Wollensak Raptar in barrel - enlarging or taking?

[mikemeskin]

I would appreciate any info on this lens -

it is a coated Wollensak Raptar 210/4.5 in barrel.

Is this an enlarging or taking lens? Most enlarging raptars that I've

seen seem to have been marked as such - this one is not. I am trying

to figure out weather it will make a decent taking lens for shooting

wide-open.

It doesn't have a very smooth bokeh - very pronounced edges of the

out-focus hi-lights, etc. Is this because the lens was optimized for

enlarging? The forground bokeh is much better.

 

Thank you,

best reg

[kelly_flanigan1]

Many real real early copy machines from the 1960's and 1970's had 210mm F4.5 lenses; with diaphrams that only had a few stops; ie F4.5 F5.6 F8 only......These were on the surplus market for 5 dollars each in the mid 1970's at C&H sales in Pasadena, Calif.......They had many different makes of lenses; all 210mm F4.5 for 1:1 usage.....I might me total wrong in my guess that yours maybe a copy machine lens................

[conrad_hoffman]

Kelly is right, and those lenses are still plentiful on the surplus market, and still cheap. Looking at your image, the lens is a bit better finished than some of the copier lenses I've seen. It might well be an enlarging lens or a process lens. The formula for the two is probably similar or identical, since the operating distances are similar. Try it.

[darin_cozine]

Mike, I think you just answered your own question... Take some test shots. If you like them, keep using the lens. Otherwise chuck it (not literally).