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View Full Version : Unknown Lens, I am getting ready to Get Stupid



akfreak
30-Apr-2011, 03:12
I love old stuff, I am a have been a woodworker doe decaged, I have built Hardwood wadiou staircases by hand for years. I found a Eastman Century Master Studio camera with stand. The lens is Bent but the elements seem in tact. But are filthy. I think I can remove the bends in the lens, I am trying to ID the lens it is a "The Voigtlander & Son Optics Company I looks big on the front of the Century Master Studio Camera/ She started telling me numbers like NO3" no 8" ans NO 163.

The person where I found it cant seem to take a decent picture to save her life. It has a 5x7 GG back. No base stand so no big deal.

Here are all the pics. BTW it has a Packard shutter looks like air and some electrics solenoid/ to rin the shutter.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5672126474_c83e04785f.jpg


20110430-BIG_CAMERA_1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomshue/5672160620/)
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5672125150_9d664c3af8.jpg
on Flickr Here are the pics please tell me what I am looking at is other than a Pice of poop.

What is the value, The back is jacked up and the GG is 5x7 and is gone . I need your hep Iding the gooooooooooooods

Steven Tribe
30-Apr-2011, 04:17
Interesting! Lens was sold by the American subsidary of Voigtländer which has a small range of serial numbers which don't always give a good basis for judging the date. The 5x7 back is probably a subsitute in the period when the bigger sizes became unpopular/too expensive.
It is tempting to identify this as a Series III Euryscope size 8 (A?) which is huge ( over 5" in diameter) and has more coverage than the Century can manage. A size 8 is always going to be big!

akfreak
30-Apr-2011, 10:58
The seller doesn't know anything about cameras at all. Asking her to read me any information she sees on the lens was a challenge in my patience. She cant take any pictures, they are all blown out or so blurry I cant see anything. The one above showing the name on the lens was a post worked Jpeg to increase contrast, sharpening, and decrease exposure to I can even read it. She showed me the front of the lens, it is dirty and may have fungus but I cant tell.

I dont know what the size of the lens board on one of the Century Master Studio cameras is, but if I can id that size, I will be able to guess as to the size of the lens.

This is the front lens board and lens, Anyone know what size that board is?
the little posts are the air line fittings for the shutter.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5190/5672227118_673c0de059.jpg

The images are really messes up, but I think I can see aperture blades, The notch in the center ridge must be the aperture adjustment setting mark. I am going to have to pray that I can fix this lens. Not worried about the metal work but the glass elements themselves. It looks really rough but I am still going to buy it. Wish me luck. This is going to be a huge project.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5025/5672576835_2bbfe7e52d.jpg

Never knew digital doint and shoots had so much grain, ;) but you can almost see the aperture blades, they are stepped down to f11 & a 1/2 I can make that number out from the top lens pic in the OP

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5067/5672576977_c786f1394d.jpg


Finding backs to ue as template/blueprint is going to be a challenge. I saw the one that takes 2- 5x7' in portrait. I have to assume there is a 8x10 or larger back for this camera. I also have to assume 8x10 or larger backs, draw length and lens choice will be the limiting factors. Not sure how long the bellows are extended but I will know soon enough.


I am excited, however I am going to have to buy a new house to keep this camera and my marriage too. It wouldn't bother me to have it sitting in my living room, but if it ever was, that means I am single. LOL


, the stand is

akfreak
30-Apr-2011, 11:14
The camera is only 1/2 the beast
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5671660661_d5348f8712_z.jpg
It also has a huge base.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5267/5672668191_e41597544c.jpg

Steven Tribe
30-Apr-2011, 12:28
This has certainly had a paint job! Underneath the white is pretty good mahogany. The original inset board is 9"x9". An additional smaller board holding the lens has been screwed onto this. The lens is something over 4" in diameter. There is plenty here about Century Studio models and renovation. Unlikely to be etching fungus.

GPS
30-Apr-2011, 12:44
I'm with Steve on this - the lens looks in a pretty good shape, just some dust...

akfreak
1-May-2011, 02:31
I dont know what Lens it is. What do you think. I have asked a few people who are experts, The ID is not conclusive, One thinks it may be a Heliar, It looks very similar to a
Collinear to me, until I get it in my hands and start to clean it up a little I wont know.

