81/4 INCH f 4.5 XEROX RANK TAYLOR HOBSON

[otzi]

*81/4 INCH f 4.5 XEROX LENS MADE IN ENGLAND BY RANK TAYLOR HOBSON*

as printed on the lens.

Does any one know of this lens? Is it a copy lens or a portrait as has been suggested to me. A barrel lens.

Where in the order of things would an EL NIKKOR 150mm #600489 enlarging lens fit in. Average (just) or up with the 'ON's

cheers.

[Mark Sampson]

As you might guess, the Xerox lens came out of a copier. Can't comment on its optical quality. I've used several different 150mm EL-Nikkors, old-style barrel and new, and they've all been excellent performers.

[Glenn Thoreson]

I have one of those Xerox lenses. I mounted it on a board and looked at the image on the ground glass. I was pretty unimpressed at first but then some little things caught my eye. There are some high voltage transmission towers about a mile away that I use to set infinity focus on Speed Graphics. Normally, these don't show any great detail on the glass. With the Xerox lens, however, they showed much clearer than with all but the really good lenses I have. I'm going to go ahead and burn a sheet of film with it and see how that looks. Being 210mmm, it should cover 5X7 and maybe more. Rank, if I remember, was involved in getting Mamiya (?) off and running. Taylor - Hobson is a very old optical firm of good repute. Because this lens only stops down to f/16, the depth of field may be limited for that focal length.

[Pat Hilander]

I've got one of those too. Picked it up on ebay for $8. Been meaning to put it on a Graflex RB and see what it's got, but it didn't come with a flange so it's been sitting in my "to get around to" project pile. It is a Taylor Hobson after all, so it shouldn't be that crappy of a lens.

Glenn, let us know how your test shot turns out.

[Ernest Purdum]

Lenses of this type were made by several fine lens makers to Xerox specs. Some say Xerox, sometimes just the maker's name appears. All that I know of have limited diaphragm ramge which is good in a way, because it gives us an indicator to distinguish these copy lenses from the maker's camera lenses. As Glenn Thoreson pointed out, being unable to stop down below f16 limits the lenses usefulness in normal work. I am guessing, though, that if you really like the results of testing the lens, it wouldn't be all that much of a problem to have the range extended.

I have never heard of anyone giving one of these a thorough test. How far the design of these lenses differs from that of camera lenses is unknown. I think the light of early Xerox machines was fairly monochromatic. If the lenses were designed for that, they might not respond well to broad spectrum lighting. They obviously were intended for use at 1:1 magnification ratio. Some lenses designed for 1:1 work well at infinity, at least when stopped down, others don't.

To those that have mectioned giving them a test. Good! you may make a worthwhile contribution.

[Holdenrichards]

I just acquired one of these and was able to jump the aperture up two stops by opening the front of the lens and shifting the blade holder 1 notch to the left so that it STARTS at f/8 and finishes at f/45.
It was a simple fix as the blade holder has no bolts or screws its just a drilled circular plate. open this lens with the front glass on the table so the aperture arrangement does not fall completely out.
Caveat emptor. your milage may vary.