Getting back into large format has been harder than I imagined. Nearly a year ago, I acquired a Cambo SC w/o a lens, then later acquired a Speed Graphic again w/o a lens. I thought I'll get a lens from ebay boy was that a shock, lenses were going for far more than I used to be able to buy the whole camera. Well I just bought a shutter, a Wollensak made for Graflex, it had had a Graflex Ektar 152mm lens on it, but the lens was not with it. Now to chase down a lens, do you know, did Graflex use the same shutter convention as say Copal 0, 1, 2, 3 etc. Or what should I be looking for? It has been years since I had a 4x5. My shots are basically for scenic, while teaching kids photography. I had this wild idea that a view camera would be an awesome teaching tool because it was so straight forward in its operation that kids could see and understand relationships between shutter speed/aperture and focus/dept of field etc. so tired of point and shoot digitals... Thanks

You are caught up in the Graflex name variation web. Ektar are Kodak lens. Optar are Graflex/Graphic lens and were made by Wollensak until the later years when they were produced by Rodenstok.

Optars were available in several name variations of Graflex, Graphic, Graphex and there may be others.
http://cameraeccentric.com/html/info/graflex_12.html
(this guidebook does not cover all Graphic/Graflex shutters)

Kodak lens use their own thread system and do not fit other shutters. Ektars were available in Kodak or Graphic badged Kodak shutters, Supermatic or Flash Supermatic in several variations.

Another critical aspect is the distance between elements when they are mounted in the shutter. I do not know of a spec sheet for the Optar or Ektar lens. Hopefully one of the more knowledgeable lens experts will help out.

The 152 Ektar uses a Supermatic X shutter that is larger than what most of the Ektars used. I beleive it was available in the Wollensak Graphex shutter also. In any event, these shutters do not conform to the Copal sizes, either inside or outside threads. When drilling a lensboard, you just have to measure the diameter of the threads on the back of the shutter for size.

hey all

I just got out my Ektars lens to take a look

ok I will call it A B C D shutters

A it needs a 30mm hole in the lens board its on 101mm

B is the 800 speed shutter it needs a 30mm hole in the lens board its on 101mm

C it needs a 35mm hole in the lens board its on 105mm 100WFmm 127mm 203mm

D it needs a 44.5mm hole in the lens board its on 152mm 135WFmm

#4 ACME is a 70mm hole on my 190WFmm

may this will help

banjo

PS a optar 90mm needs a hole 30mm
optar 101mm , 8" Raptat-tele about 34mm
Compur 00 25mm
Compur 0 32.5mm
Compur 1 39mm

Banjo, if you go over to www.skgrimes.com and look at their Copal shutter specs, you'll see that the recommended hole sizes are larger than the shutter's rear barrel. This is because retaining rings have a centering projection; the recommended holes take this into account.

I think this is another way in which rest-of-world standard shutters differ from Rochester standard.