Ilex #5 Universal Shutter

[tgtaylor]

There are at least two versions of the Ilex 5 Universal shutter: One is silver with the aperture and shutter speed ring surrounding the front element and visible when looking at it from the side or straight on. My 610mm APO-Nikkor is mounted in this Version. The other is black and where the aperture and shutter speed ring appears on the former a nice looking chrome ring appears instead that rotates and has a pointer to indicate the shutter speed which is hidden and visible only from the side. The aperture ring is located on the side of the shutter. My 760mm APO-Nikkor is mounted in it.

When I first received the 760 I removed it from the wooden board that it was mounted on and rushed with it to the PO before it closed to have Grimes mount the shutter and flange on a Toyo board thinking that I could mount the 760 elements in the 610's shutter. But I was surprised to find that even though both lens used 95mm filters the 760 required a wider shutter opening to thread into and the mounting flange was also larger – coming to within 6mm from the edge of the lens board. Does this mean that the 760 can only be mounted in the black Ilex 5 Universal?

Thomas

[Dan Fromm]

Thomas, did this list http://www.skgrimes.com/lens-mounting/table-of-lenses-fitted-to-shutters convince you that Apo-Nikkors are direct fits into shutters? If you, you may have drawn the wrong conclusion from it. To check, ask Adam or Joel whether mounting 610 and 760 Apo-Nikkor cells into Ilex #5s requires machining.

FWIW, I wrote the definitive, until someone does a better job, account of Ilex lenses and shutters. The list contains a link to it. Until proven otherwise all Ilex #5s sold by Ilex for customers other than EKCo have the same threading. Livery has nothing to do with threading.

I have no idea whether Ilex made #5s to Kodak's specifications and sold them to Kodak. Smaller Ilexes sold to Kodak were to Kodak specifications. Grimes warns that other makers' lenses' cells are not direct fits in these shutters.

[Jac@stafford.net]

FWIW, I wrote the definitive, until someone does a better job, account of Ilex lenses and shutters.

Ah, at last an occasion to properly use the word, penultimate!

Thanks for your work, Dan.

[Dan Fromm]

It might be the antepenultimate.

[tgtaylor]

Dan - then there are 2 black Ilex #5: the one that my 760 is mounted in (see above) and the ones shown on Grimes website with the 610 APO-Nikkor and 42″ f-14 Goerz Artar are mounted in. My 610- is mounted in the shutter shown for the 600mm f-9 Rodenstock APO–Ronar. Aside from their designation Ilex #5 Universal) these shutters are physically different from each other. Can the 760 Nikkor be mounted in any version of the Ilex 5? Is there a preference and, if there is, why?

Thomas

[Dan Fromm]

Thomas, I must have been unclear. Ilex #5 tubes are threaded 3.000" x 30 tpi. Apo-Nikkors' cells are not threaded 3.000" x 30 tpi. They are not direct fits in an Ilex #5.

Putting an Apo-Nikkor's cells in an Ilex #5 requires machining (on the cell, the shutter's tube's walls are fairly thin) or adapters.

Please revisit the skgrimes link I posted in #2 above and read the text at the top of the page.

About the shutters' livery. After Ilex closed Melles-Griot made Ilex shutters. The livery changed. The shutters' specifications didn't.

Talk things over with one of the Dau brothers.

[tgtaylor]

Received this reply from Adam Dau:

Thank you for the inquiry. There are a number of different various in the greater Ilex #5 family. Two different front mounting threads and three different rear mounting threads. Additionally complicating the matter is the fact that the Nikkor lenses were custom remounted into the Ilex #5 shutter, meaning there is a possibility that shutter has been modified to accept the different mounting threads. There is no standard for how lens are remounted into the shutters. Without examining the lenses and shutter, I would have to say the 760mm Nikkor can only be installed in the Ilex shutter it is currently housed in

Thomas