Using an Ektar lens for Large Format

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Hello,

I have a question about a Kodak lens I would like to use in a view camera. I'd like to use the 100mm Kodak Ektar lens and supermatic shutter from a spare Kodak Medalist II medium format camera I own. Question one is whether anyone has used this lens and shutter combination with a lens board? Question two - will this 100mm lens cover 4x5 photography with a standard view camera? I am looking at getting a Bender 4x5 view camera kit.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Ned Fenimore

-- Ned Fenimore (nedfh@home.com), August 03, 2001

Answers

"Question two - will this 100mm lens cover 4x5 photography with a standard view camera?"
A: No, which also makes question one a bit redundant.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), August 03, 2001.

Well, it won't cover 4x5, but it would cover 2x3, so there's still hope if you can mount a roll film back on that camera.

-- Alec (alecj@bellsouth.net), August 03, 2001.

Ned: The above posts are right, it will not cover. The 127mm Ektar (available used as low as $75) will (barely) cover but delivers reasonable sharpness to the edges. If you want to use some of the features which make view cameras so enjoyable (i.e., movements) you'll need a lens with a bigger image circle.

-- Kevin Crisp (KRCrisp@aol.com), August 03, 2001.

On the other hand, that lens is an absolutely gorgeous lens, so use it for something else or use it in your 4x5" camera with a rollfilm back. I adapted one for 35mm use as a portrait lens. Bob Monaghan was kind enough to post a few of my test shots with the adapted lens on his medium-format website at:

http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/medalist/

-- David Goldfarb (dgoldfarb@barnard.edu), August 03, 2001.


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