[LargeFormat] Aero-ektar question

[Clive Warren]

At 13:19 19/10/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi All;
>I picked up one of those classic 178mm, F2.5 Aero-ektars, complete with 
>red fitler, in good shape.  No shutter, but Iris, and eveyrthign works 
>otherwise.  Serial number EM3025 -so that is 1943 if iam correct?
>         Anyhow, i only shot B&W, and I have a spare lens board for my 4x5 
> mono-rail.  I am 99.9% certian this lens will cover 6x6, having read 
> serveral reports on the web of people using this lens for that 
> format,  and I am pretty sure about 4x5 as th elens itself says "5x5", 
> but before I do drill alensboard, does anyone know for sure?
>         I did a search on  the net, found many references to this lens, 
> but nothing to state how much coverage it exactly had.
>
>         Did read lots of neat stuff about "radioactive" glass, but those 
> radio-active lenses are supposed to have a brownish cast in teh read 
> lens, and settign thelens ona  light box, I see no cast.  That, and my 
> Civil Defense geiger counter I obught off ebay (don't ask - impulse buy) 
> fails to show any readings, but then, that geiger counter was problaly 
> made for when they dropped big nukes, not small time radiaiton.  :)
>
>thanks much
>joe


Joe,

Yep, the date is 1943 and it covers 5x5. Try a search in any of the search 
boxes on the top right of the http://f32.net  web site for more information 
about the lenses. There have also been discussions on the f32 Discussion 
Forum at http://www.f32.net/discus/ and I have posted some photos of a lens 
similar to yours but mounted in an Alphax #5 shutter. The lens seems to 
have been supplied this way as the aperture scale is factory marked and 
correct for the lens.

The lenses definitely emit some radioactivity and as previous discussions 
will tell you, this can be on occasion something that warrants further 
attention! I keep my aero ektars in the far corner of a room that is not 
used for day to day living.

Without exception - my aero ektars have slightly discoloured rear elements 
from radioactivity damage to the glass.

HTH.

Cheers,
            Clive