Now what do I have here?

[Daniel Stone]

hey all,

so the story goes like this: I just got this from Matthew Blais here in so cal, he didn't know what it was lens-wise, but the shutter indicates that its a triple-convertible. No markings on the barrel inside or out, but it looks like just two simple groups, so 4-air/glass surfaces total.

Any ideas? With both elements screwed in, its about a 12" with the "hold it up facing a window and shine it on the wall" technique ;), so I'm thinking this is the original shutter.

thanks!

-Dan

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy161/mr_danielstone/tripleconvertibe_1.jpg

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy161/mr_danielstone/tripleconvertibe_2.jpg

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy161/mr_danielstone/tripleconvertibe_3.jpg

[Jim Galli]

My $$ says it's an early Turner Reich Triple that got mounted professionally also early-ish since the aperture scale is the old US style. The early TR's were f7.5 wide open. Unscrew one of the groups and shine a penlight in and while moving around see if you don't see 2 brights and 4 dims. TR's were 5 elements each group.

[Daniel Stone]

Jim,

yup, there's 4 reflections there. Two bright ones between two faint ones, one of the bright ones is smaller than the other by a bit.

-Dan

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi Guys

I bet its a unsymmetrical R.R. lens.

You may be able to unscrew the retaining ring from the back of the cells & take a look at what you have.

The reason my money is on R.R. is the largest stop appears to be f8. It would be a triple convertible as well.

Most times Turner Reich is NOT left off the cell while plenty of Rapids Rectilinear left the factory with out branding.

I certainly can be wrong. I have been so many times:(

Peace
Louis

[Jim Galli]

To be a TR it would need to have 2 brights and 4 dims. 2 brights and 2 dims could be a Rapid Rectigraphic which was basically a Rapid Rectilinear with a 3rd cell that improved it a bit I guess. The f8 mark on the shutter is actually f11 in this system, so the combined lens is too slow to be a TR. Interesting puzzle.

[Keith Fleming]

It looks a lot like a supposedly symmetrical lens that sold recently on the auction site. That lens, however, was in a nice Wollensak Regular shutter. The two cells could be used separately and had different focal lengths.

Keith

[Keith Fleming]

The lens I was thinking about was on the bay as #270650030049 and the sale closed October 24th. The seller listed it as a Wollensak Rapid Symmetrical. The front cell had a focal length of 31 1/2 inches and the rear was 19 1/4, with a combined length of 12 inches.

Keith

[Fotoguy20d]

Jim could be right about the Rapid Rectigraphic - I have a 12-21-29 (or thereabout) from Gundlach in brass Barrel, which is 3 pieces of glass per set (so, 2 bright + 2 dim). Could also be a Rapid Symmetrical - I have smaller ones (5x7) in Wollensak shutters on various Seneca cameras. In any event, probably just different names for basicallly a Rapid Rectiliniear. Have you tried the single cells with the window test to see if they match the scale (and if they focus at all)

Dan