uli_mayer

If shipping to Germany were less costly I'd had already bought one of those lens sets. I would not worry about the spacing because I am pretty certain that these lenses were designed and the lens cells turned so that they directly fit into standardized shutters. (A look at Seth Broder's cameraeccentric site confirms this at least for the Raptar 4.5/160.)<p>Yes, there exist lenses whose proper spacing in shutters has to be fine-tuned by inserting shims. But AFAIK this practice was more or less limited to lenses especially made for process photography where tolerances regarding exact focal length and distortion are minimal. I never came across a Tessar-type lens that used shims and I would even say: a shim in a Tessar, Skopar, Xenar or Raptar is a sign for sloppy manufacture.

Since these Protar VII lens cells could (can) be used individually, they were also offered separately, in addition to casket sets or Double-Protars. This is a least the case with the Zeiss original Protar VII ("Protarlinse"), and B&L was a licensee of this design.

Just one thing about "Bratwurst", beer, etc. <br>

Bratwurst is fine but it's assiociated with Frankonia and Nuremberg. In Munich the speciality is Weisswurst (white sausages"), Brezen (pretzel) and "süsser Senf" (sweet and spicy mustard). <p>

 

If you want to join the highest number of American, Japanese, Italian folks, the place to go is Hofbräuhaus. "Natives" prefer the "Weißes Bräuhaus" (Im Tal).<p>

Ein Guat'n, und Prost!

Rishi,<br>

most of these shops are gone (Schaja, Photo-Bazar, Schilo, Schwarz...)

You may try Foto-Sauter (Sonnenstrasse), Foto-Nürbauer (Zweibrückenstr.), Minifoto (Pestalozzistr.), Foto-Universal (Schwanthalerstr.)<p>

 

John,<br>

I have been living in Munich for more than forty years by now, and I never came across that nickname for Munich. It's been called MILLIONENDORF, though not because it is rich and/or has many rich people living there, but because it is a city (more than a million inhabitants) that still keeps an air of a village.<p> Uli

"A furniture restore/repair person melts wax into the damaged areas."<p>

This method mentioned by Ronald works quite well. Good varnish stores sell these wax sticks ( I believe they are made of shellac and wax) in all shades of wood colors. The wax easily drops into the dents when melting is done with a soldering iron. And there is no problem to remove excess wax, and to polish and varnish it.

In addition to what Helen Bach wrote: <p>The difference between entrance pupil and iris diameter is the factor by which you can divide the focal length in order to get the basis for determining where the stops should be. If for example max. e.p. is 36mm while the iris diameter is actually only 30mm (factor 1.2), you may use a focal length of 175mm (210 : 1.2) for stop calculations. F8 in this case would correspond to closing the iris to 175:8 = 21,9 mm. <p> Uli

Vaidotas,<p>

the shutter size that IMO comes closest (assuming that Laack Rathenow preferred German-made shutters for mounting their lenses)is a COMPOUND No. 3 (3-X Tube 7) for lens cells front and rear with M 55,69mm x 40tpi; shutter overall length is 37mm. But this is only a guess based on my impression that most 4.5/210 lenses of that time (Xenar, Tessar ..) were sold in Compound 3 shutters. <p> Determining proper spacing is difficult (not to say impossible)if one cannot get hold of the designer's lens description or an original barrel for computing resp. copying the measurements. The "Dialytar Serie T, 1:4.5" was apparently made in two versions: one being unsymmetrical whereby 2 of the 4 lens were cemented; the other type being symmetrical with 4 air-spaced lenses. (source: L. David "Photographische Praktikum" 1931; Hartmut Thiele " Deutsche Photooptik von A-Z", 2007)

A Google search for "Ahornboden" (=mapleground) may help. And I am sure

you'll find photos that do more justice to the possibilities here than that dreadful shot above.<p>Don't worry, the colors can be breathtaking, especially when there is "Föhn"- a weather situation frequently encountered in autumn on our side of the Alps providing unbelievably blue skies and crystal-clear air.<p>

 

Uli(from Munich)

Leonard,<p> it's definitely too much for my grey cells but maybe you'll understand it: "Chapter 11" on Fourier optics in:

Eugene Hecht "Optics" 4th edition, Addison Wesley Longman. Those more than fifty pages are dealing exhaustively with theory, analyis and practical consequences of light wave transformation caused by passing an aperture. <p> Uli

That's what I learnt here in this forum. It works.<p> Uli

Miha,<p>

if you have got enough time you could leave B311 at Mengen for taking the small road along the most scenic part of the upper Danube between Sigmaringen and Tuttlingen. This will include great views of the Wildenburg and of other castles and ruins on rock tops as well as a look at where the Danube is disappearing into the ground ( at Fridingen). </p>

 

For detailed driving information the "Wuerttembergische Camping- and Caravan Club im ADAC" should be able to help: http://www.wccc-adac.de/ </p>

Uli

First I'd control the lens adjustment by following these steps:<p> Get a spare film and cut a small window into the black paper so that light from the camera's red window can pass to the film whose emulsion side you should criss-cross with fine lines ( by using a needle or a razor blade). <p>Put the film in the camera so that this area is within the frame, close the camera and shine light of a desk lamp through the red window. Set the Monitor lens for "infinity".

