[LargeFormat] aero ektar

[Joseph O'Neil]

At 10:35 AM 29/07/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>Oh!  If only I had known that 20 years ago! :)


>>        You forgot to add that after 6 months use, due to the radioactive 
>> elements, men no longer need a vasectonmy.

         argh - darned near spit my coffee all over my computer screeen 
laughing so hard when I read that.  :)

         A bit more serious - I actually have one of these lenses, but have 
not mounted or tried to use it yet.  it's a BIG lens, I htink coverage is 
supposed to be 9x9", and mine has an iris but no shutter.

         The rear two elements are slightly radioactive due to throium 
salts.  Mine dates back to 1943 (using the CAMEROSITY Kodak serial number 
dating).

         For fun one night, in a light tight changing bag in my darkroom, I 
left the lens sitting on a sheet of Tri-X (4x) for about - oh, no quite 24 
hours - maybe 20 hours.

         Ever neato - you get all these little "shooting stars'" on the 
negative after development.  It wasn't any sort of solid fog, but more like 
a poorly exposed shot of a fireworks display.  So the things are definaely 
radioactive.  I imagine short expsoures (such as up to 1-2 minutes) would 
not be any problem, b ut if using the lens, I would not store it in the 
same bag you have your film in for any long periods of time.  :)

         I was considering having it mounted some day - but such a huge 
lens - physically it's bigger then either my sped or crown graphics.    I 
would have to mount it on my mono-rail only.  I also imagine it woudl take 
something like a #5 copal shutter to mount the sucker.

         So, not having actually used the lens, that's all can say about it.

joe



www.oneilphoto.on.ca
www.multiboard.com/~joneil