[LargeFormat] Wollensak Extreme Wide Angle Lenses

[Clive Warren]

At 04:49 21/04/2003 -0700, Richard Knoppow wrote:

>-------Original Message-------
>From: Clive Warren <Clive.Warren@megacycle.co.uk>
snip

>>Looking at the 5x7 version (marked Wollensak 5x7 Series IIIa EX.W.A
>>f12.5  4 5/16") of your 8x10 Wolly lens this does indeed have two elements
>>in each lens group.
>>
>>I would assume that the f12.5 version has better contrast than the f9.5
>>version if only because there are fewer lens elements in the f12.5 version
>>
>>and both lenses are uncoated. I seem to recall seeing a version in an
>>alphax shutter that was coated and I think this was the f9.5 version.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>             Clive
>
>
>   The f/9.5 W.A. Velostigmat is a unique design. It appears to be a 
> compounded double gauss with each of the four components consisting of 
> two cemented elements. At a guess, this was done to obtain the 
> performance of some glass types which were not available, but I have no 
> actual information on this lens.
>   The four cemented surfaces must have made them expensive lenses to 
> make. I've never had one so have no idea of how good (or bad) they are.
>   A number of other WA lenses are essentially double Gauss types. The 
> Kodak Wide Field Ektar, for example. The Bausch & Lomb Metrogon and Zeiss 
> Topogon can be seen as also derived from the double Gause type.
>   It seems that a number of lens makers copied the Zeiss wide angle 
> Protar types. They are surprizingly good lenses although modern WA types 
> are clearly much better than any of the pre-WW-2 WA lenses.
>
>Richard Knoppow
>dickburk@ix.netcom.com
>Los Angeles, CA, USA

Richard, thank you for the info. I had always wondered about the 
construction of the f9.5 lens. Given that each group has the same number of 
glass to air surfaces as the protar design f12.5 then contrast may well be 
about the same with both lenses.

I have had the f9.5 version for a few years but only very recently found 
the time to give the shutter a CLA which it badly needed as there was only 
one speed available! I have yet to mount it on a lensboard for use with the 
8x10. One of the main reasons for this lack of use is that I tend to use 
one of my favorite lenses for 8x10 extreme wide angle work, the B&L Zeiss 
8x10 183mm protar f18 Series V - now that is a real challenge to use unless 
it is a bright sunny day. When I get some spare time will try out the Wolly 
lens and post some comparison shots on the f32.net Forum.

My experience with the similar designed double Gause type Wide Field Ektars 
is all good and they handle colour very well indeed. Here is an example 
shot taken with the135mm WF Ektar:
http://www.f32.net/cgi-local/discus/show.cgi?tpc=6&post=323#POST323

It remains to be seen how well the f9.5 Wolly would handle colour. I shoot 
B&W exclusively in 8x10 so unless I win the lottery colour is a long way off.

The 135mm WF Ektar has a permanent place in the 4x5 kit bag. Steve Grimes 
sent me a new flange for the 250mm WF Ektar recently so I am looking 
forward to using that on 8x10 when additional lens boards are resourced. 
The example of the lens sitting here was bought from Kodak and was used to 
make some of the huge Coloramas that Kodak used to advertise their products 
in Grand Central Station many years ago.

Cheers,
            Clive