There is a CD available, on eBay and elsewhere, which, to continue the Latin, is truly a magnum opus. Its some 700 pages contain an enormous amount of information on lens makers and their products. It should be noted that it is titled as a "Lens Collector's" resource and is not very useful for someone intending to purchase a new or recently manufactured lens. For this purpose, the large format lenses CD sold by View Camera magazine is much better. It could, however, be very useful for someone trying to discover whether or not an older lens might serve his needs.
This is an English product, and is strongest on lenses common on the UK market. Some makers have been much better at providing information than others and, quite naturally, this is reflected in the coverage in this work. There is a great deal of information about Schneider products, but little about Wollensak.
The format is PDF, requiring Adobe Reader to display. It comes with Version 3.1, but this is outdated and I chose to download Version 6. Downloading was a major pain, which apparently is a frequent occurrence, but worth the trouble. (It's also worth the price - free.) The amount of information provided is boggling. It is divided into three sections, the first being only the Adobe reader. Volume 2 includes a fourteen page Index of Names (pp. 381 to 395), sixty nine pages of lens diagreams (396 to 465) and 45 pages of illustrations (466 to 511). Volume 3 is easier to use, since it can be accessed by initial letter, while volume 2 requires going from A to Z by use of the page down button.
In a work of this size, there will inevitably be some mis-spellings, errors and even more omissions. I doubt, though, that these would cause much actual problem.
The cost, about $20.00. is modest and a portion of this goes to the hospice movement - a very good cause.
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