Coatings on Graflex 135mm Optars on Super and Super Speed Graphic

[beepy]

Does anyone know whether the 1/400s Optar 135mm and the 1/1000s Optar 135mm (on the

Super Speed) were coated? Also, what manufacturer was the source for these lenses - was it

Wollensak? Or Rodenstock? Any comments on the lens quality and limitations (it seems to

drop sharpness at edges, limited movements I assume but have not explored). What is its

sweet spot f-stop for maximum sharpness?

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Thanks in advance.

[jim_rhoades]

A comment on lens quality and limitations would be to do a search on Mr. O. Winston Link, the famous train photographer. He did most of his work with Graphic View cameras and Optar/Wollensak lenses.

 

There is a wonderful and large, O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke Virginia.

 

Mr. Link did not suffer from lens envy.

[mark_sampson]

Wollensak was the OEM manufacturer for Graflex Optars. Lenses made after WWII were single-coated. Of course it's easy to tell coated from uncoated lenses, just look into the lens for colored reflections.

They are Tessar-formula lenses so coverage is not huge on 4x5, but they werent meant for that. They are usually fine performers at f/11 and below. The 1/1000 leaf shutter on the Super Speed lenses is unreliable, though.

[dan_fromm2]

Ask your question on the www.graflex.org help board. You'll have a better chance of getting a correct answer there than here.

[michael_briggs2]

I'm sure that Mr. Link knew the lenses that he used very well, and knew at which f-stops they performed well, and whether or not he could use movements with them.

 

Just because some superb photographer of the past used a lens doesn't mean that the lens is a good choice today. The photographer asking the question might have a different application than that photographer. For example, the person asking the question might wish to use movements such as swings or front rise which require additional coverage beyond the minimum to cover 4x5. If all that a lens can do is just cover 4x5 with no reserve, with today's films, some photographers might not see the point in using 4x5 instead of medium format.

[jim_rhoades]

Beepy, Mr Briggs is quite right. The Optar 135mm has very little coverage. It will throw light well into the corners with movement but it goes very soft, very fast. Used within the limits of a 135 mm Tessar design they are quite sharp. They are single coated and for the simple design that coating is enough. I believe you would find f/11 to f/16 sharp.

 

There are also a lot of lens snobs out there. They seem to feel that unless you have a $2,000 XLCH you are doomed to a life of dull out of focus photographs. Go to a L/F workshop and see the guy with $10,000. worth of lenses in his bag. He will show you his lens but never his prints.

 

If you need a lot of coverage go elsewhere, the Optar is not for you. But the question is also about the Super Speed, not a whole lot of movements anyway. The Optar, Wollensak or Schneider Xenar offer small size, light weight and are quite sharp within their design limits. Great for backpacking, not so good for Architectural Digest.

[beepy]

So some background. I was looking for just technical details since I'm trying to describe an

image I took with the 1/400s Optar. I love both my cameras for handheld street shooting.

But on the other hand, I knew of small coverage and I was faced with going on a once-in-a-

lifetime trip to the Antarctic and I took my Super Graphic and opted to to with a 135mm

Schneider with moderm multicoating with some movements to give myself some parachute.

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That said - for portraits and shooting street I've really come to love what I'm seeing from the

Graflex with Optar.

[j._mose]

Only the Optars furnished with the 1000 shutter (both 135mm and 270mm) were manufactured by Rodenstock. All other Optars were manufactured by Wollensak. The performance of both brand 135mm lenses are very similar. The 270mm Rodenstock Tele-Optar (with 1000 shutter) is the same as a Rotelar (a good performer).

[j._mose]

Beppy....I would love to see some of your photos from this trip...sounds exciting...a photo of you holding you Super Graphic against a glacier background would be quite an interesting photo for this website!

[beepy]

So, I'm departing for Argentina (from Rio de Janeiro) Wednesday morning - instead of my

planned Tuesday afternoon departure tomorrow due to a Aerolineas Argentina strike:-)

But that's why I got here early - to bob and weave around problems.

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I'll have my digital camera with me also - I'll ask someone to take some artistic images of

me with the Super Graphic...

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I took it to a <a href="http://www.brazilbrazil.com/feijoada.html">feijoada</a> this

weekend in Rio and a couple people wanted to take a picture of me and the Super

Graphic...

I'm used to it. :-)