bought my self a birthday present...

[Emil Schildt]

..and surprisingly it arrived today (05/18) which actually happens to be my birthday..

and it came all the wat from South Korea.. good timing.

It is an Ilex Paragon Portrait 14.75" with diffusing ring (as on the universal Heliar).

BIG and HEAVY, and here is my problem.. there is unfortunately no retaining ring coming with this lens, and the back is kind of curved with very little room for fitting the lens on a board without a retaining ring...

It can just fit on my Gandolfi front plate, but I need to figure out how to make the lens fit this plate..

otherwise, all is good, as they say..

Any have any experience with this lens? Any good, or just big...?

see attachment.

[Gene McCluney]

What I have done, is drill a hole "tight" to fit the rear threads of the lens, and just "screw" it into the lens board (wood lens board). The threads on the back of the lens will "bite" into the wood. If you get the hole a little to big, you can line it with felt or something to give the lens something to "bite" into. You may need to start with a hole just slightly too small, and then enlarge it by small amounts until you get the tight fit you need.

Now Ole will probably chime in here with: "Oh I just use my extra-large Jumbo magnum size Iris Lens Mount which can mount any lens from 4 inches to 24 inches in diameter." But I am assuming you don't have one of those.

[seawolf66]

I agree with Gene McCluney wood lens board and drill under size and screw the lens into the Lens board and you should not have any worrie of it coming loose ! Guess we both share the same Day : [LOL]

[JohnGC]

Happy Birthday to both of you!:)

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Emil & Lauren happy birthday too both of you! Emil, nice lens! I have several Ilex lenses but they are all process lenses and work great. I have done what the others suggest with the lens board and I have also managed to put in some very small brads or thin wires the thickness of the threads and screwed the lens into the board. The wires give it a little more "bite" for my liking. Be sure to post some images with that baby.

Jim

[Jon Wilson]

These Illex lens are nice lens with the diffuser system. I had one, but it was the 10.5 inch size and it was call their "Portrait" lens. I found the diffuser worked just like the one found on some of the Wollensak lens. Jon

[PViapiano]

Hey, it's my wife's birthday today, too! Small world...

Happy birthday to you both...and enjoy the lens!

[Mark Sawyer]

I don't know anything about this lens, but it looks promising! I hope you'll post images from it soon!

And happy birthday!

[soeren]

Happy Birthday Emil and Lauren.
Hmm that lens will never fit that shutter :confused: :p
How about having a steel lensplate with a tread made for it? Have it made so you can screw it on to one of the wooden plates you have.
Best regards

[csant]

Happy birthday to all those birthday kids :) And Emil, that's a really nice present you got there!

[Emil Schildt]

What I have done, is drill a hole "tight" to fit the rear threads of the lens, and just "screw" it into the lens board (wood lens board). The threads on the back of the lens will "bite" into the wood. If you get the hole a little to big, you can line it with felt or something to give the lens something to "bite" into. You may need to start with a hole just slightly too small, and then enlarge it by small amounts until you get the tight fit you need.

Now Ole will probably chime in here with: "Oh I just use my extra-large Jumbo magnum size Iris Lens Mount which can mount any lens from 4 inches to 24 inches in diameter." But I am assuming you don't have one of those.

first of all: thanks all!

now - the suggestion here was also my first thought, but the thread to make the lens fit is VERY small! about 1-2 mm thick, and the lens is VERY heavy, so I fear it can't be done...

oddly the seller just mailed me, that he put a retaining ring in the parcel also... but there is none:cool:

maybe the metal plate solution would be the best choise..

I'll write the seller and see if he will help me - that would be the optimal solution.

I am anxious to try this baby out.

thanks again.
LAUREN: happy Birthday (it is a nice date to have ones birthday!)

EDIT: I AM STUPID or blind!! there actually IS a retaining ring on the lens - it is SO well fitted to the lens, design wise, so I didn't notice it..

Off I go and try this out!

[soeren]

first of all: thanks all!

SNIP<
EDIT: I AM STUPID or blind!! there actually IS a retaining ring on the lens - it is SO well fitted to the lens, design wise, so I didn't notice it..

Off I go and try this out!

Or Both :D No, I know for sure, neither.
Con grats on your Birthday present and good you found a "solution"
Looking forward to see some results
Best regards

[Emil Schildt]

sigh - BIG sigh..

I used the whole afternoon cutting a big hole in a front plate - got it done, and fitted the lens in it.. works fine.....

EXCEPT


the lens (and especially the retaining ring) is so big, that the lens can't fit in the front of the Gandolfi........:(

I am seriously thinking about man handeling the Gandolfi...

If I use a knife, I could make the front hole big enough for the lens.....

sacrilece or???

Problem is, that without this, I can't use the lens.....:(

[Gene McCluney]

What I have done, in situations like this is to make an adapter board that is smaller on the side that fits onto the original lens board and is larger on the side needed to fit the big lens. 2 pieces of thin plywood, one smaller than the other stacked and glued, then drilled through, allows clearance to mount the original lens board into the camera. It is harder to describe than to illustrate, but I don't have an easy way to illustrate my words.
So the package would be like this. The original lens board that fits the camera, then attached to that is a slightly smaller piece of plywood (or other strong wood), which allows clearance for the sliders that retain the lens board on the camera, then a larger piece of wood, big enough to accept the lens flange. All glued and screwed together, then drilled through with a hole big enough for the lens flange.

[Jim Galli]

Nice lens Emil. They are not too common. I had one on the big studio camera that I sold last week. It had a fine looking image on the glass even though it was pretty scratchy. Wear steel toe shoes. I was playing the same game with an ancient Voiglaender Petzval this weekend. No flange. It was semi close to the Wollensak flange for 14 1/2 Verito so I wrapped 5 or 6 layers of Teflon Tape and then "threaded" the lens into the flange. Worked fine.