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Raptar 65mm question
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cariocakev



Joined: 27 May 2011
Posts: 7
Location: Denver

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2011 4:57 pm    Post subject: My 65mm Raptar works beautifully on my Pacemaker 23 SPEED! Reply with quote

I know this is an antique thread, but I read it as I researched and wanted to add to the info "out there."

I recently came across a 65mm f/6.8 Raptar being sold by an estate sale trawler on ebay. The lens (and bakelite board) were being sold separately from a pre-Pacemaker mini Speed Graphic. I assumed since the two packages were the only photo gear that person was selling that the lens was used with the camera. I bought it figuring it would only work better on the linked rails of my Pacemaker 23 Speed (yes, Speed) Graphic. I was right!

The lens is mint and obviously newer than the Graphic it was originally bought for. It's in a synchro Rapax shutter with MFX sync, cable release socket and press focus lever. Today I got the lens board for it, mounted it and found that it will focus to infinity with about 5mm to spare on my camera. It seems very sharp (though a test is pending) and covers adequately for the very modest movements possible on a Graphic -- some tilt, a few mm of shift or rise. My anticipation is that at f/11 and beyond it will be sharp enough for a 16X20. Wide open it will have the cool mystery of a vintage lens and look very cool at 16X20. That's all I could ask for in a lens so small and light.

So perhaps it is a matter of a particular lens, its mounting, or the bellows of the camera in use as to whether it makes infinity. And if it doesn't, hyperfocal could be your friend. I'll report again on sharpness after I have a chance to sling into the pack and take this tiny new addition on a good hike.
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cariocakev



Joined: 27 May 2011
Posts: 7
Location: Denver

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2011 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Make that three millimeters to spare. I just measured. So don't get excited about a 58mm...
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Dan Fromm



Joined: 14 May 2001
Posts: 2119
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2011 10:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting.

I'm surprised that your 65/6.8 will make infinity on a 2x3 Pacemaker Speed. Mine didn't, and according to the bible, 10th ed, isn't recommended for the 2x3 Pacemaker Speed. Century/2x3 Crown, yes, Speed no. Good for you.

As for me, wrong again. I wonder why my 65/6.8 wouldn't work on my little Speed.

Whether a 58 can be used on a 2x3 Pacemaker Speed depends on the 58. The 58/5.6 Grandagon sold for the XL works fine on mine, but mounting it is a pain. Unscrew rear cell, put shutter and board on front standard, pass rear cell through the gate, screw into the back of the shutter. I have a 60/5.6 Konica Hexanon, ex-Koni-Omega, that covers 2x3 and that mounts normally and focuses through infinity on my 2x3 Pacemaker Speed. I'd like to have a K-O 58/5.6 but I have the 60 and 58s are too expensive. The good enough is the enemy of the better.
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cariocakev



Joined: 27 May 2011
Posts: 7
Location: Denver

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2011 10:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Now stop tempting me with even wider Dan! I stand pat, even if the Raptar is soft. I'll make do (might even like it more, being that I'm weird that way).

Hard to say why this combo works. Perhaps it's enchanted, sent back from the great beyond by the former owner...
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Dan Fromm



Joined: 14 May 2001
Posts: 2119
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2011 12:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As long as you restrain yourself and have only a 2x3 Speed you're safe. AFAIK the 58s I mentioned are the shortest lenses that can be used on a 2x3 Pacemaker Speed and 58 isn't that much wider than 65. The 53/4.5 Biogon looks possible but the one person I know who's tried reported that its rear cell won't go through the gate.

If you want as wide as possible on 2x3, get a 2x3 Crown or a Century. The shortest lens that covers 2x3 is the 35/4.5 Apo Grandagon. I have one, use it on my Century. Again, the rear cell has to be squeezed through the gate and attached from behind. I'm of two minds about the center filter, which costs only half as much as the lens. Start saving your small monetary units ...

The 47/5.6 Super Angulon's rear cell will clear the front standard and is a more useful lens. Same goes for the 47/8 SA. I have a 5.6er, use it on my Century.
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cariocakev



Joined: 27 May 2011
Posts: 7
Location: Denver

PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:32 pm    Post subject: First Raptar shot Reply with quote

So here's a first test of that 65mm Raptar on the Pacemaker 23 Speed Graphic. My opinion so far is that it prints a delicious 11X14, a good-for-most-purposes 16X20, and after that probably falls apart. I made high-res inkjet prints of details from the full 105MP scan for that determination. The linked image, scanned at 12MP which gets to the grain on a Fuji neg, shows nice color and contrast. This frame is not as sharp as I might like for a fine-grain B/W neg at a gallery enlargement. This one is at f/11 @ about 3 seconds.

However, this was a one-setup roll of film, and the lens is tough to focus in dark circumstances -- it is a 6.8. I will shoot again before knowing the full story. I also shot this with my lovely old Graphic 23 roll backs, which may or may not have perfect film plane alignment. I'll do a shot or two or three on Efke 25 sheets in solid Graphic film holders to see if there's a difference.

Looking at one? Buy it like I did for less than half the price of a Super Angulon, or get the SA. If I use this length a lot, I'll inevitably trade up.

http://www.KevinMoloney.com/offsite/65_Raptar_test_001.jpg
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cariocakev



Joined: 27 May 2011
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Location: Denver

PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And yes, that's the bed at the bottom. In a rush at the light I forgot to drop it.
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Henry



Joined: 09 May 2001
Posts: 1636
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania

PostPosted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice indeed! Lucky you. My 68 Optar in Graphex MFX, essentially the same set-up as yours in Rapax AFAIK, also yields acceptably sharp prints with a little luck on the focus, but it's always a challenge. Looks like you have a real winner there.
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Capitain Boar



Joined: 20 Mar 2011
Posts: 18
Location: Moscow

PostPosted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:53 pm    Post subject: Wide angle for Pressman Reply with quote

Are there any cheap 65mm lenses for Model C Pressman?
I mean that they cost less than $100.
Wil I need to drop the bed with a 65 mm Lens?
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cariocakev



Joined: 27 May 2011
Posts: 7
Location: Denver

PostPosted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Привет капитана,

A 65mm that would work on a Graphic should work on a Pressman C. Whether or not you would need to drop the bed depends on how long the bed and rails are. I don't have one so I would not know. As you can see from the image I posted, the bed certainly needs to be dropped on a Speed Graphic. Maybe another can answer that question.

As for inexpensive, the Raptar and Optar 65s tend to be the lowest, but only less than $100 if you are willing to wait and watch. Mine was just under $100 shipped.

Good luck!
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"Photography has flourished for a century and a half with only two real subjects: beauty, and bad news." -- Larry McMurtry

Kevin Moloney Photography
http://www.KevinMoloney.com
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Capitain Boar



Joined: 20 Mar 2011
Posts: 18
Location: Moscow

PostPosted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Спасибо!

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