Has anyone else on this forum used or is familiar with this lens? I have been using one lately with Tri-X Pan Pro, and have found it to be very nice. Mine came off of a Nagel 9 x 12 from the 1930 era. Uncoated and somewhat contrasy it produces nice negatives when I do everything correctly. I haven't been able to find anything about them anywhere.

Quote:

On 2004-07-16 01:38, Barney wrote: Has anyone else on this forum used or is familiar with this lens? I have been using one lately with Tri-X Pan Pro, and have found it to be very nice. Mine came off of a Nagel 9 x 12 from the 1930 era. Uncoated and somewhat contrasy it produces nice negatives when I do everything correctly. I haven't been able to find anything about them anywhere.

The Lens Collector's Vade Mecum says, as usual somewhat confusingly

"Isconar f4.5 This was a Dialyt type design, and ideal for enlarging. So it is really a small process type
lens. It was also spelled Iskonar for Germany. (See Iscaron below also a dialyt, Sc011). It has been noted as
a f4.5/135mm on an unnamed 9x12cm- ie probably a lower price camera brought in for a shop to sell? The
customer may have been surprised how good the lens was!
Isconar f6.8 This was a slower version of the above. Frerk says both are Gauss type dialyts. An
example f6.8/12cm No52,68x was noted on a Tropical Minerva.
Doppel Anastigmat f4.5 This may have been the same lens in an earlier form, seen as a 10cm on a folder
probably from the 1920's."

Sounds like you lucked into a good 'un.

Cheers,

Dan

Thanks Dan for the reply and info. The way I spelled everything came right off the lens. This lens definetly came off of a Nagel folding 9 x 12. Nagel was an Engineer at Zeiss, and started this company. Then he sold to Kodak. I could buy the camera, which has 3 nice single sheet film holders for 9 x 12, and a beautiful looking roll film holder that has three masks for 120 format. The way the holder is made it appears to hold the film very flat between nice smooth felt and a plate. I have gone back in forth on the issue of buying. I think, well I would have to cut 4 x 5 and I think what for? I have 2 4 x 5's, why cut film to 9 x 12. I got my Kalhart on the Anny Speed dialed into this lens the other night. It produces gorgeous negatives when I do everything right. Some times I don't.

The "J" in Isconar is actually a stylized "I". Film for 9X12 is available from J&C and probably a couple of others.

The German alphabet has not been my study, but our "I" and "J" evolved from the same letter. In German, that letter is a semivowel; "Josef" is pronounced as though it were spelled "Iosef." Thus "ISCO" seems to have been short for "Josef Schneider Co." Schneider used the "Isco" brand for economy 35mm. lenses in the '50s and '60s.

I imagine that, in the Fraktur script, "I" and "J" are, in fact, the same symbol. Thus the perennial confusion about "Ihagee/Jhagee," and so forth.

Oh thanks for the info. I speak Spanish but not German.

Be advised Forte has it but J and C doesn't list it. I just mailed Omega Arkay in MD about it but got the email back while I was writing this. ?? If I could get some decent film in 9 x 12 already cut I might buy that camera and stuff. It is very small and would be nice to carry for shooting 4 x 5's and a little roll film. Like on a weekend trip.

JandC Photo: Efke PL-100 9X12 cm sheet film, 50 sheets = $32.99

Thanks Glenn, I must have missed it.