PDA

View Full Version : +Kodak Ektar 203 F-7.7 Lenses



seawolf66
18-Mar-2009, 14:43
I picked up a set of the Kodak Ektar 203mm F-7.7 (L) RO216 the question is will these lenses fit in to any supermatic shutter or what other shutter will they fit into :thank :

venchka
18-Mar-2009, 14:46
I would like to know also. I have a 1953 Kodak Supermatic (X) shutter with the original 1953 4.7/127mm Ektar cells. I had hoped that the 7.7/203mm cells would fit. I hope someone can confirm or deny that.

Gene McCluney
18-Mar-2009, 15:01
From my experiences with the commercial Ektars, I can say that Kodak lenses had their own thread size and standard Ilex shutters (as used on other lenses) will not work (fit).
Kodak had custom threaded mount on the Ilex shutters they used. Now since the Supermatic shutters were Kodak shutters and I guess used only for Kodak? lenses? the situation might be different.

seawolf66
18-Mar-2009, 17:20
venchka
: According to my ruler its aprox 1-7/16's inches O.D. for the front cell , Back look's to be about the same : with a very fine thread! This lens was made while I was still in School 1956 #201

Paul Fitzgerald
18-Mar-2009, 17:39
they should fit directly into any post-war Supermatic 2 shutter, pre-war had slightly different rear threads.

they were sold in Wollensak Rapax shutters also BUT these would only fit into Rapax shutters.

they were also sold in Synchro Compur shutter and these may also fit into Copal 1 shutters.

Glenn Thoreson
18-Mar-2009, 17:46
Number 2 Supermatic or Supermatic X of the same size will do it, I believe. I have some of every kind and I can check if you like. I know they won't fit in the Flash Supermatic that the 152 Ektar came in. It's too big.

Void
19-Mar-2009, 04:00
Hello

It was Number 2 Supermatic.
Good luck with the lens.

Robert A. Zeichner
19-Mar-2009, 04:16
A number of 203's were offered in Synchro Compurs (some branded as Graphex). Those cells were in larger diameter mounts and won't fit the Supermatics.

Dan Fromm
19-Mar-2009, 08:01
Robert, are you sure that some Synchro Compurs were branded Graphex? I ask because all of the Graphex shutters I've seen have been rebranded Rapaxes.

Mark Tweed
19-Mar-2009, 10:06
Perhaps what Robert meant to say is these Synchro-Compur shuttered versions were branded with the 'Graphic' designation, not Graphex. They do exist (I have a 127mm Ektar in such a shutter) and yes they were fabricated with a different threaded mount in comparison to the Supermatic shuttered 203mm lenses.

Glenn Thoreson
19-Mar-2009, 11:41
Graphex shutters were made by Wollensak. Ektar lenses were available in Graphex, Compur and their native Supermatic shutters. Ektars have their own idea of thread size and pitch. That is why I would stay with the Supermatic. Plentiful and inexpensive. As soon as I quit feeding my face, I'll get out the lenses in question and confirm interchangeability.

One hour later and an update: Sorry, but the 203 Ektar will NOT fit in a No. 2 Supermatic. It mounts in an un-numbered Flash Supermatic. The Flash Supermatic came in 3 sizes, if memory serves. This is the small one. Same physical size as a No. 2 that most Ektars, up to 127 came in. I have a 152 Ektar. It's in a larger Flash Supermatic. These shutters aren't numbered so the only way you can tell which is correct is by the aperture scale. Same would go for the Graphex and Compur shutters. These were made in the day when there was no size standard, as we have today.

seawolf66
19-Mar-2009, 15:37
SO I will have to wait till a 203mm with shutter comes on the market and the lenses are bad ??

Glenn Thoreson
19-Mar-2009, 16:35
You may not have to wait too long. Those lenses are often scratched really badly. Soft coatings and brillo pads don't go together. It's hard to find one with no cleaning marks at all. Try calling Jim at Midwest Photo Exchange. www.mpex.com

venchka
19-Mar-2009, 17:52
Smacks his head hard! Aperture scale! Duh! So much for using one shutter with 4 cells.

I'll have to wait for a complete lens in shutter.

JOSEPH ANDERSON
23-Mar-2009, 17:29
Wollensak Rapax Synchromatic Many Were Made For Polaroid 110 Pathfinder
Cameras. My 1946 203 Ektar Cells Screw Right In. The Spacing Seems To Be
Perfict.negs Are Sharp With Good Contrast. F Stop Scale Is However Not The Same So You Must Compensate. But Keep Looking For Correct Shutter. These
Lenses Are Very Good Cloes Up And At Infinity.
Joe A

Robert A. Zeichner
23-Mar-2009, 17:50
Perhaps what Robert meant to say is these Synchro-Compur shuttered versions were branded with the 'Graphic' designation, not Graphex. They do exist (I have a 127mm Ektar in such a shutter) and yes they were fabricated with a different threaded mount in comparison to the Supermatic shuttered 203mm lenses.

You are quite right. Thanks for straightening me out on that little detail, Mark.

Arne Croell
24-Mar-2009, 08:02
A number of 203's were offered in Synchro Compurs Those cells were in larger diameter mounts and won't fit the Supermatics.

True. However, Kodak also made a version for the UK in Prontor shutters; their threads are also compatible to Copal, but use smaller mounts than the US Compur version.

Dan Fromm
24-Mar-2009, 12:03
Arne, unless I'm mistaken that's Mount 370.

I believe that a 203/7.7 in Mount 370 is up on eBay.co.uk right now.

Lynn Jones
25-Mar-2009, 10:34
Alright Seawolf, I am old sailor Lynn,

The lens in question is one of the best ever made. It is a 4 element all air spaced similar to the Goerz Artars and covers between 35 and 45 degrees. The quality is stunning.

All BTL shutters are in series and in all but one instance, they all have the same threads and diameters for each type. The lens makers created barrels which permitted the lens cell distances to be correct regardless of design. As an example, when I was VP of B&J, I found around 100 Goerz Dagor lenses which had been made in Germany and been brought to B&J in the late 1920's. Our company coated them and boxed them. In 1977, I found them, tested one, it was excellent. I ordered shutters with engraved f stops from Copal. My sales men sold them within a few days to pro dealers. One hundred percent of them stayed sold. The shutters series are #00,#0,#1, #2, #3 (the #3 was different in one of the shutter makers, Copal?), There were also #5's and #7's however they havent been made for many years. The last #5 was made by Ilex in the 1960's, and the last #7 was probably at the end of WWII. In an interesting sidelight, the 5 and 7 had hard rubber shutter blades because of the size and speed of travel, the metal blades would develop aerodynamic lift and they would bang together and jam!

Enjoy your lens,

Lynn

Dan Fromm
25-Mar-2009, 12:18
Lynn, do Ilex, Rapax, and Supermatic shutters fit the Compur/Copal/Prontor size scheme? Mine sure don't, and they look like between-the-lens shutters.

Arne Croell
25-Mar-2009, 14:11
Arne, unless I'm mistaken that's Mount 370.

I believe that a 203/7.7 in Mount 370 is up on eBay.co.uk right now.
Yes, Dan, that is the one.