My 19” aluminum barrel Varium in Studio shutter weighs 7lbs 3oz. This does not include flange or lens cap.
For comparison, my 16” brass barrel Varium weighs an even 8lbs, and the 16” is...
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My 19” aluminum barrel Varium in Studio shutter weighs 7lbs 3oz. This does not include flange or lens cap.
For comparison, my 16” brass barrel Varium weighs an even 8lbs, and the 16” is...
Thank you for the illustrative photo: that is definitely an adapter going from the shutter’s original 2.422" threads to ~57mm. Another way to confirm is by measuring the shutter’s overall thickness....
Perhaps your Betax has adapters threaded in. A photo would help to know for sure. Without thread adapters it looks like this:
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Mark, I enjoyed that anecdote, thank you for relating it! I’m a Wollensak enthusiast, but I can readily understand why comparing a razor sharp EL-Nikkor to a mid-century Raptar enlarging lens would...
A belated confirmation that the 299mm f/6.8 Wide Field Graphic Raptar is also a Dagor-type design. It looks like it was added to the series in late 1963, after the aforementioned Wollensak brochure...
The Fujinon L 420 ticks a lot of boxes: single coated Tessar design, agreeable 8x10 focal length, modern shutter, reasonable weight burden on a Chamonix.
Flash sync wasn’t a factory option on Betax shutters, so it’s hard to say with certainty what you’re dealing with as a later alteration.
A photo would help, but I’d guess there’s a 90% chance...
Depends on the era. You are right that pre-coating Tasopes were Rapid Rectilinear designs, essentially identical to Wollensak’s Voltas f/8 lenses. After the advent of coating the Tasope switched to a...
The Studio shutter has no timed speeds, it operates solely in Bulb mode. The speed will be however fast you can open and release the blades; probably around 1/5th of a second on a well-working Studio...
Here are the 11.5” Verito’s diaphragm openings at different apertures. 65.7mm is tough. A Compound #5 gets pretty close.
Regarding Studio shutters, with the significant caveat that no parts are...
Same lens design with progressively less engraving on the lens itself.
The original text on the lens read “Wollensak Velostigmat Series II F4.5 No XXXXXX Focus 12 inches”. The word “Focus” was...
I share this view entirely, and I love coming across manifestations of it in products. Even where companies overlapped, there was ample room for specialization, collaboration, and goodwill. They all...
Good point of clarification! The baffled filter holder that screws into the front is Eastman Kodak. The black lens barrel in the rear that holds the optical assembly, as well as the flange, are also...
This is a great way to move old oil and grease from their proper, predictable locations onto escapements, shutter blades, and iris leaves. When a shutter “serviced” in this fashion eventually arrives...
I’ve been ogling the 16” f/4.5 Eastman Kodak portrait lens for years and I recently broke down and purchased one. Upon receipt, the Wollensak enthusiast in me rejoiced: the 16” Kodak portrait lens...
I recently had Custom Bellows in the UK replace my 8x10 Rembrandt bellows. Excellent work; cost was 190 GBP and turnaround time was less than two weeks.
This is a fantastic comparison, thank you very much for posting!
I have added a “shop” page to my website, offering a small selection of interesting Wollensak items that I’ve picked up, worked on, and am releasing back into the wild.
...
Copal ceased leaf shutter production in 2016.
The Eastman All Metal Commercial View was only made from 1938-1942, discontinued due to the war effort’s need for magnesium. The camera certainly resembles a metal version of the 2D, but it was...
It’s a pleasure to see this excellent camera in excellent condition. I find my own to be a joy to use.
Is there anything you can turn on your Radar that changes the distance of the front crown element relative to the front flint element? If not, if you remove the front crown, do you see a shim or...
Everything I know about Velostigmat designs, specifications, and production dates is captured here: https://alphaxbetax.com/wollensak-lens-and-shutter-compendium/
The above posts are spot on:...
A Studio shutter can work very well if it’s in good condition, the essential thing is to ensure the blades are not cracked or chipped. You need a cable release with an extremely long throw to fully...
The 18” Verito was in production for 35 years and underwent design changes over time, including a significant variation in the overall length of the barrel which affects weight. Mounting in an iris...
Thanks to court records from Dean A. Lyon suing Bausch and Lomb, Eastman Kodak, and Wollensak Optical for infringement of his lens coating patent, we have an interesting and fairly detailed account...
Fully agree, my Maxwell screen has been among the best money I’ve spent in large format.
Is this an uncoated lens in a black enamel barrel with Art Deco font? I ask because these pre-war Wollensak process lenses are poorly documented, but many are the same double Protar design as...
Just to elaborate, Wollensak Velostigmat Series II (f/4.5) and Series IV (f/6.3) were Tessar designs.
I undertake work on Studio shutters. The limiting factor is replacement parts. But, if a CLA or modest repair is all that’s needed, Studio shutters can be effective and very reliable. I have half a...
Bellows. Custom Bellows in the UK is superb but I would love to have a closer option of comparable quality.
I’d propose 1914 since that was the year Wollensak’s catalog first described the lens barrel as “polished black” as opposed to the earlier “lacquered brass.”
You can find a reference on the Verito...
Is the Wanderer cloth plain fabric that stays supple in cold weather? I like my Harrison cloth very much, but the treated, silvery surface gets stiff in the cold.
Wollensak changed the 15.5” Series II Velostigmat to 16” in 1922, but I am unaware of a 14.5”, 15”, or 19” version of the lens.
The Series II Velostigmat was made in three sizes for larger than 8x10: 14” (for 10x12), 15.5” and later 16” (for 11x14), and 19.5” (for 14x17).
Of these, the 15.5/16” lenses are not uncommon...
Found one more: a white dot on the rear of a Wollensak Graphic Raptar f/4.5 indicates that the measured effective focal length is within a tighter specified tolerance than the + or - 2% acceptable...
No expectations, just a place to pool references.
How about a thread for references on the colored lens dots that fuel so much speculation? No claims without citing sources, please.
A yellow dot indicates the use of synthetic thermosetting...
Mine is the Maxwell 4x5 Ultra Brilliant Matte focus screen, and the the source is Bill Maxwell of Maxwell Precision Optics.
I use a Maxwell focus screen with the Nikkor SW f/8 and am pleased with the brightness and ease of focusing in low light conditions. It was basically an investment on the rear to save weight on the...