Layton News?

[Steven Nestler]

Hi.
Does anyone; Ted Harris or anyone else; have any real news about John Layton?
Thanks,
Steven

[Michael Mutmansky]

I think Ted is on his way to Photo LA, so he may not reply for a few days.

---Michael

[Frank Petronio]

Yeah and did that guy who had the best of everything else but was waiting for a Layton ever get a camera?

[Scott Knowles]

Yeah and did that guy who had the best of everything else but was waiting for a Layton ever get a camera?

If you're referring to me, yes, I bought a Horseman to start learning. But I discovered the 180mm APO Symmar won't fit it, the rear group is too large. I still have the 120mm lens to start with for now. And yes, I'm still waiting for the Layton, which Ted can likely fill us in when he can. Until then, I'm off and learning, mistakes and all.

[Ted Harris]

I have neither seen nor talked with John in about six months. I was chatting with a mutual friend last week and he told me John had called him about a month ago. As I mentioned earlier, I left a message at his house some weeks ago but no response and we know his website is now down. I know he is going through some difficult family issues but don't know more than that. He has also frequently traveled for months at a time in the past so I am not worryingo verly much. I will call his wife again when I get back from LA and see if I can get any additional info. I've laso left some messages for him at several places around the Upper Valley where he often hangs out.

[Ted Harris]

Scott, I've never owned a 180 Apo Symmar but I swear I used to use a 210 on my Horseman and I KNOW I used a 180 Apo Sironar all the time. You know you can always screw the rear element in from the rear if you have to ....

[Oren Grad]

But I discovered the 180mm APO Symmar won't fit it, the rear group is too large.

Scott - that doesn't sound quite right. Horseman says it should fit:

http://www.horsemanusa.com/lens_list.html

And Schneider specifies the diameter of the rear cell as 57mm, which also sounds as though it ought to fit:

http://www.schneider-kreuznach.com/foto/sr_ap1/pdf/z_sr_ap_56_180.pdf

Then again, specifications can change, or be listed incorrectly. What's the rear diameter of your 180?

Sorry if it sounds like we're always giving you a hard time. It would just be a pity for you to not be able to use the lens - perhaps we're missing something...

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

But I discovered the 180mm APO Symmar won't fit it, the rear group is too large.

Scott,

I'm a bit confused. The 180mm APO Symmar is a fairly compact lens (I believe it's the smallest of the modern, multicoated f5.6 plasmats). The rear diameter is only 57mm. Surely even the little Horseman technical cameras with the 80mm lensboards can handle that.

Or, did you get a 180mm APO Symmar-L? If so, that would explain the problem. It has a 75mm rear diameter. Short of selling the lens, you an do as Ted suggested and thread on the cell from the rear after mounting the board to the camera with the shutter and front cell attached. Since the Horseman seems to be a temporary solution while you await the Layton, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. On the other hand, if you end up keeping the Horseman on a more permanent basis, you might want to look for a 180mm with a smaller rear element,like the 180mm APO Symmar (57mm) or the 180mm APO-Sironar-S (60mm).

Kerry

[Scott Knowles]

I didn't fully identify the lens I have and the latest Schneider Symmar-L APO lenses in their catalog show the larger rear group. I've attached a photo of it mounted on the Horseman lensboard. I hope this helps. I also plan to find another 150/180mm lens for the Horseman which will work.

[Colin Graham]

Scott, I've been thinking of selling my 150mm apo sironar-s, if you're interested let me know.

[Arne Croell]

I didn't fully identify the lens I have and the latest Schneider Symmar-L APO lenses in their catalog show the larger rear group. I've attached a photo of it mounted on the Horseman lensboard. I hope this helps. I also plan to find another 150/180mm lens for the Horseman which will work.
Yup, that is a 180mm Apo-Symmar L. The "L" is located behind the focal length on the inscription, not after the "Apo-Symmar".

[Steve Clark]

Scott,
With an extremely minor modification to the camera, a Fujinon 180A will actually fold inside the little Horseman FA. I made a BIG project out of this, and it still took less than an hour. The Fuji is a very nice little lens. I had two other 180's, the Fuji was the keeper. Steve