 

By taking a SLR with a long lens (or binoculars) that has also been focused for "infinity" - and by looking directly into the Monitor lens - you should see the scratches on the film in every detail, if your camera is properly collimated. If you resolution improves with the focusing ring being at another position, the ring has to be re-adjusted by cautiously loosing the tiny screws and turning the ring accordingly. <p>

 

 

I apologize for this clumsy description of a makeshift autocollimation set-up. But if I used my mother tongue it might be even less understandable . </p>

 

Ui

The lens of my Monitor Six-16 (an Anastigmat Special) is tack sharp. Maybe your lens is not correctly collimated. Here are two ways how to control the front ring's position at "infinity": <br>

http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/collimator.html </br><br>Uli

Here is more about the Hypar (scans of a 1913 Goerz catalogue)<p>

http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/goerzcat/hyparb.html </p>

 

Uli

Sid,<p>

if you like to shoot series:</p>

the central bus station in Accra - for pictures of the beautifully painted "mummy lorries" with inscriptions like FOLLOW JESUS, BEWARE OF WOMEN etc., and for people</p> open-air barber shops - for "barber directories" </p> coffin makers - caskets in Ghana tend to be special and rather individual works of art. Fun!</p> Uli

John,<br>

the refractive index of the cement is almost irrelevant. Even salad oil can be used for "cementing". What should worry you much more is how to control that your centration error stays within 3 arc minutes. This is a common standard for achromats. A Protar deserves better. <br>

Uli

If you want to know even more, look for the pdf-files here:

http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/archiv/archiv.htm

 

Uli

C.P.<p>

I really have a lot of fun with your descriptions. Seriously! - aah ha ha ha.<p>

What doesn't amuse me this much is that apparently you think it appropriate to lower Zeiss lenses in order to praize the ones made by Goerz. Their reputation , and the fame of Emil von Höegh ( not "Hough" as you mis-spelled his name in that auction) however are so well-established and undisputed , that IMO to contrast them with something similar to a beer bottle factory ( the way you describe Zeiss) is disparaging for both.<p>

Isn't it a bit risky to jump from a specific observation (your test with a too short Apo-Tessar on a 8x20 camera) to conclusion a) if one Apo-Tessar is no good, no Apo-Tessar can be good, and then to b) it thereby follows that all Tessars are bad? <p>

Come on! ;)) That sort of generalizing inference may suit somebody with the licence to kill - an OO7 - but would be sub-standard for this Dagor77 whom most of us truly enjoy.<p>

 

Uli

An example:<p>

http://cgi.ebay.de/140mm-Carl-Zei-Jena-Protar-Special-Handmade-Gift-NR_W0QQitemZ7585340861QQcategoryZ15247QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's really fun to read Dagor77's lens descriptions. But even more amazing seems to me what may well be Dagor's hidden collecting strategy: Selling Goerz lenses by praising them to fetch good prices - and bashing Zeiss to get their lenses cheap - for his own private collection. Ever wondered why he is almost never offering faultless Zeiss lenses? It's not because they do not exist. They are likely to be kept.<br>

Uli

Apparently there is some confusion about basic lens design terminology ( "symmetrical", "semi-symmetrical" , "unsymmetrical", etc.). It would help clarify things quite a bit if somebody could come up with a brief definition of these terms, preferably with reference to an authorative source. <br>My understanding is that a lens with two identical lens groups on either side of the shutter (facing in opposite directions) is to be called "symmetrical". If both groups have the same focal lenght it is a "completely symmetrical" lens; if their focal lengths differ, one has a "semi-symmetrical" design - like the Symmar ( hence its name). <p>

Tito, you said about your B&L Protar: "It's an unsymmetrical design that's different from my Dagors." Its design is different, indeed. But I think it's not different enough to put the Protar VII into the class of unsymmetrical designs (Petzvals,Tessars and other triplets). Don't you agree?<p> Uli

Paul,<p> a Protar of this type is a symmetrical lens. with two cells of focal identical focal length it would be considered fully symmetrical and called Double-Protar. With Protar cells of different focal length the combined lens maintains enough symmetry behind and in front of the iris to justify calling this configuration hemi- or half-symmetrical. This is the case with Triple or Satz-Protars. BTW, most Double-Anastigmats belong to this type. <p>Uli

Gerry,<p>to get a look into the film transport mechanism you only have to take off the screw in the center of the winding knob ( left side on the camera top). Before doing that you should make sure that there is a empty film spool inserted on this side. This will prevent the winding shaft from falling into the camera body. <p>Uli

Foto-Zaki at Kurfuerstenstrasse 5 is also a well-established pro lab.

Gerald,<p> I have an Ercona I and an E II. I am sure there is no mechanism built into the camera that makes shutter release and double-exposure lock dependant on having a film in the camera. To decide what is wrong with your's ( shutter or lock ? )just release the shutter by using the knob on the camera's and give the film transport wheel half a turn. Now you should see a red dot appear in the tiny window next to the wheel - the sign that the double-exposure lock has been freed. Repairing this mechanism is rather simple. After taking off the wheel ( and nothing else) the mechanism is fully exposed.

I assure you: You will not need a clockworker's skills to understand it and get it back to working. Even I managed. Uli