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Jim Andrada
7-Jun-2012, 03:26
I have a T-R in a Betax 4. The front element has no focal length on it, just 8 x 10 Gundlach (Fairport) Ser II plus serial number and an illegible f #

Rear cell has Turner-Reich 21" written on it

Shutter aperture scale has 13", 25" and 20"

Since the rear element is marked 21" instead of 20 I suspect it isn't the original cell. Any way to tell the FL of the front element? I don't have a flange/lens board for it yet so can't just mount it on the camera and see.

Is there such a thing as a relatively complete listing of the various elements as well as combined Focal Lengths>

goamules
7-Jun-2012, 04:20
Try the catalogs at http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/korona_2.html. They made them a long time, there was bound to be variance in the focal lengths over the years. The front and rear should have matching serial numbers, at least of the ones I've had.

Jim Andrada
7-Jun-2012, 07:46
Thanks - You're right, front and back cells do have the same serial numbers. Funny that the scale would say 20" when the lens cell says 21". Unless of course this isn't the original shutter/ Hmm - mystery is deepening.

Vaughn
7-Jun-2012, 07:57
In a semi-dark room with a window, take the front element and focus something at infinity onto a piece of paper. The distance between the lens and the paper should be about the focal length. Perhaps someone else will know where to measure from on the lens (front, back or middle).

I just did this with a TR -- both front and back elements were marked (12 and 18), but for some reason they neglected to put the focal length of the combined lenses on the aperture scale (the other two were.) I did the above very roughly and got 8"...but looking at the catalog, it is probably 7.5" as that matches the two lenses when use individually (7.5-12-18) -- and the lens also says on it Series II, No.2 -- which the catalog, http://www.piercevaubel.com/cam/catalogs/1932gundlachlp334.htm confirms as a lens for 5x7.

Good luck! Vaughn

desertrat
7-Jun-2012, 08:59
The Fairport T-Rs are late ones, made after 1935. I have one of these for 8X10, and the cells are marked 19.7" and 25", combined focus nominally 12" but I measured it more like 12.7". Some of the older Rochester T-Rs were 21" and 28" for 8X10, but other combinations have been reported.

Jim Andrada
7-Jun-2012, 23:17
The more I look at it in a bright light the better I can see that the front of the lens is marked f/7.7 but the shutter is marked f/6.8 at 13 inch. Also rear cell is 21 but aperture ring says 20. So probably shutter is not original to these cells.

I should be getting a flange pretty soon so will bore a board for the Seneca and see how it works

Jim Graves
8-Jun-2012, 21:54
On the Camera Eccentric site ... in the Gundlach catalog (1910-1920s) ... it shows the Turner Reich 8x10 lens as having a focal length of 12" with a front lens FL of 28" and a rear lens FL of 21" .... it's at page 4 (here is the link: LINK (http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/korona_2.html))".

Jim Andrada
9-Jun-2012, 03:44
Thanks much

One more question - I've heard that when using the cells separately it's best to use a yellow filter behind the lens. I'm puzzled why it should matter whether the filter is in front or behind the lens. I would think that by putting it in front it would protect the shutter. Basically the function would be to block the least well corrected blue frequencies but not clear what the advantage of one location over the other would be- except that you could use a filter sized to fit the lens cell not the shutter opening.