Help with 'Adon' Telephoto lens

[Richard Rankin]

I have an Adon telephoto lens which is some sort of device that can either be used as a telephoto addition to lenses up to 8", or as a stand-alone tele lens.

I had one of this years ago and used it as a stand-alone lens but this one seems slightly different. It came with instructions but they are, of course, missing pages 2 and 4 so the info on page 3 does not go with the chart on page 5...

If anyone has used one of these successfully, I'd love some tips. The 'instructions' are more confusing than helpful.

Thanks people (c'mon Steven Tribe, I KNOW you know this!)

Cheers,
Richard

[Steven Tribe]

I'd like to help but, like so many, I am lost in the various offerings from Goerz, Dallmeyer and the others before they gave up these devices, which I don't think either the makers or buyers were that unhappy with anyway!
There must be something in VM about the various adons. I have always wondered about the "stand along" function? The only "thingy" I have is the Goerz tele - it is labelled 168 which I always assumed fits the the various 168mm Goerz lenses of the period (dagor dogmar). It is a pure negative element which won't form an image this side of eternity.

[Richard Rankin]

Steven, Steven, Steven, hang your head in shame... I was so sure you would have used one of these or own several.

The VM doesn't say much about these, and Ross later used the name for regular tele lenses which makes it more confusing. I got a couple of shots in Australia once by taping an Adon to the front of a very short landscape lens and shooting a tree very far away but that didn't work this time. I'm not sure what happened to that particular Adon.

The instruction book has some very nice plates in it illustrating its results, just not any help in achieving those results. And it refers to a black focussing tube which I never had on either example that I've owned, so that might be relevant. Maybe i'll try and scan the text pages and see if anyone is better at reading and comprehending then I.

Thanks,
Richard

[Steven Tribe]

In the fresh morning sunshine I have reread VM and it is confusing! The earlier Adon (Dallmeyer) was just a long adjustable tube (X times magnification) with a plano/concave lens. The second version (which I think has a plain aluminium finish) by Lan-Davis sounds as if it was a complete tele lens but VM is very unclear.
One thing I have noted, is that these various -ve attachments are sometimes sold WITH the objective to which they joined long ago. The seller only discovers one of the names!
I think I may dispose of my tele goerz before I forget it again!

[Richard Rankin]

This one is the aluminium barrel and, from what I can tell, is both a complete lens usable alone or as an attachment. There is a statement that 'the black lengthening tube must be removed' when used in conjunction with another lens. Since I have no such tube, I guess I'll try taping it onto some other lenses and seeing what happens.

[Steven Tribe]

I have two major regrets in the last 5 years of accumulating photo equipment.
One is focal plane shutter cameras (other than speed graphic!). The cameras are OK but the mechanisms are pure hell.
The other is tele attachments (fortunately I only have one!). Which I will list tomorrow!

[Richard Rankin]

As promised earlier, here are the text pages from the manual, missing pages 2 and 4... I've put this in a pdf file. The rest of the manual pages are all photos showing various uses of the lens with no real detail on how to accomplish it.

http://www.richardrankin.com/rp/adon-dallmeyer.pdf

Any help using this thing would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Richard

[Steven Tribe]

This is interesting reading. What on earth is a Burchett Screen to be used on the GG instead of a yellow filter (chemical/actinic)?

[Richard Rankin]

Steven,

It's an early type of glass filter, apparently beginning as a yellow glass in conjunction with a green one. Not sure if this link is gonna work, but it is in Google books


http://books.google.com/books?id=7rYaAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA114-IA4&ots=5dWUYHS3dK&dq=photography%20Burchett%20Screen&pg=PA114-IA4#v=onepage&q=photography%20Burchett%20Screen&f=false

[Steven Tribe]

Yes I found them under another entry:

"Burchett's Colour Screen c.1894 J. H. Dallmeyer Ltd London England Three filters - 36mm, 43 mm, 47 mm screw fitting in red morocco covered boxes.

Made in three series: Light yellow/green; Light olive green , used in conjunction with a light amber filter; Dark green. The claim was that these filters gave a truer rendering. The filter could be screwed to the rear element of the lens or pushed into the lens hood."

Before the word filter was adopted.

[Steven Tribe]

So Dallmeyer were advertising their own product in conjuntion with the adon.