series adapters. In the meantime, I started rooting around in my photo drawer and found an old 67mm collapsable rubber lens shade. I tried to fit it over the barrel of the front cell, but it would not fit. Not by much anyway. On closer inspection, I noticed that the front of the aluminum ring was threaded for 67mm filters. This seemed like the beginning of a solution to my problem. Out to the garage, and back with a couple of files. I am not sure how long it took, but I filed the threads off of the backside of the lenshood ring (the part that screws into the lens filter ring) so that eventually the hood just slipped over the barrel of the front cell. I put some gaffer's tape on the inside (filed portion) of the ring so that it would not scratch the front cell. The fit is tight enough so that the hood stays in place. A 67mm filter nicely screws into the front of the lenshood ring.

This might work well enough so that I will look for a series adapter for the rear cell so if necessary I can use it to hold the filters on the rear when using the lens converted to 14 inch mode.

[mdarnton]

I was going to suggest something similar, but figured "who wants to be carving out their own stuff?" But since you do, here's what I did, because I wanted to use the period-appropriate filters and hoods. The proper series VIII adapter is hard to find--it's a common size for a whole host of Ektars and Paragons. I looked for several months on Ebay and couldn't find one, but you can make your own. And the proper adapter will scratch your lens barrel up, anyway.

Take two series VIII filter retainers (someone on Ebay sells them, alone, but I had accumulated some). Grind out the filter retaining lip inside one, and screw that one behind the other--this gives a large surface area for better grip, though I guess you could use just one unground-out ring. This combo will slip on your lens just loosely enough that a layer or two of masking tape on the inside (inside out from the way you did it, so that the adhesive crud builds up on the filter rings rather the lens) will shim the fit and make the rings stick on the lens.

Leave this permanently on the lens, and a 62mm Nikon cap fits perfectly in the hole. Someday I might grind the threads off the back, and make this look more like it belongs.


http://i.minus.com/jbsX3FUoil3QCS.jpg

[David Karp]

Awesome. Great idea. I will keep an eye out for these.

[David Karp]

Another question comes to mind. Does it matter if the filter is on the front or the rear when using the lens in converted mode?

[David Karp]

I did some research and decided that it does not matter whether the yellow filter is mounted in the front of the shutter or on the rear cells as far as correction for use in converted mode goes. However, mounting the filter behind the lens raises focus shift and other issues, so I will mount the filter on the front.

[mdarnton]

If I remember correctly, focus moves by 1/3 of the filter thickness if the filter is on the back. But it doesn't matter if that's right or wrong, because you will focus with the filter in place, and so nothing will move after you've focused. "Other issues"---that's the stuff that starts fights on the web. Some people think that theoretical problems are real ones are exactly the same thing. I recommend you try it yourself, and see if YOU see a difference.

[David Karp]

I am thinking that if the correction is just as good if the lens is mounted in front, I would rather come up with a way to put the filter on the front. Since most of my photo work is done outside, I would like to cover the opening in the shutter. The first attempt will be to rig something up myself to adapt the front opening to 52mm filters.

[David Karp]

Well, it has been a while since I first started this thread. After this discussion, a gracious forum member, Charley Ewen, agreed to machine a couple of brass adapters that accept 52mm fliters on the front and screw into the front of the Acme Synchro #3 shutter. A little flat black paint on the inside and a yellow #15 filter on the front and it is good to go! It took me a while to post these on the site, but I thought it would be good to share some photos so you could see how they work. I imagine they are similar to what Keith Fleming described above.

The first photo shows the adapter without the filter. The second shows it with an old 52mm Vivitar #15 filter attached.

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