I got a Carl Meyer 90mm Wide Angle lens yesterday

I got a Carl Meyer 90mm Wide Angle lens in a Compur-Rapid shutter yesterday. Is the lens any good, and do some of the

Compur-Rapid shutters have a wire shutter release? I got the lens and the Pressman Model C lensboard it was mounted on for free. It doesn't have a threaded cable release socket, but something that looks like a PC socket, but smaller. It doesn't have a flash sync selector.

Probably a Gauss design that will cover 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 and maybe 4x5 with soft corners.

What is the smallest f number/largest aperture ? Any trade name?

Probably from the 1930's to late 1940's.

A Lens Collectors Vade Mecum does not list a 3.5 inch/90mm wide angle lens, it does list 3.125 inch and 4 inch f6.3 along with longer focal lengths that have a 105° angle of view. Probably on par with 90mm Angulon, Optar, and others of the era.

Put it on a camera and ask it how good it is optically, it will not lie.

Bob, Carl Meyer is a Burke & James house brand. B&J didn't make lenses, they bought lenses, some scrap or rejects, badged them and sold them. Some are fine, others aren't. The only way to know whether yours is a treasure or a clinker is to ask it.

 

Compur Rapid shutters were made from 1934 to 1951.

 

Asking whether your lens is good or bad is silly. You have it, no one else does. Asking whether a used lens has a good reputation is nearly as silly. Quality control isn't always stringent so lenses of the same make and model weren't always equally good when they left the factory. Used lenses have sometimes suffered abuse, some worse than others. And no two people work to the same standards. What's not good enough for me might be better than good enough for you. Or vice versa. The only way to find out whether a lens will suit you is to ask it.

 

The normal focal length for 2x3 is 100 mm. A 90 mm lens is a short normal lens for 2x3. I'm glad you were able to get it for free, but if y'r Pressman already as a 100 mm +/-- lens a 90 won't expand what you can do very much.

Bob, Carl Meyer is a Burke & James house brand. B&J didn't make lenses, they bought lenses, some scrap or rejects, badged them and sold them. Some are fine, others aren't. The only way to know whether yours is a treasure or a clinker is to ask it.

 

Compur Rapid shutters were made from 1934 to 1951.

 

Asking whether your lens is good or bad is silly. You have it, no one else does. Asking whether a used lens has a good reputation is nearly as silly. Quality control isn't always stringent so lenses of the same make and model weren't always equally good when they left the factory. Used lenses have sometimes suffered abuse, some worse than others. And no two people work to the same standards. What's not good enough for me might be better than good enough for you. Or vice versa. The only way to find out whether a lens will suit you is to ask it.

 

The normal focal length for 2x3 is 100 mm. A 90 mm lens is a short normal lens for 2x3. I'm glad you were able to get it for free, but if y'r Pressman already as a 100 mm +/-- lens a 90 won't expand what you can do very much.

 

Did B&J sell lenses separate of the cameras, or did they only come with a camera? My Pressman came with a 101mm lens installed. Does anybody know if the Model D used the same lensboards, as it does seem weird to have a lens with in 11 mm focal length?

Edited April 20, 2017 by bobpeters

Probably a Gauss design that will cover 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 and maybe 4x5 with soft corners.

What is the smallest f number/largest aperture ? Any trade name?

Probably from the 1930's to late 1940's.

A Lens Collectors Vade Mecum does not list a 3.5 inch/90mm wide angle lens, it does list 3.125 inch and 4 inch f6.3 along with longer focal lengths that have a 105° angle of view. Probably on par with 90mm Angulon, Optar, and others of the era.

Put it on a camera and ask it how good it is optically, it will not lie.

 

The smallest f number is 6.8. The camera is a Busch Pressman Model C that has a Vue Focus rangefinder on the top, and quick change lensboards, so it's 1948/1949 or later.

I based my comments on a Hugo Meyer lens. Hugo Meyer is a German company. I had forgotten about B&J playing on names in hopes of boosting sales.

Still a 90mm f6.8 will have a 80+ angle of view. How good it is will depend on the quality of the elements, if they are matched, accurately spaced and most of all how its been treated since it came off the production line.

 

Schneider Angulon specs Data Page for reference.

Bob, cameras and lenses have been sold bundled and unbundled since time began.

 

The Pressman Model D is a 4x5 camera, is much larger than a Model C and doesn't use the same boards. Busch manuals here: Bush model C, Busch Pressman, instruction manual, user manual, free instruction manual, pdf manuals

 

11 mm focal length? Look more closely at the engraving. 11 cm is very likely.

 

All thumbs and then some, there's more than one make, and model of 90/6.8 lens. The OP hasn't told us enough about his lens. It could be an Angulon, an Angulon clone, any of several 4/4 double Gauss types, a real Dagor or a Dagor clone (I have a 90/6.8 Beryl) or even (unlikely) a 90/6.8 Grandagon or Super Angulon.

Bob, cameras and lenses have been sold bundled and unbundled since time began.