What do you guys think? Do my horrible images look like an older Collinear, the lettering is a perfect match the wierd "&" sign the way the aperture notch is, the f stop numbers. Remember mine is not he shiney brass lenses, Mine is the Old bent worn out looking turd. Just the way I like them.
I would be willing to bet it is a Voightlander Collinear not sure what the focal length is or if it is a II or a III. I hope it is 22" to 23" that would be awesome. As to it being a Heliar, it does have some similarities but I dont think it is one.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5675289852_69b5014f23_b.jpg
Here is another example to compare to of a Collinear (image from Michael Slade found on Apug)
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5674740493_63733d4aa4_o.jpg


I cant wait to get this baby home and restore her. I love to work with wood and on a camera is a bonus.

Steven Tribe
1-May-2011, 02:54
Collinear. Some Collinears have text on the black front outside rim (which I think I can see!).
Series III size 8 is 250cm and covers about 10x12" (24x30cm).

akfreak
1-May-2011, 10:51
OK so do you think the lens I am asking for feedback about is in fact a Collinear? or do you think it is something else altogether. Thanks for everyones input

sabesque
5-May-2011, 18:01
I also have a lens that I cant find much information about. I saw akfreak`s post and I though this may be the group of people who can help me as well. It is a Bausch and Lomb Super Cinephor EF. 3.25 in (83mm) f:2.0 Front Serial TR1789.
I tried Bausch and Lomb sites but nothing.. I have two of these. left and right. (someone wrote on them). I would appreciate any information. Thank you all very much.

Louis Pacilla
5-May-2011, 18:51
You may want to give a cinema forum a try as this is a cine lens. You may not find the info your looking for on this Large format forum. Then again you just may.

We tend to lean heavily towards large format lenses here. Nothing wrong w/ cine lenses just have to draw a line somewhere. :)

Maybe a forum that deals w/ smaller formats will have some useful info as well.

Check eBay completed auctions to see what they sale for. Some cine lenses fetch good money but most do not .

sabesque
5-May-2011, 22:00
Ive tried ebay and other auction sites.. cant find cinephor lens.. Thanks for the advise regarding another forum.. I not too familiar with cameras or lenses so I tried here. I appreciate you recommending another forum as I would not have realized the difference in lens formats. :rolleyes:

Steven Tribe
5-May-2011, 23:30
There is plenty data available using google - B&L cinephor.
Basically, fast projection (back projection) lenses used in filming and, probably, tv.
Made redundant by chromakey mixing and plasma screens.

jp
6-May-2011, 05:45
I have no idea what the lens might be worth.

The camera's worth depends on a couple of things. The packard shutter is probably worth $50-100 as is. If the bellows are good, that means someone won't have to replace them for $250ish or a day of labor if they want to use the camera. I don't know what you mean by the back is jacked up. A 5x7 back ground glass will cost some money; check ebay. The paint job detracts from the value quite a bit, but is very common. You will spend a lot of time removing the paint and putting on several new coats of poly or lacquer , so don't calculate the cost of that labor, but you could easily spend $50 on supplies to do that.

Prices vary quite a bit. I bought one with a bad paint job, but with a nice stand, 3 different backs, no lens, and some valuable unrelated accessories for $300. I later learned from another collector in the area they'd offered less for the camera and had accepted, but was unable to get there and purchase the camera in a timely manner, so it was made available to me. I bought another one with a good original paint job, good newer bellows, packard shutter, and a missing back for $200.

Find some examples on Ebay's completed auctions, tell the seller how theirs compares. It's probably common for sellers not to have a clue what the stuff sells for. A lens make it go for a little more money if it sells, and the lens isn't usually a serious consideration in the price except to make it usable or look the part. I suspect most super valuable lenses are sold separately, or if you think it's a valuable lens, perhaps you should just quietly buy the combination.

akfreak
29-May-2011, 10:37
I also have a lens that I cant find much information about. I saw akfreak`s post and I though this may be the group of people who can help me as well. It is a Bausch and Lomb Super Cinephor EF. 3.25 in (83mm) f:2.0 Front Serial TR1789.
I tried Bausch and Lomb sites but nothing.. I have two of these. left and right. (someone wrote on them). I would appreciate any information. Thank you all very much.

Nice Hijack LOL