Question about a Heliar Lens 18cm F4.5 #124934

[northcarolinajack]

I just purchased the above lens. The glass and iris is in great shape, but the stop numbers on the barrel are not readable. I would love to how the stops are marked and if they are standard numbers used today.
Any information would be helpful, including how to get the number readable or how to make the stops.
Thanks

Jack

[E. von Hoegh]

Is the barrel engraved with the stop numbers?

[Larry H-L]

Is it mounted in an old "dial set" Compur?

My 150mm is hard to read, I used a white china marker / grease pencil to make the numbers stand out a bit more.

The numbers on mine are not standard f-stops either. I don't have it in front of me, but I recall something like f 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12, 18 ???

[Louis Pacilla]

My 30-36cm Heliars scale reads f 4.5-6.3-8-11-16-22-32. My 48cm reads f 4.5-6.3-8-12 -18- 25.

I guess they vary a bit from age of manufacture and which plant they manufactured in and for what market.

BTW #D.R.P. 124934 is the German Patent #and probably not your serial #. I think you should post your True serial # so you can try and find the f stops used in Heliars of the same age.

[buggz]

Wow, I just got my cheapy Heliar in today.
150mm f4.5, in Compur shutter, #519500
Anywho, my f stops are legible, 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12, 18, 25.
Mine needs cleaning.

Oh, AFTER posting, I see you say barrel, never mind my post then, sorry...

[Louis Pacilla]

Oh, AFTER posting, I see you say barrel, never mind my post then, sorry...

Hey buggz, I don't think it should matter if it's in barrel or shutter as he knows his spacing of the stops and no math needs to be done. He simply needs to know how Voigtlander ran their f stops scale. They ran them pretty much the same on both barrel and shutter from what I can tell.

Most of all he needs to take the f stop numbers closest to the approximate year of manufacture of his lens.

Or he could do the math:D

[northcarolinajack]

I think this is the lens number, I look it up, finding the mfg. date 1914. It is a barrel lens, no shutter.
The numbers are not engraved, seems as if white paint of some sort, which is worn off, or gone for what ever reason.'
Jack

[Scott Davis]

I have a 240mm Heliar in shutter and the stops are 4.5, 5.6, 8,11,16,22,32. I used to have an older one in barrel and I think they were marked 4.5, 6.3, 9, etc. I know I've seen that other set of markings on some other older voigtlander products before, and I think my old Rodenstock Rapid Aplanat is marked that way too - it starts at f7, and all the stop markings are 1 stop down based on f7 as a starting point (7, 14, 25, 50, 100, etc). It's a little off-putting until you realize they're full stops but instead of calibrating to common numbers, they're just stops down from lens maximum.

[Louis Pacilla]

I think this is the lens number, I look it up, finding the mfg. date 1914. It is a barrel lens, no shutter.
The numbers are not engraved, seems as if white paint of some sort, which is worn off, or gone for what ever reason.'
Jack

You may want to post a digi snap of your barrel. This will make it a bit easier for folks to more accurately help you.

and BTW- My 48cm was made around 1911 serial # 108.904 and has the scale markings of f 4.5-6.3-8-12-18-25.

[buggz]

Strange that some have 4.5, 6.3, then 8, 12, 18, 25
Whereas mine shows, 4.5, 6.3, then 9, 12, 18, 25

[goamules]

Why don't you just make the markings in today's conventional scale? Unless you are trying to restore it to how it was 100 years ago, when several manufactures had several systems. The iris is infinitely adjustable, and doesn't care where you stop it. Just calculate what the diameter will be for F4.5, 5.6, etc, then mark the barrel for each position.

[Michael E]

I have a 18cm f4.5 Heliar in a Compound shutter. The aperture scale is 4.5 - 5.6 - 8 - 11 - 16 - 22 - 32. The serial number dates it to 1910. It has the same patent number (DRP 124934).

Michael

[Two23]

My 1922 Heliar 15cm dial set shows f4.5, 6.3, 9, 12, 18, 25, 36. The numbers are embossed (slightly raised) and painted silver.
Serial 179,270.



Kent in SD

[Louis Pacilla]

Strange that some have 4.5, 6.3, then 8, 12, 18, 25
Whereas mine shows, 4.5, 6.3, then 9, 12, 18, 25

Yep. That's because it is strange. My shitty eye sight deceived me again. The scale on my 48cm reads f 4.5, 6.3, then 9, 12, 18, 25 . Just likes yours buggz.

Sorry about the mix up.

[northcarolinajack]

THANKS ALL -- I MEASURED AND MARKED -- NO NUMBERS --- BUT FOR 4.5, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22 ,32

Jack

[E. von Hoegh]

I think this is the lens number, I look it up, finding the mfg. date 1914. It is a barrel lens, no shutter.
The numbers are not engraved, seems as if white paint of some sort, which is worn off, or gone for what ever reason.'
Jack

Well, the numbers were engraved. It's possible some damned miscreant has "polished" them into oblivion.

[E. von Hoegh]

Why don't you just make the markings in today's conventional scale? Unless you are trying to restore it to how it was 100 years ago, when several manufactures had several systems. The iris is infinitely adjustable, and doesn't care where you stop it. Just calculate what the diameter will be for F4.5, 5.6, etc, then mark the barrel for each position.

Naw. Use an old Weston like I do, it has all those in-between stops on it.