Help with progress on Centar lens..

[Robbie Bedell]

I have been trying to learn about a lens I have and the engraving on the barrel is so worn that it is very hard to read. I finally made out "5x7 Centar Series II", F/8. I did some more digging and learned it came off an early Century field camera. It is a very clean and sharp lens and I am wondering if anyone has any more information about it: i.e. its design, etc. It should be very nice for portraits. It is about a 210mm on my 4x5 and I now have it in an old Wollensack shutter because the original shutter imploded. Any help would be appreciated. No use posting a photo. It's just a round brass lens in the shutter about an inch long and an inch in diameter..Thank You! Robbie...

[Glenn Thoreson]

As it's an f/8 lens and the brass barrel would be appropriate, I would assume it's probably a Rapid Rectilinear or an Aplanat. Look for reflectioms in the cells. Likely it would show a cemented pair, front and rear, and they would be of identical optical design. These can be very, very sharp lenses.

[Robbie Bedell]

Glenn: Thank you so much for your answer. I checked and the lens indeed does have two reflections in both front and back and they appear to be exactly the same, except the rear barrel itself is a little shorter than the front. I had always thought this lens came off an old folding camera and when in someone's collection I saw the beautiful mahagony Century view camera is was on I figured it was made for serious business. It will go alongside my old B&L Zeiss tessar IIb... I love using the old lenes!