Kodak Ektar 203mm f7.7 worth keeping?

[durr3]

I just purchased a very nice B & J 5x7 View camera that came with a Kodak Ektar 203mm f7.7 ES1313.
The lens is very clean and the shutter looks as clean, but the shutter is stuck closed and will not respond.
Is the Ektar lens worth keeping if I have to send the shutter off for a CLA/repair?

The shutter is a Kodak Flash Supermatic Shutter...

Any ideas? Thanks

J Durr

[Peter De Smidt]

Yes, it is worth keeping, assuming the shutter just needs a CLA. The lens is a great performer.

[jp]

This sort of lens goes for $200 in working shapes, so it's worth a shutter service. It's a good sharp compact lens with good bokeh too.

[Jim Jones]

An Ektar 203mm f/7.7 was my favorite lens on 5x7 and 4x5 for many years.

[ImSoNegative]

the 203 is a great lens

[John Kasaian]

IMHO the Ektar 203mm f/7.7 is worth the attention. It is capable of beautiful images if you do your part.

[Tin Can]

I still want one of the shutter models and the enlarging model.

Not sure what's different, but one has no shutter...

And it was OE on my 5x7 Elwood so that explains that.

Or does it.

:)

[IanG]

They are excellent lenses, I'm lucky enough to have 2, one made in the UK in a Prontor SVS #0 and the other a late US version in a Compur #1.

Ian

[neil poulsen]

Out of curiosity, what's the image circle for this lens?

[Dan Fromm]

Out of curiosity, what's the image circle for this lens?

http://www.bnphoto.org/bnphoto/KodakEktarsDB1.htm

[Jim Jones]

Kodak didn't specify an image circle in their 1943 and 1948 Kodak Reference Guides. They gave a maximum film size of 5x7, which would be an image circle of about 8.25 inches at infinity focus.

[IanG]

136475

From the Kodak Ltd 1959 Professional Catalogue. This is the UK version but apart from shutter type the specifications are the same.

Ian

[David Lindquist]

My Kodak publication _ Camera Technique for Professional Photographers_, 1962 gives an "angular coverage" of 56 degrees (at f/16 or smaller) for the 8 inch f/7.7 Ektar. If you do the trig you get an image circle of 216 mm, the same figure in the link Dan provided. A footnote there credits Mike Gudzinowicz for this information and gives this as a source: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lenseslist.html

David

[Michael Graves]

I know that I have used mine on 5x7 with no discernible vignetting. However, that image required nothing in terms of movements. They are very nice lenses. I would not sell mine unless I found a better example.

[durr3]

So, I will keep the lens for sure. It is so clean. BUT, the shutter may be history. I cannot get any aperture blade to show up, open or closed. That being said, if I need another shutter, what would you guys recommend? thanks for all of your help.

[Dan Fromm]

Another of the same. Shutters made in Rochester don't conform to the Compur/Copal/Prontor/Seiko standard.

[leighmarrin]

Another of the same. Shutters made in Rochester don't conform to the Compur/Copal/Prontor/Seiko standard.

The 127mm f4.7 Ektar in Supermatic shutter is quite common and cheap. But would the cell spacing be the same transfering the 203mm Ektar cells to a Supermatic borrowed from a 127mm Ektar?

[John Kasaian]

I'd give Carol at Flutot's a call. It's maybe be something a cla can remedy if nothing is broke or missing.

[Jim Noel]

The 127mm f4.7 Ektar in Supermatic shutter is quite common and cheap. But would the cell spacing be the same transfering the 203mm Ektar cells to a Supermatic borrowed from a 127mm Ektar?

I seriously doubt it.

[rfesk]

They are excellent lenses, I'm lucky enough to have 2, one made in the UK in a Prontor SVS #0 and the other a late US version in a Compur #1.

Ian

Ian,

Can you tell any difference in the imaging between the two? Mine is with Prontor SVS #0 and came from the UK. It has many (??)
image blades to form a round iris to help bokeh in some situations.

[IanG]

Ian,

Can you tell any difference in the imaging between the two? Mine is with Prontor SVS #0 and came from the UK. It has many (??)
image blades to form a round iris to help bokeh in some situations.

The Prontor #0 has more aperture blades than the Compur #1 so stopping down the aperture is fractionally rounder, I think you'd be hard pushed to see any differences in image quality/out of focus areas.

Ian

[Jim Jones]

The 127mm f4.7 Ektar in Supermatic shutter is quite common and cheap. But would the cell spacing be the same transfering the 203mm Ektar cells to a Supermatic borrowed from a 127mm Ektar?

I finally got around to checking the interchangeability of year EO 203mm and year ET 127mm Ektars in Flash Supermatic shutters. They appear to be perfectly interchangeable except for the aperture scale. The barrel length and threads are the same, and the depth of the aperture from the faces of the shutter is the same as checked with cheap calipers. If I had to make this swap for my own use, applying a one stop aperture correction would save the bother of changing the aperture scales, and might be close enough for anything except critical transparency exposures.

[David Lindquist]

I finally got around to checking the interchangeability of year EO 203mm and year ET 127mm Ektars in Flash Supermatic shutters. They appear to be perfectly interchangeable except for the aperture scale. The barrel length and threads are the same, and the depth of the aperture from the faces of the shutter is the same as checked with cheap calipers. If I had to make this swap for my own use, applying a one stop aperture correction would save the bother of changing the aperture scales, and might be close enough for anything except critical transparency exposures.

Thank you for this very useful information based on real world experience.
David

[durr3]

Sorry Ralph Barker