Help with a broken Wollensak Rapax lens

[Amphetadream]

Hi all,

I was just playing around with my first 4x5 camera, hoping to start shooting with LF photography for the first time in the next few days. However, as I was examining the lens, the aperture became stuck! About half of the blades no longer move properly when adjusting the f-stop. In addition, there looks like there is a fair amount of torsion on a few of these stuck blades, and it has caused them to leave what appears to be little grease marks on the inside of the lens. It seemed adjusting the stops for the pictures I've attached seemed to make it worse, so I'm rather afraid to adjust it any more than necessary.

Is there anything I can do to fix the lens? I don't really have the money to put into buying another lens at the moment.

[ic-racer]

Not sure about the Rapax, but in a Copal, one must take the timing plate and shutter blades off to get to the aperture mechanism:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?29267-Here-we-go-Century-8x10-Restoration&p=279474&viewfull=1#post279474

[John Kasaian]

Send it to Flutot's.

[Amphetadream]

Send it to Flutot's.

Can you give me a ballpark estimate as to how much that would run me?

Also, thankyou for the reply ic-racer, it seems this lens comes apart similarly.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

"Can you give me a ballpark estimate as to how much that would run me?"

More than it is worth, you will need all new blades or a new shutter, neither have been made for 40 years.
Look for a newer lens and save the time and money.

Sorry but that IS a fatal flaw for a Rapax shutter.

[Fotoguy20d]

Flutots would charge you around $65 just for the CLA. This one will probably need parts. In my experience, most of these are gummed up from age and need a thorough cleaning. Is that the 162mm lens? Its a bigger shutter, I believe, than the ubiquitous 135mm f4.7 Optar, so parts might even be harder to come by. As a first lens, you might want to try finding an Ektar (127mm) in a supermatic shutter. Coverage is marginal for 4x5 but the supermatic should be a bit more reliable than the rapax and graphex shutters.

Dan

[Amphetadream]

Flutots would charge you around $65 just for the CLA. This one will probably need parts. In my experience, most of these are gummed up from age and need a thorough cleaning. Is that the 162mm lens? Its a bigger shutter, I believe, than the ubiquitous 135mm f4.7 Optar, so parts might even be harder to come by. As a first lens, you might want to try finding an Ektar (127mm) in a supermatic shutter. Coverage is marginal for 4x5 but the supermatic should be a bit more reliable than the rapax and graphex shutters.

Dan

Can you elaborate on what that could mean?

[Peter York]

You can probably buy another 162mm off of Ebay for around $100. I doubt a cleaning/repair is worth it, but then again the 162mm you replace it with may need a good cleaning as well.

[Fotoguy20d]

The 135 Optar and 127 Ektar are the standard lenses for press cameras. They're slightly wider than normal (approx equivalent to a 40mm lens on 35mm) but they don't allow for much movement (tilt, shift, swing) before running out of coverage (whether loss of sharpness or just blackened corners)

Dan

[Fotoguy20d]

You can probably buy another 162mm off of Ebay for around $100. I doubt a cleaning/repair is worth it, but then again the 162mm you replace it with may need a good cleaning as well.

Occurs to me I have a 162mm Optar in an alphax shutter. Bought it to use the shutter with a velostigmat series II that's in a busted Betax. Strangely, while the back dropped right in, the front didn't fit well. Glass on it is not great. Some scuffs and cleaning marks in the front coating. I think I paid $70 for it if you're interested.

Dan

[E. von Hoegh]

Occurs to me I have a 162mm Optar in an alphax shutter. Bought it to use the shutter with a velostigmat series II that's in a busted Betax. Strangely, while the back dropped right in, the front didn't fit well. Glass on it is not great. Some scuffs and cleaning marks in the front coating. I think I paid $70 for it if you're interested.

Dan

To the OP, your lens elements will screw directly into this shutter. It is a clone of the shutter your lens in mounted in. It may still need a CLA, but that is part of the cost of taking pictures with these cameras.Like film and chemicals; like maintenance is part of the cost of owning and using an automobile.


Edit - See below.

[Dan Fromm]

E., are you sure that an Alphax or Betax will substitute for a Rapax? I ask because I've never found a set of specs for the shutters that I could understand and believe.

Directions to specs would be much appreciated. I've already read about Betaxes at www.cameraeccentric.com.

[E. von Hoegh]

E., are you sure that an Alphax or Betax will substitute for a Rapax? I ask because I've never found a set of specs for the shutters that I could understand and believe.

Directions to specs would be much appreciated. I've already read about Betaxes at www.cameraeccentric.com.

Scheisse! No, I'm not. Somehow I read it as being in another Rapax, and I have no way of checking compatibility.

[SpeedGraphicMan]

It appears that you have it mounted onto a speed graphic?
If so, why not just use the cameras rear focal-plane shutter?

[E. von Hoegh]

It appears that you have it mounted onto a speed graphic?
If so, why not just use the cameras rear focal-plane shutter?

Because the iris is broken.

[John Koehrer]

Rather than guessing that something is broken and needs replacement, have an estimate done.
Something like this could be caused by a loose plate holding the blades in place. Since it's more than one blade, I think this would be more likely.

If you're curious disassemble it. You may fix the aperture but end up with some shutter parts. :(

[Amphetadream]

Rather than guessing that something is broken and needs replacement, have an estimate done.
Something like this could be caused by a loose plate holding the blades in place. Since it's more than one blade, I think this would be more likely.

If you're curious disassemble it. You may fix the aperture but end up with some shutter parts. :(

I let a friend take a look at it. He was able to reset the blades to open position, so I may have an always-stuck-at-f/4.5 lens on my hands. I'll continue tinkering with it, but I think I'll just bite the bullet and buy a another shutter.

[Fotoguy20d]

It appears that you have it mounted onto a speed graphic?
If so, why not just use the cameras rear focal-plane shutter?

OP can answer for sure but that looks like a B&J press.

Dan

[Amphetadream]

OP can answer for sure but that looks like a B&J press.

Dan

You're correct!

[Carsten Wolff]

I would either:
a) Send the pic to Carol at Flutots; she MAY give you an idea, re: minimum cost; or
b) get ANY working Rapax shutter of the same size irrespective of focal length and swap both the lens and the shutter face over so your aperture scales match, or
c) put the whole misery up as-is for sale/auction and start afresh with something that works.

PS Dan is of course right. Alphax/Betax are different size than Rapax, so don't go down that route if you're intent on doing a DIY swap.