What is an LD Artar?

[Don Wallace]

I have a chance to buy a 24" f/11 LD Artar, serial number 829572. Can anyone tell me anything about it?

[robert_4927]

Are you sure you don't mean RD Artar? Which Is a Red Dot Artar, meaning it is coated. Great lens with lots of coverage.

[Jim Galli]

Calling Kerry Thalmann.......

I think it was an aluminum cased very late American Optical Co. product but did the LD stand for low dispersion glass?? I don't know. Kerry does.

[Bruce Watson]

I think Jim is correct; the LD is for low-dispersion glass. Supposedly a step up from a red-dot Artar in terms of sharpness and contrast. It should be a might fine lens.

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

Actually, I believe the L.D. stood for "low distortion". It was a special version of the APO (Red Dot) Artar that I believe was made for ariel mapping and optimized for infinity. I don't have my brochure handy at the moment, but this was a VERY expensive lens when new. I seem to recall that when new, the L.D. Artars sold for 2x - 3x the cost of the comparable Red Dot Artars. They were only made for about five years during the late 1960s and early 1970s - right before Goerz Optical, Inc. went belly up and sold out to Kollmorgen. I have a 14" L.D. Artar and it is superb (but then, so is a 14" Red Dot Artar). I have seen a few L.D. Artars over the years, mostly in shorter focal lengths (8 1/4", 9 1/2" and a couple 14"). I have never seen a 24" L.D. Artar. Given the price when new, and the short production life, it is a VERY rare lens. Performance and coverage will be at least as good as a 24" Red Dot Artar - perhaps better, but it would be hard to tell the difference for most general purpose photography. If the price is right, go for it. Did I mention it is a VERY rare lens?

Kerry

[Struan Gray]

The hearsay I heard was that the very low distortion lenses were used when making the maps, not during the aerial survey work. Low distortion was necessary when making individual map sheets from a larger master map: any distortion and the individual sheets won't join up correctly at the edges.

[robert_4927]

So does the printing on the lens actually say low distortion or L.D. Artar with a red dot on it?

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

Robert - So does the printing on the lens actually say low distortion or L.D. Artar with a red dot on it?

It says L.D. Artar with no red dot.



Kerry

[robert_4927]

Thanks Kerry, I have never seen one. There was an aluminum barrel 30 inch Artar on epay about a week ago. I didn't notice if it was a L.D. version or not. Kerry did your L.D. come in an aluminum barrel? Or was the aluminum Artar an entirely different model?

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

Robert,

Yes, my 14" L.D. Artar came in an aluminum barrel. I had it re-mounted in a Compur No. 2 shutter by the late Steve Grimes. Sometime in the late 1960s, Goerz switched to the aluminum barrels for the Red Dot Artars. Every L.D. Artar I've seen (around five total) has been in an aluminum barrel. They all had serial numbers in excess of 820xxx, which indicates very late production. I personally prefer the aluminum barrels as they are significantly lighter than the older brass barrel versions. Plus, you have the bonus that they are very late production samples and usually in very clean condition.

Kerry