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Hi Everyone,
I just picked one of these up for practically nothing (mint glass) and after it comes back from Mr. Grimes (The CLA will cost more than the lens) I'm looking fo rward to trying it out. Does anyone have any experience with this lens? I know its not going to give modern lens performance but hey it cost less than the TAX on an XL lens.
Thanks for indulging me.
Wollensak made lots of LF lenses in thier day. I have a 162mm Graphlex Optar (made by Wollensak, and the same as thier Raptar), and it performs quite well for its age. While not as sharp on the test bench as the latest glass, it holds its own after being stopped down to typical working apertures, where they are pretty much all working at diffraction limited resolutions. I havent used the W.A. versions, but a few things I have read here and there give me the impression they perform well. Check here for some test info: http://www.hevanet.com/cperez/testing.html
Kevin It's a nice little lens. One came with a Burke & James 5x7/4x5 I bought used a few years ago. Mine has been sharp; my work is black and white. It won't cover 5x7, but it should do nicely for 4x5 work. Have fun. Jim