What do I have here?

[jackconrad]

I found this monster Wollensak 63mm f4 W.A. (Pro-70)??? yesterday and have no idea what it might be used for or what photographic device it was intended to be used on.
The lens groups are rather small but the barrel is HUGE, and it's a focusing barrel that focuses from 1.2 ft to infinity.
My first thought was that it's an aerial lens that fits on a big medium format aerial camera??, but then I thought it may be an enlarging lens, but with barrel focusing to infinity??
Anyway, I've found no Google info on this beast. I'll attempt to add a few snapshots of it for your perusal. I'd appreciate any comments on what this might have been used with....
Or if it's possible to use the lens groups on another shutter or barrel to put on one of my Speed/Crown Graphics. I placed the thing next to a typical lens shutter and board to emphasize the size.
Thanks in advance for any information.

[IanG]

The lens itself isn't special, it's just the use, probably military and may well be aerial use, a large focussing helical and aperture scale maybe to allow easy use in difficult conditions.

The lens cells may fit a small Alphax shutter but they are unlikely to cover 5x4.

Ian

[Dan Fromm]

That it is marked in t/stops strongly suggests it is a cine lens.

Ian, few lenses for aerial cameras are in focusing mounts.

[IanG]

That it is marked in t/stops strongly suggests it is a cine lens.

Ian, few lenses for aerial cameras are in focusing mounts.

Dan, why would you put a cine lens in such a large barrel and it's a 63mm WA lens which makes it unlikely to be a cine lens, it's more likely from a military high speed camera, as in frames per second, or something equally as specialised, probably using 70mm film. The box apperas to be military.

Ian

[jackconrad]

It's labelled W.A. which I assume means Wide Angle, but if it's a cine lens for a 35mm movie camera, 63mm would be on the long side as opposed to wide, wouldn't it?

[Dan Fromm]

Ian, I can't explain the barrel's size. Integral lens hood is possible. I have a 100/5.6 S.F.O.M. aerial camera (no doubt about that) lens that has a similarly large outer barrel. It doesn't have a focusing mount and its aperture is scaled in f/stops.

It isn't obvious that the box will hold the lens securely, so it may not be original to the lens.

Aerial camera lenses typically have three or four pins (120 or 90 degrees apart) at the front of the barrel to hold a spring-loaded filter. This because aircraft vibrate and no one wants filters to vibrate off lenses. I can't see pins on the lens we're discussing.

It could well be for a high speed cine camera. Wollensak made some and made lenses for other makers' high speed cameras. As I said, that the aperture is calibrated in t/stops suggests a cine lens.

The focusing mount is inconsistent with aerial camera practice. In the typical aerial camera that accepts interchangeable lenses, the lens screws into in a mount (usually called a cone) that attaches to the front of the camera. The lens is collimated to the camera and then is locked in the cone with radial set screws. The setscrews are usually glued in place to keep them from vibrating out and letting the lens vibrate out of collimation.

I'm aware of one so-called aerial camera whose lenses are in focusing mounts. Peckham-Wray, and it was really a half-assed press camera.

[jackconrad]

why would you put a cine lens in such a large barrel and it's a 63mm WA lens which makes it unlikely to be a cine lens, it's more likely from a military high speed camera, as in frames per second, or something equally as specialised, probably using 70mm film. The box apperas to be military.

70mm film... that's interesting. I know nothing about that format. And yea, I'd guess the box is either military or at least institutional.

[jackconrad]

It isn't obvious that the box was made to hold the lens securely.

The box has cushioning on top and bottom and was designed to hold the lens snug when closed. In other words it's purpose built for that lens, I'm pretty sure.

[jackconrad]

I think the number 8 filter would have to fit over the barrel using friction on the outer zebra nubs.

[jackconrad]

The Peckham-Wray 4x5 looks promising. I wonder if there were any US made cameras based on that design?
This lens was found in Florida.

Attachment 95938

https://sites.google.com/site/camera...wray-in-detail