 

The Pressman Model D is a 4x5 camera, is much larger than a Model C and doesn't use the same boards. Busch manuals here: Bush model C, Busch Pressman, instruction manual, user manual, free instruction manual, pdf manuals

 

11 mm focal length? Look more closely at the engraving. 11 cm is very likely.

 

All thumbs and then some, there's more than one make, and model of 90/6.8 lens. The OP hasn't told us enough about his lens. It could be an Angulon, an Angulon clone, any of several 4/4 double Gauss types, a real Dagor or a Dagor clone (I have a 90/6.8 Beryl) or even (unlikely) a 90/6.8 Grandagon or Super Angulon.

 

I meant 101mm. I've never seen a Model D in person, which is why I asked. I was thinking that B&J would only sell lenses with it's cameras, as they made them from what they had, and not in any certain way, other than focal length. All the 90mm lens says on the front element is "Carl Meyer Wide Angle No 24450 90mm F:6.8" The elements are easily removable by hand, meaning it might have not been attached to this lensboard originally, and was installed on a different camera by an owner, as the mounting flange has three recessed screw holes in it, that don't match up to the lensboard.

Bob, B&J didn't make Busch cameras. Busch made Busch cameras. B&J made B&J cameras. The B&J camera most like the 2x3 Pressman is the 2x3 Watson.

 

Lens cells often unscrew easily from the shutters or barrels they're in.

 

In the world of press, technical and view cameras manufacturers sometimes sell cameras complete with a lens (this is more common with press cameras than with technical and view cameras) but press cameras were offered with no lens. Whatever the customer wanted, the customer could get.

 

Whether y'r 90/6.8 Carl Meyer lens was original to the camera -- it almost certainly wasn't -- is of no importance whatsoever. It can be used on any press, technical or view camera that can focus it to infinity.

 

To get an idea of lenses that can be used on 2x3 press cameras, please read http://www.galerie-photo.com/telechargement/dan-fromm-6x9-lenses-v2-2011-03-29.pdf. I haven't owned or tried all possible lenses.

Bob, B&J didn't make Busch cameras. Busch made Busch cameras. B&J made B&J cameras. The B&J camera most like the 2x3 Pressman is the 2x3 Watson.

 

Lens cells often unscrew easily from the shutters or barrels they're in.

 

In the world of press, technical and view cameras manufacturers sometimes sell cameras complete with a lens (this is more common with press cameras than with technical and view cameras) but press cameras were offered with no lens. Whatever the customer wanted, the customer could get.

 

Whether y'r 90/6.8 Carl Meyer lens was original to the camera -- it almost certainly wasn't -- is of no importance whatsoever. It can be used on any press, technical or view camera that can focus it to infinity.

 

To get an idea of lenses that can be used on 2x3 press cameras, please read http://www.galerie-photo.com/telechargement/dan-fromm-6x9-lenses-v2-2011-03-29.pdf. I haven't owned or tried all possible lenses.

I know that it isn't original, as the camera came with a 101mm Wollensak, but it would be possible to have bought a lens that was on a B&J Watson, and the lens and shutter were sold used separate of the camera, and the lens was installed on the Pressman board. Does anybody know if a B&J Watson lensboard has screw holes around the lensboard hole.? Thanks for the link.

Press camera lensboards are usually camera specific. A B&J Watson board shouldn't fit a Pressman.

 

Lens boards aren't made with screw holes. Before a lens in shutter or barrel can be mounted on a board a hole the shutter or barrel will fit in has to be drilled in the board. Lenses, especially small ones, are usually held to a board by a retaining ring. The lens, in shutter or barrel, sits in front of the board, the retaining ring sits behind the board. Screwing the retaining ring down clamps the board between the shutter or barrel and the retaining ring.

 

Lenses, especially heavy ones, are mounted to boards with flanges. The flanges a large central hole into which the shutter/barrel screws and holes into which screws (screw into a wooden lens board) or bolts (pass through the board, accept bolts to hold everything together). That's what you have.

 

Bob, I don't want to insult you, offend you, discourage you or drive you away. But you're asking absolute beginner questions and show no signs of trying to help yourself. I suggest strongly that you go to www.largeformatphotography.info and read the FAQs. Also buy a book or two on LF photography so that you can teach yourself the language, the technology and, finally, how to use the equipment. The two books most often recommended on Large Format Photography Forum are Steve Simmons' Understanding the View Camera and Leslie Strobel's View Camera Technique. You might also want to look at Ansel Adams' The Camera. All of these are available used at low prices from sellers who can be found via abebooks.com, alibris.com, amazon.com, bn,com, ... Remember that we were all born ignorant. The condition isn't permanent.

The Carl Meyer 90mm Wide Angle lens, is actually a 4x5 lens, as I put it in a lensboard for both a Pressman Model D, and a Toyo Field 45A, and it covers the entire ground glass, at least without movements, as I haven't tried them. The shutter it's in is from 1947, at least according to the serial number. I don't know if it was a used lens from a recessed lensboard, with a lensboard mounted shutter lever actuator on it, or if it was old stock, as the lensboard I found it on, was the quick change Pressman Model C lensboard.