Looking for European SKGrimes

[medform-norm]

Today was lens day for us.

Mounted a G-Claron 240 in an old 135 mm Compur shutter and it's beatiful now that those crude pentacon shaped iris blades are out of the picture. All we need to do to make it perfect is to re-calibrate the new assembly to get the F-stops matched. BTW it seems the G-Claron has won one stop in this new shutter - it seems to open up as far as 7.7 now. Or is this optical illusion?

We need another shutter for a G-Claron 150 mm - but the big question is: what shutter will fit this lens? Suggestions anyone? Doesn't really matter what type of shutter, as long as it has nice irisblades. That route seems easier than finding separate iris blades.

The one disappointment of the day was the odd ball Wallace Heaton Zodelar. Nice large piece of glass, unknown lens design, marked no.7, no focal length, just F4.5. Looks promising, but it badly needs a cleaning: the front element -composed of two or three cells - has a slight haze inside and some black spots, looks like chips from paint??? Tried everything to take this thing apart to get to the lens elements, but it just won't budge. It seems to be of a rather peculiar construction. Normally, the front retaining ring should come off, but it seems there is no thread. Impossible to unscrew without special tools. OR impossible to screw because it is unscrewable per se. Tried to find access on the rear of this element. Found some ribbed ring that looks like it could be screwable, but again, no! Someone must have glued the whole thing together, but that is hard to believe.

We have given up. For the first time ever. What we need, is a continental European SK Grimes or some other lens specialist that will take this darned lens apart professionally to get it back into shape. Problem is: we don't know anyone that can. Does anyone here have a secret tip?

Thanks, Norm

[Dan Fromm]

Ask on http://www.galerie-photo.info/forum/ , the french LF forum. They've discussed machinists and lens repair shops fairly recently. Also look around on the site, IIRC a few useful names are listed.

For info in shutter sizes for Schneider lenses, visit http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/archiv/archiv.htm

The Vade Mecum says this about f/4.5 Zodellars: "(b) f4.5 This was German-sourced in 1924-5 and there is no hint of it being convertible, but rather it gave a good angle of coverage such as 10x8in with an f4.5/8.25in lens.(B.J.A. 1925, p364, 640advert.). It and the f3.5 could be used as soft focus lenses by unscrewing the front cells by up to one complete turn. They were claimed to be flare resistant and very sharp. The list was: f4.5 for 4.25, 4.75, 5.75, 6.0, 6.5, 7.25, 8.5, 9.5in where 6in was for 5x4in. For a use on a stereo camera there was a pair of convertible f4.5/3.25in Zodellar lenses in Stereo Compur, see B.J.A. 1926, p347. (There were few convertible f4.5 designs, but the Goerz Dogmar was a possible example. But the 1925 advert may explain it: there were accessory lenses sold for wide and long focus which may have allowed it to be classed as convertible.)" The VM isn't always right, so look at your lens.

[John Kasaian]

I think the 150 G-Claron will take a No. "0" prontor or copal.

Good luck!

[jjstafford]

If the Euro machinist is as good as S.K. Grimes, Inc, and _reasonable_ in price, I'll send business there from my USA address in a heartbeat. Grimes' is just out of hand, stupid expensive.

[medform-norm]

I think the 150 G-Claron will take a No. "0" prontor or copal.

Good luck!

Indeed, so I read. Now what confuses me is the possibillity that we have older design G-Clarons. Both have a a serial number starting with 12, dating back to mid-seventies ('73). This means they could be the dagor type (6/2) rather than the aplanat ones (6/4), and it's been said about these earlier `G-Clarons that they use different size shutters. I have no idea how to measure pitch on a thread, nor how to figure out what will fit other than trial and error. I was hoping someone here (Jim Galli?) might have had experience with mounting these older G-Clarons...

but I'll keep the Prontor "0" in mind. Thanks for the tip.

[medform-norm]

Ask on http://www.galerie-photo.info/forum/ , the french LF forum. They've discussed machinists and lens repair shops fairly recently. Also look around on the site, IIRC a few useful names are listed.

For info in shutter sizes for Schneider lenses, visit http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/archiv/archiv.htm

The Vade Mecum says this about f/4.5 Zodellars: "(b) f4.5 This was German-sourced in 1924-5 and there is no hint of it being convertible, but rather it gave a good angle of coverage such as 10x8in with an f4.5/8.25in lens.(B.J.A. 1925, p364, 640advert.). It and the f3.5 could be used as soft focus lenses by unscrewing the front cells by up to one complete turn. They were claimed to be flare resistant and very sharp. The list was: f4.5 for 4.25, 4.75, 5.75, 6.0, 6.5, 7.25, 8.5, 9.5in where 6in was for 5x4in. For a use on a stereo camera there was a pair of convertible f4.5/3.25in Zodellar lenses in Stereo Compur, see B.J.A. 1926, p347. (There were few convertible f4.5 designs, but the Goerz Dogmar was a possible example. But the 1925 advert may explain it: there were accessory lenses sold for wide and long focus which may have allowed it to be classed as convertible.)" The VM isn't always right, so look at your lens.

Thanks a million, Dan, what a wealth of information! I think we have a 9,5 inch Zodellar, we measured it to be roughly 240mm. so that makes sense. Coverage should be immense! OTOH I don't know if this one has an unscrewable front cell. It seems the threading stops just short of the retaining ring. But it is hard to figure out what is going on in that area. It looks like it could be a sharp lens, so it could be worth getting it cleaned, especially taking into account that it cost us next to nothing: 5,50 GBP!

About the shutter sizes: I'll check in the Schneider PDF, once I've figured out what type of G-Claron we have. I've downloaded the brochures.

And now I'll rev up my French, put on my best accent and trot on to the French LF gang.

[Dan Fromm]

If the Euro machinist is as good as S.K. Grimes, Inc, and _reasonable_ in price, I'll send business there from my USA address in a heartbeat. Grimes' is just out of hand, stupid expensive.

www.srbfilm.co.uk At the current exchange rate, probably not worth using, alas. Oh, for the days when one UK Pound cost $US 1.05!

[avandesande]

There are alot of other good lens machinists in the US.

If the Euro machinist is as good as S.K. Grimes, Inc, and _reasonable_ in price, I'll send business there from my USA address in a heartbeat. Grimes' is just out of hand, stupid expensive.

[medform-norm]

There are alot of other good lens machinists in the US.

Well, maybe it's time to compile a new list of addresses we can recommend on either side of the globe. Your contribution would be welcome.

Tomorrow we're taking Zodelar to a repair guy in our neighbourhood. See what he says/does. I know him as the Dutch mr. Rollei, but I don't know how good he is on non-Rollei stuff. We'll see.

I've found some reference about Dutch machinists and camera repair places, but have no first-hand experience. And I don't want to judge from what I read on the web about them. It seems we have just some smaller repair stations, ranging from pretty simplistic hobbiest doing a good job on 35mm to very hi-tech instrument making companies. But nothing with the dedication and specialization of the SKGrimes company. SKGrimes may be expensive, but if I really needed help for expensive lenses, I would trust them with it sooner than anyone else.

BTW: the old 150mm G-Claron fits in the Synchro-Compur of our 105 Xenar, but we don't know if the distance is right. It seems to look good. Now we need another Synchro-Compur, as the Xenar is staying where it is.

[Tom Hoskinson]

Hi Norm, what is the thread diameter and pitch on your old 150mm G-Claron?