looking for information on a Wollensak Velostigmat series VII lens

[Darren Kruger]

I recently pickup up a 5" f3.5 Wollensak Series VII Velostigmat lens in a Alphax shutter from that big auction site. SN 484,xxx. I can't tell if it is coated and it doesn't have the Wocoated symbol on it. I checked Camera Eccentric and couldn't find any information on this lens there, and my google-fu is lacking with this lens. The closet I could find was the Varium but it seems the shortest length for that 14".

This lens appears to be a triplet design, with two elements in front of the aperture and one behind. Rough coverage looks to be a little bit too small for 4x5" (though I am going to take a Polaroid and see how it turns out.)

Anyone have more information about this lens? Did Wollensak ever rebadge other manufacturer's lenses as their own?

-Darren

[Ernest Purdum]

Series VII is a new one to me. That also implies the existence of a series VI, but I have never heard of it. I am guessing that you are right that a 5" f3.5 triplet (Tessar?) is probably not going to cover 4X5.

Very few lenses marked "Velostigmat" were coated.

I have never seen any indication of Wollensak re-badging lenses.

[Darren Kruger]

Here is a picture of the lens itself, one taken with the lens at f3.5, and another taken at f22. Brown cruft is from the Polaroids. I measure 115mm of coverage at f22, which i think makes it 65 degrees of coverage.

[John Hannon]

I have never heard of a series VII either. Here is a link to a site that has scans of some of the Wollensak lenses, it may help. I can only see a series II and III Velostigmat in the listings.

From the listing of the series II Velostigmat, the 5" lens is meant to cover 3 1/4 X 4 1/4.

http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/wollensakcatg/wollensakcatg.html

--John

[Dan Fromm]

Apologies for resurrecting this old thread, but there's a 3"/3.5 one of these beasts on eBay now (230628677560) and I can't find anything on it. Nothing in the Wolly catalogs on cameraeccentric.com and Google found nothing relevant except this thread.

It can't be for 4x5 as advertised, I don't think there's a modern f/3.5 3 incher that will cover the format.

Thanks for suggestions, pointers, even good answers.

Dan

[Jim Galli]

Dan, there's lots of 3"3.5's. They came on many of the old Rollei wannabe cameras of the era post WW2, like Ciro-Flex etx.

[Dan Fromm]

Jim, I know that. Lotsa fastish triplets and tessars. And in 1946 Wollensak replaced the trade name Velostigmat with Raptar.

So, what design is a Velostigmat Series VII and when was that designation used? The VII on the lens on eBay doesn't look like an engraving error

[Jim Galli]

Jim, I know that. Lotsa fastish triplets and tessars. And in 1946 Wollensak replaced the trade name Velostigmat with Raptar.

So, what design is a Velostigmat Series VII and when was that designation used? The VII on the lens on eBay doesn't look like an engraving error

Nope, you're 100% right and I don't have a clue. Interesting lens.

[domaz]

You guys don't think the Series VII refers to the filter threading do you? Series VII was a Kodak filter thread size of ~50mm so that looks about right. Also it says "Series VII Velostigmat", whereas other Velostigmat would say "Velogstigmat Series X".

[Dan Fromm]

Domaz, from start (one version, anyway) to finish it reads: "Wollensak Velostigmat 3" Focus Series VII f 3.5 No 278693" The Series VII could refer to filter size but the lens is a bit small for a Ser VII filter to fit and it seems a stretch.

Thanks for making me look closely at the listing. It gave me the idea of looking at serial numbers in catalogs on cameraeccentric. I found 504xxx in the 1949 catalog. I have a 3"/4.5 Velostigmat Series II s/n 452779 in Rapax, probably a 1945 lens. The Ser. VII that didn't sell has to be at least somewhat pre-WW-II.

Does anyone know when Series filters were introduced?

[j.e.simmons]

Reviving a very old thread. In a box of junk I found a Wollensak Velostigmat 3 1/2" Focus Series VII f 3.5 No. 452XXX. It has a purplish sheen and a whiteish/yellowish paint dot above the word Series. It's in a Betax 2 shutter. Maybe a wartime military lens? I'll make a lensboard and take a look at coverage on my 4x5.