Bausch and Lomb 24" Aero Tessar Lens - any value?

[Jeff Bannow]

Bausch and Lomb 24" Aero Tessar Lens - any value to this lens? I understand it will cover at least 16x20 and is an f6 lens. I'm trying to decide if this lens is worth picking up, or if it's a large paperweight.

My use for it would be wet plate, if I ever get that crazy.

[goamules]

I think I had one of those once, nice glass. Everything has some value, and it could be useful to you or other ULF shooters. If you mean is it in demand or very expensive, I don't think so.

[Jim Jones]

My 24" Aero-Ektar is marked for 9x18, although the lens cone seems smaller than this. I haven't remounted and tested this monster yet. It cost well under $100 on ebay a year or two ago.

[jb7]

There's a current listing for one- in a dedicated shutter that weighs a ton, which might not be very suitable for camera work.

If it was in a barrel, it would definitely be worth considering, at the right price-

[Jeff Bannow]

It's in the huge shutter mechanism ... looks like I'll pass on it. Interesting lens though.

[Dan Fromm]

Jeff, check with the seller. The "huge shutter mechanism" should include a diaphragm. If you need to use y'r great long lens stopped down, this is a real plus.

[Jeff Bannow]

The seller is asking $100 for the lens.

[jp]

That's a good deal. I have one of these lenses; mine has a built in iris but no shutter.

I haven't put it in a monster camera yet, but playing around it using a 2x4 foot fluorescent light troffer fixture as a subject about 5-6' away, it makes a nice 2' sized image out the other side. I haven't calculated coverage or dropoff. It's a tessar, and that's a proven lens design.

[boswald]

Makes a fine 4" refractor

[cbw12]

I'm using a Tessar as a 600mm telephoto for my Canon eos. I got the lens in 1966 for $10. Shed the bulky housing, the shutter and the iris, mounted the lenses in an alum barrel.
Lens is uncoated. Not good image wide open. Pretty good stopped to f11 or more. (I use aperture masks in front of the lens.) Some chromatic ab.
One problem in remonting the lens; never found a spec on lens spacing, had to use trial & error.
$100 seems like fair price today.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

It's a big, heavy lens, in it's factory phenolic barrel it's 11lbs, so it needs a heavy front standard. At portrait distance it will max-out an Ansco 5A double extension studio camera, needs a min. of 40in, preferably 48in lens board to GG. Should be fine for 11x14 portraits, nice look to it. Yes, you can find an iris this large but they are not cheap, easier to use a center Waterhouse stop.