Lee Hood on Wollensak 15" Tele Raptar?

[neil poulsen]

I just picked up a Wista SP field camera and have a Wollensak 15" Telephoto Raptar lens that could be used with this camera.

As to my question, now might I attach a Lee lens hood to the end of this lens? It has ridges inside the front optic that look like threads. If indeed these are threads, the inside of the front optic measures to about 79mm. Being an odd size, how could I fasten a Lee adapter to these supposed threads?

I checked the Wolly documentation at cameraeccentric.com, and nothing is mentioned about filter size.

[Mark Sampson]

I used one of these lenses, occasionally, when I worked for Kodak. It did not have a standard mm-size filter thread on the front. I improvised a lens hood with black paper and taped a gel filter behind the rear element (the one time I needed a filter).

[Chauncey Walden]

Ditto the black paper hood which can even be retractable!

[Carsten Wolff]

One of my fave lenses. Initially, I used an adapter ring down to 77mm, stuck on with tape. The original hood still fit. If enough people are interested and one finds an affordable manufacturer, perhaps a bulk order becomes worth doing. There are hundreds of 15" Wolly Teles out there. Rather weird that Wollensak went with this diameter thread; its not a "Series"-type either.... Couldn't tell you about interest and cost though.

[mdarnton]

I priced a Cokin adapter ring for the 15" Raptar--it's about $150. My thought was that I could use it to put on Cokin fittings, and also to make a reverse-mount lensboard for my use of the front half, with diaphragm, as a soft focus lens on one of my Graflex SLRs. I probably will get one or two eventually. I wonder if we could get a bulk discount. I've got four of these lenses, two shuttered, two not, and use them all the time.