Great find on Craigslist

**hazardsg** · 20-Apr-2013, 12:05

Today I bought a Early 4x5 Speed Graphic on Craigslist with a clean 135mm Graflex Optar f4.7 lens and a Meyer Gorlitz Trioplan 13.5cm f3.8 lens that is missing the aperture blades. Also included were two wooden flim holders, cable release, changing bag, Tamrac shoulder bag, and an adapter for the newer graflex lens boards. I got everything for $80!

So question is the Trioplan worth messing with? I've never heard of it before. Is it possible to have new aperture blades installed? Would it be better to look for a new shutter?

Thanks for any help,

Steven

**BarryS** · 20-Apr-2013, 12:50

That's a really terrific deal. I have a 210mm f/3.5 Meyer Trioplan and it's a nice lens, and fun to shoot wide open. The Trioplan isn't really worth the expense of having a new iris installed, so why not enjoy it wide open?

**RawheaD** · 20-Apr-2013, 13:23

yeah, just shoot wide open

congrats!

**Steven Tribe** · 20-Apr-2013, 14:43

Trioplan=Cooke triplet=Heliar.

**Peter Yeti** · 20-Apr-2013, 15:17

Well, this is very much over-simplified.

Trioplan was a very common economy lens by Meyer in the early 20th century in Germany and it was made for a very long time. The simplest version was indeed like a Cooke triplet. However, there was also a version with 4 elements in three groups, replacing the central element by a pair of cemented lenses. So, this part is more or less correct.

A Heliar is a 5 elements in 3 groups derived from the Cooke triplet but still something completely different. Or would you call a Tessar a Heliar because it's derived from a Cooke triplet as well?