Caltar-S 305

[gtphoto]

What does the S stand for. coverage etc?

[E. von Hoegh]

The S stands for Schneider. The same as a Symmar-S, AFAIK. Covers 8x10.

You can Google all this.

[Louis Pacilla]

Hey Von , I'm pretty sure Schneider did not manufacture a 305mm in the Symmar. Pretty sure the Caltar S (Symmar) was 300mm FL.

However Calumet did sell the Ilex Caltar Series S in FL of 305mm. If your lens is the Ilex version then I believe it to be a Tessar formula w/ max aperture of f6.3 and pretty much a copy of the Commercial Ektar. The IC is somewhere around 60 degrees to 65 ish stopped down.

Here is a link to a 1970 Calumet catalog which has this lens featured.
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/calumet_2.html

[Kuzano]

Like many companies, I believe Caltar is a marketing company, not a lens company. There are many companies that "market" lenses, cameras and other photo equipment componenents branded for them. Calumet is one such company for their camera lines and they use the name Caltar for the lenses branded by many other mfrs for them.

Helps to keep you on your toes when you are searching for some obscure lens you have been told is exceptional, while another branded differently is best used as a door stop.
:) :eek:

[Paul Ewins]

No, it is the Caltar-S II that was made by Schneider (and also sold as the Orbit S II). The Caltar-W II was their version of the Super Angulon.

[Oren Grad]

The S stands for Schneider. The same as a Symmar-S, AFAIK.

This is not correct. The Caltar S-II series is the Symmar-S. Caltar Type S was Rodenstock Sironar. And as noted here, there was the Ilex 305 Series S as well.

[gtphoto]

This is not correct. The Caltar S-II series is the Symmar-S. Caltar Type S was Rodenstock Sironar. And as noted here, there was the Ilex 305 Series S as well.

[gtphoto]

Hi Oren thanks for your help. This is a 305/6.3 Ilex Calumet. Not an S in an Acme 4 dhutter. I need image circle and specs. Thanks gtphoto

[IanG]

I'd be careful saying it's a copy of an Ektar, the original Tessars were f6.3 and mine a 165mm f6.3 in a Compur is already 98 years old :D

Note that the 305mm Caltar (Tessar type) is not listed as a lens for a 10x8 camera and typically these lenses were usually sold for whole plate (8½"x6½") and smaller, Calumet sold the Caltar-S and Symmar for 10"x8" use back in 1970. There's mistakes in that Calumet catalogue.

The 12"/300mm Ektar's a more modern copy of a Tessar as well with improved coverage. Probably what's more important is that the f6.3 Tessar design and copies are the best performers of all the aperture series.

Ian



Hey Von , I'm pretty sure Schneider did not manufacture a 305mm in the Symmar. Pretty sure the Caltar S (Symmar) was 300mm FL.

However Calumet did sell the Ilex Caltar Series S in FL of 305mm. If your lens is the Ilex version then I believe it to be a Tessar formula w/ max aperture of f6.3 and pretty much a copy of the Commercial Ektar. The IC is somewhere around 60 degrees to 65 ish stopped down.

Here is a link to a 1970 Calumet catalog which has this lens featured.
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/calumet_2.html

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi Oren thanks for your help. This is a 305/6.3 Ilex Calumet. Not an S in an Acme 4 dhutter. I need image circle and specs. Thanks gtphoto


Hey Von , I'm pretty sure Schneider did not manufacture a 305mm in the Symmar. Pretty sure the Caltar S (Symmar) was 300mm FL.

However Calumet did sell the Ilex Caltar Series S in FL of 305mm. If your lens is the Ilex version then I believe it to be a Tessar formula w/ max aperture of f6.3 and pretty much a copy of the Commercial Ektar. The IC is somewhere around 60 degrees to 65 ish stopped down.

Here is a link to a 1970 Calumet catalog which has this lens featured.
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/calumet_2.html

[IanG]

If you read the Calumet brochre they sold a 305mm Calumet and a 300mm Calumet-S they actually state the 10"/254mm and 12"/305mm Caltar are 5x4 lenses on page 20.

However further down the page they state the 300mm Caltar covers 10x8, their errors are calling the 300mm a Caltar on one page when it's a Caltar-S and on page 23 they state the 305mm Caltar covers 10x8 at close up/room interiors, by omplication not at infinity, also that it covewrs 7x5 with minimal swing.

To a certain extent we're running into the muddy area of what's deemed to be acceptable sharpness by the manuifacturers at the edges and corners in the image circle.

Ian

[Lynn Jones]

Since I created the "S" Caltar as oppposed to the regular Caltar(tessar type) Caltar triplet, or the WF Caltar, the "S" meant symmetrical. Most of the European Caltars were Rodenstocks, finally after several years Rodenstock and Schneider competed for the 2 year contracts. In the early years, the f 6.3 tessar type lenses as well as the 90mm WF Caltars were Ilex made, and I might add, very well designed and made in Rochester NY, That is why Rodenstock didn't want the additional competition in plalsmats from the USA.

The only S Caltars that were American made were the f4.8 215mm with Ilex shutters, Rodenstock evaluated them and found the to be very good so they flew to Chicago and made a deal for Calumet to private label them. Much later after my several years with Calumet, all the Caltars were European made, however Ilex made tessar types, plasmat types (these were f 5.6 because of the need for very large shutters at f4.8), and superwides for themselves, B&J, and BBOI until the latter two (sister) companies failed financially. Eventually, Ilex failed largely becaused the guiding president/designer, Manny Kiner (who was also my dear friend) had a severe head injury from an auto accident and was never able to work again.

Lynn