Chrome Compound Shutter... looking for information on them

[Embdude]

I recently saw a chrome/silver colored compound shutter.

244038

it belonged to a Kodak lens, a 14" Eastman Anastigmat Ektar 6.3. (precursor to the Commercial Ektar lens which was in an Ilex shutter).

It was for sale on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/461809077498187/posts/2110499322629146/

I have not seen one of these chrome compound shutters before and am curious if it was specific to the Kodak lens or if anyone knows of other examples?

I have not found an image of another chrome Compound shutter, and I have searched online a bit.

What I have found is the Anastigmat Ektar was sold from late 1938 and could be ordered in barrel or compound shutter and was marketed in the Ilex by the end of 1939. So the chrome compound on this lens was only around for a year or less.

244039 244040 244041

There is a little mention of this lens and chrome shutter here at LF forum at this thread but no photos: https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?98379-Uncommon-Common-Lenses

[Tin Can]

I may have one with failed shutter in OE wood box

[David Lindquist]

Very interesting, thank you. Per some of Kodak's literature, the Eastman Ektars which followed shortly in the early 1940's had anti-reflection coating on their inner surfaces, something that's not mentioned for this lens. The Compound shutter is described as "specifically designed", wonder if that means the lens mounting threads are not what was standard for the Compound, similar to what was done later with the Ilex shutters.

It was expected that the Compound shutter mounted lens would be available in early 1939, by late 1939 they switched to the Ilex shutter. Leaves me thinking that perhaps if it were not for WWII happening, we would have seen the Eastman Ektars and ultimately the Commercial Ektars mounted in Compound rather than Ilex shutters.

Incidentally according to an on-line inflation calculator, $175 in January 1939 is the equivalent to $3846 today.

David

[Mark Sampson]

I'm thinking that very few of these were made before Kodak changed over to defense contracts. As I mentioned in the other thread long ago, I used to have a 1940 10' f/6.3 Eastman Ektar (in its original ebony box) as a desk ornament when I worked at Kodak. It was as-new and may never have left the building where it was made. s/n EY000 as I recall.

[Vaidotas]

Custom adaptation?
Peeling off the paint out of the Compound to fit Commercial Ektar style?

Pimped Wollensak Optimo No4 on my hands, paintless and shiny with front brass plate, previous owner liked to shoot in style. Looks unrecognizable and fancy.

[djdister]

Custom adaptation?
Peeling off the paint out of the Compound to fit Commercial Ektar style?

Pimped Wollensak Optimo No4 on my hands, paintless and shiny with front brass plate, previous owner liked to shoot in style. Looks unrecognizable and fancy.

Yes. I've never seen a compound shutter in anything other than black, so I would guess that someone stripped the black paint off of it.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

Custom adaptation? Peeling off the paint out of the Compound to fit Commercial Ektar style?...

Yes, this was my thought, someone stripped the paint.

[Dan Fromm]

Re custom adaptation, see the OP's third image. EKCo offered the lens in Compound.

[domaz]

Custom adaptation or not, at least parts of that shutter look like silver/chrome paint and not really chrome metal. I.e. the piston cylinder and possibly the piston caps look painted. So you could do the same to your Compound if you wanted too.

[DMS206]

I have one of those lenses 244050says no.525k on it

[Mark Sampson]

It's quite possible that Kodak specified the Compound shutters to be made in silver- they would have been a big client after all- but World War II intervened.
One can easily imagine export/import issues, or the shutter manufacturer shifting from consumer manufacture to war work, leaving EK to go with Ilex.

[Embdude]

I have one of those lenses 244050says no.525k on it

Oh great! Thanks DSM206. So now we have 3 known copies in a chrome compound.

[Embdude]

Found an early Compound Shutter with a Protar set in a chrome shutter: https://fk-secondhand.com/en/shop/zeiss-ikon-protar-linsensatz/

244581 244582

Hard to determine a date on the lens as the Zeiss lists only seem to start in 1912 with #173,000 and this Protar is # 82,802

The Compound shutter was first sold in 1904 and was sold in a chrome face with black dial and scales until 1908.

[Embdude]

Some info about the very early chrome Compound shutter from 1904 - 1908...
http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_S47.html

244728

[Embdude]

244727

Found a GOLD Compound shutter with a Schneider Xenar that dates to 1928... Im not sure what to make of this one...

[Embdude]

Found another copy of the 14" Eastman Anastigmat Ektar in a chrome Coumpound shutter.

244785 244786 244787

[Mark Sampson]

I'll guess that your 14" Eastman is a very early example, if only because of the non-CAMEROSITY serial number. That numbering convention began in 1940, as far as I can tell.

[DMS206]

Interesting that all the Eastman Ektars serial numbers are within 10 of each other.