The Century Graphic page (http://www.graflex.org/speed-graphic/century-graphic.html) says:

Quote:

The 100/3.5 Ektar from the Kodak Medalist is quite good, and can be used on a Centiry (sic) Graphic.

But as I understand it, the shutter used on the Medalist will not work as is on a graphic lensboard, because the linkages for cocking/firing are internal.

Can someone help me understand if it is in fact possible to use a 100mm Medalist Ektar on a 23 Century/Crown Graphic? If so, what is necessary? Would I need to get another shutter and simply remount the lens elements? If so, which version/lens of the supermatic shutter will accept the elements of the 100mm Ektar?

Many thanks!

Vitaly

I've got a Supermatic shutter Service manual and while I can't take the time to scan it, I don't see anything in the back of the shutter that would preclude it from being used on a flat board. I"m not sure what the results would be if you moved the cells into another shutter. Kodak was notorious for using odd ball threads and a pair of 100mm cells may not fit in a Supermatic that had 100mm f4.5 cells or even a standard No 2 Super that had 127mm cells in it. At least without a trip to the machinist

If you go the switched shutter route, you'll have to re scale the aperture.

The Medalist shutter linkages are on the backside of the shutter. While there is a cable release on the front side, cocking the shutter is done from the back of the lens.

Yes, I suppose it would be possible to mount the Medalist shutter on a flat board as is, then remove the lens/board to cock the shutter for each and every exposure. Not forgetting to insert/remove the darkslide each time also, of course!

But is there a more convenient arrangement?

Many thanks,

Vitaly

yeah, buying a 105mm f 3/5 Ektar, but that's missing the point I think.

Les wrote:

yeah, buying a 105mm f 3/5 Ektar, but that's missing the point I think.

Right, the 105mm f/3.7 Ektar is an extremely rare (and expensive!) bird.

On the other hand, Kodak Medalists come up quite frequently. If there were some way of putting that Ektar onto a CG23, it would be far more useful and interesting than on the original camera.

Vitaly

That lens has too much value to risk destoying the shutter. If you don't have the Medalist camera, I would suggest selling that lens and finding a 105/3.7 for your Century. The 105/3.7 is a Heliar type and highly regarded. Personally, I prefer the 101/4.5 Ektar as a standard lens and the 127/4.7 as a slightly long lens. Both stellar performers.

Vitaly, for what its worth I have a 101/4.5 Ektar, as does Glenn, a 103/4.5 Graftar, and a 105/3.7 Ektar. The 105/3.7 is the second I've had; I sold the first one because it was so much less sharp than the 101/4.5. My second 105 is also worse than the 101; not as sharp at any aperture from f/4.5 down and less coverage, i.e., worse in the corners than the 101. I don't like to admit it since I don't use the lens, but the 103/4.5 Graftar is the best of the three.

There are better normal lenses for 2x3. The one I shoot now is a 105/5.6 Beryl Saphir BX. It was sold as an enlarging lens, but according to a friend who has some of Boyer's archives was made to the same prescription as the Zircon, which was sold as a taking lens. As for the Zircon, think, more or less Symmar-S. I recently retired a 4"/2.0 Taylor Hobson and the 101/4.5 Ektar in favor of using the Saphir BX. I don't need apertures faster than f/5.6 and from f/5.6 down the BX is at least as good as the other two, sometimes better.

I take that you have a 100/3.5 Ektar and want to put it to use. I have that disease too.

Cheers,

Dan

glennfromwy wrote:

That lens has too much value to risk destoying the shutter. If you don't have the Medalist camera, I would suggest selling that lens and finding a 105/3.7 for your Century. The 105/3.7 is a Heliar type and highly regarded. Personally, I prefer the 101/4.5 Ektar as a standard lens and the 127/4.7 as a slightly long lens. Both stellar performers.

The last 105mm f/3.7 Ektar I saw come up went for more that 3x the average price of a Medalist.

On the other hand, Medalists come up very often, some inop as far as their body parts go. It would be a great way to get into a Heliar-type lens for the Crown23.

If it were possible....

Many thanks.

Vitaly

hey all
the 100mm Ektar that I just now took off of my Medalist can be used in the same shutter
as my Wollensak 8" f5.6 Raptar Telephoto lens !! looks like its a 31.5mm th.
a Rapax I don't know what size its!
banjo

Dan Fromm wrote:

Vitaly, for what its worth I have a 101/4.5 Ektar, as does Glenn, a 103/4.5 Graftar, and a 105/3.7 Ektar. The 105/3.7 is the second I've had; I sold the first one because it was so much less sharp than the 101/4.5. My second 105 is also worse than the 101; not as sharp at any aperture from f/4.5 down and less coverage, i.e., worse in the corners than the 101. I don't like to admit it since I don't use the lens, but the 103/4.5 Graftar is the best of the three. There are better normal lenses for 2x3...

Well I do happen to have the 105mm/3.7 and consider myself quite fortunate:



This lens has an extraordinary character, quite unlike anything else I have. For the kinds of places I've been working, I would like to have another.

Many thanks,

Vitaly

1banjo wrote:

the 100mm Ektar that I just now took off of my Medalist can be used in the same shutter as my Wollensak 8" f5.6 Raptar Telephoto lens !! looks like its a 31.5mm th. a Rapax I don't know what size its! banjo

That's a great bit of help, banjo! Thanks for the info!

Vitaly

hey all
it looks like at f3.5 that it will be a soft focus sharp in the center but not at the ege

banjo

hey all
it works better on my flash supermatic /or my supermatic X by Kodak
with Ektar 127mm
banjo

1banjo wrote:

hey all it works better on my flash supermatic /or my supermatic X by Kodak with Ektar 127mm banjo

Beautiful! That's exactly what I was hoping to hear!

Many thanks!

Vitaly

Since the last post I managed to acquire a Supermatic #2 shutter and an inop Medalist I (EE/1944) for the project.

The lens cells from the Medalist Ektar do indeed thread into the Supermatic #2. Unfortunately, the rear internal threads of the Medalist shutter body are machined in such a way that the rear elements seat about 1.5mm deeper than in the shutter I intended using.

My guess is that I'm screwed. Although central image focused on GG appears sweet and sharp, off-axis is noticeably soft.

Short of some very expensive custom machine work on the shutter, at this point I would suggest there is no practical way of adapting the Medalist lens for use on a Graflex.

In the meantime, I'll try the lens with some film and low expectations, maybe get something like a reversed lens on a Brownie Hawkeye Flash...

Vitaly