Hi, I'm thinking of getting a 15" Wollensak tele which is currently in barrel and mounting it onto a Packard shutter. The lens was designed to be mounted on a #4 Betax or Wollensak shutter, which I would like to avoid for reasons of cost and the fact that I don't see a #4 fitting onto the small Grpahic standard. Would anyone know the size of this shutter and therefore, what size Packard shutter I would need? I tried looking up www.hubphoto but didn't see the necessary information. Thanks. DJ

-- N Dhananjay (ndhanu@umich.edu), January 15, 2000

Answers

I have this lens. Mine's in barrel, too, and I use it with the focal plane shutter on my speed graphic. Some of my favorite images have been take with it. I think it is a very fine lens. I also use Packard shutters with several of my lenses on my 8x10 Deardorff. You are never going to get a packard to fit this lens on a graphic board. The dimension of the back element is 2.5 inches diameter; the board is only 3.5 inches square. Packard shutters with 2.5 inch holes are a lot bigger than 3.5 inches square, and you will still need to run the hose out the board. It can't be done. Sorry.

-- Erik Ryberg (ryberg@seanet.co), January 15, 2000.

Just wanted to add how I solved the problem in case someone else came across a similar situation.

In addition to the Packard size issues Erik referred to, the Wollensak appears to have been designed as a barrel lens to be used on press cameras with a focal plane shutter. The construction doesn't allow you to do the usual drop front element into front of shutter and rear element into rear of shutter. I'm sure there is some way to do this with spacers and such but that seemed overkill.

Salvation: I came across an interesting shutter diaphragm. Its made in Germany by LUC and is similar in design to a Packard - three positions, open, bulb and instantaneous. Its mounted onto the front of the len with three prong pins. The piece I got has a shutter size of about 70mm or so and it mounts to lenses having a front element dia of upto about 90mm. Obviously vignetting is an issue worth worrying about when you're slapping something into the front of the lens. Sighted through the GG. It does vignette a little but it disappears about 1 stop down i.e., at f/8. Can't see it mattering in normal working.

Somewhat funky looking outfit at the end of the day but it works. So, what the hey..... DJ

-- N Dhananjay (ndhanu@umich.edu), February 02, 2000.