Old German LF Lenses (pre-1945)

[Peter Yeti]

Eh? Wot? All of my #1 shutters (Compur, Copal, Prontor Press) have front tubes threaded M40x0.75, rear tubes threaded M36x0.75. What are you looking at?

Dan,

he's right:
dial set Compurs #1: front and rear cell M36 x 0.5
dial set Compurs #2: front and rear cell M41 x 0.5(?) or M50 x ??

Your specs are right for the later rim set Compurs and modern shutters.

Xipho,

I'm confused about what's your goal. Do you look for an excellent lens for close-up? Do you look for an old folder coming with a lens suitable for close-up? Do you look for old lenses because of their specific "look" to be used for close-up? Or do you just want to collect lenses maybe usable for close-up? The ansers to these questions may be very different.

Peter

[Dan Fromm]

Thanks, Peter.

[Xipho]

so the dial set compur give the opportunity to reverse the lens... So I am looking at my lenses (some of them I have as collector items like the "Sonnar" lens) and it is useful, if you have some 135 with different construction, which one is the best for 1:1 at the end, and if it gives an advantage to reverse it.

My stardard "Linhof" Xenar 3.5/105 semms to give very good macros 1:1, so the (quite similar, also xenar, but older) Sonnar. The reversed sonnar gave inferior quality in a try. As the isconar performed very good (at infinity) I will give it a try at 1:1 normal and reversed.

I dont want to use the Technika as a primary macro cam, it is for landscape/architecture because of the movemwnts. And it gives me the possibility to use my old lenses on a sturdier and better built camera than the original folders of the 20s.
My Contessa Nettel Sonnar camera is fully working, even with a linhof ground glass, but the lens stand is quite wobbly and the exchange of the ground glass back to the rollex back is inconvenient.

I am collector that also like to use old lenses/cameras if they are good. I like to go out with the linhof, or the Nikon F, or the Zenza Bronica.
Why shouldnt I use fine older lenses like a heliar when iit is so convenient with the technika....
And the old 135s and the 150 give my different focal lenghts to the original 65 and 105 of the camera.

[plaubel]

so the dial set compur give the opportunity to reverse the lens...

Here I use some old 135mm lenses like Xenar, Tessar, Eurynar...
some have a broken shutter, and unfortunately, depending on the lens construction, each of my Compur is different, so I can't interchange nor reversing the shutters/lenses.
In some cases either the barrels of the Compur are longer , compared with another Compur, or the two barrels of the Compur are different in length.

As hoods or filter holders, I bought some of this old "pull over" holders with clambs, and I planned to build a solid pull over adapter with a useful thread.

Ritchie

[Xipho]

K5HMacro capability of a old CN Sonnar (Xenar) = 4 lens tessar type by xipho68, auf Flickr

That is what the Sonnar 4,5/135 (Xenar 135) can do, Macro, 1:1,3 , and this is a 1x1 cm part of the negative, F11

K5HA5171Voigtländer Heliar - Macro Test Old Lenses-sonnar-11-bearb by xipho68, auf Flickr

But the Meyer Helioplan DA is Close in that test:

Voigtländer Heliar - Macro Test Old Lenses by xipho68, auf Flickr

[Xipho]

And this is what the Schneider Iscaonar 4,5/135 Doppelanastigmat (4 lenses, 4 Groups) can do: F9

Old lens performance by xipho68, auf Flickr

and the clock, 3mm on the 6x9 Picture, scanned 1:1 with DSLR/Macro Lens/16MP

Testfoto Objektiv Schneider Isconar 4,5/135, 1933 by xipho68, auf Flickr

[Xipho]

still not so easy with the Compur cell diameters...

I just got a nice Snchro Compur Ring Shutter 1951/52 Size 0 that also has two identical cell diameters...

It came with a Minty Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar T coated 3.5/105 made 1949 in GDR.

But my "Linhof" synchro compur Size O 1954 has the larger front diameter, also a 1954 Scynchro Compur Size 1...

I also belive that the prewar Ring Compur are still symmtrical...

[IanG]

The pre-WWII rimset Compur Compur Radid and post war Compur #0's are same thread front & rear. M29.5 x0.5. My Linhof Compur #1 is a slightly dfferent shutter to the usual Compur's of the time but the same threads as a modern Copal and other pre and post WWII Compur #1's (I have quite a few), M40 x0.75 front & M36 x0.75 rear

The specific Linhof Synchro_Comur shutters aren't marked with a size and it's possible you have a #1 with a reduction sleeve in the rear, the way these shutters are made Copur couldn't make a #0 shutter with a larger front thread. I've Dialset Compurs with sleeves - one sleeved at the front, and quite a few sleeved #0 Pronto/Pronto etc shutters, and also Alphax shutters where I had to remove rear sleeves.

Ian

[Xipho]

sorry, my mistake. my Linhof snchro Compur 0 (Xenar 105) is alsy symmetrical, only the opening in the front plate is bigger because the front part of the lens has a larger diameter than its mount.

So I can easily interchange the Tessar and the Xenar 3./105 in the mount, only the linhof sunshade only fits the Xenar.
For practical reasons both lenses should perform very similar. Some they the Tronnier recalculated Xenars might be a little bit superior to the original Tessar. The 1949 Tessar T from Jena is a prewar calculation I think...

Are there any unsymmtrical compur 0 shutters later?

my No 1 shutters 1920s and 1950s are both 40/36

[Xipho]

I measured my shutters and my Size 0 and 1 are according to all standard measures.

But I have a shutter, Rim Dial 1933 Compur for Voigtländer, with a 4.5/105 Heliar.

This has some strange sizes, shutter diameter is normal 58 like a size 0, but the mount flange thread is 29, (32 with compur 0) between sizes 00 and 0. Thats why I thougt it would be a 00 size, but it is too large.
Lens mount front and back is about 28mm

Any idea why this is such a strange size...? It is shutter and lens that you see above in the macro picture...