Graflex.org

[Nick]

If the search is for a small 150mm then the G-claron is tiny. 35.5mm filter size or around that. #0 shutter. The things are slow at F/9. Other then the wierd filter size that's the only real negative.

[djon]

Rodenstock and Schneider view lenses on EBay , excluding the press camera lenses (Heliars, Xenars, Xenotars, Planars) are DESCRIBED as having some element separation...seems like two out of three. This seems never the case with Fuji or Nikon.

If this is a correct observation, here are two further thoughts:

1) Twenty years ago the commercial studio photogs I knew preferred Nikon/Fuji while the scenic/Ansel crowd obviously preferred Rodenstock and Schneider...neither bought fast (press) lenses. I'm guessing the scenic types left their lenses in car trunks in very hot and very cold weather, and that the pros rarely did.

2) Maybe the press lens elements are glued together better.

[Dan Fromm]

[djon]

A number of the Schneider/Rodenstock pics have been good enough to demonstrate something worse than Schneideritis. Don't recall if I've seen that with Caltars, but I'd expect with them too if my heat/amateur theory has validity.

When people own expensive lenses and mention separation they frequently are fastidious in showing the problem on EBay.

Of the several dozen modern lenses I've owned (Nikkor 35SLR/35RF/view, Goertz, Wollensak, Fuji, Canon FD, Ektar, Commercial Ektar, XL Planar, Heliar, XL Grandagon, uncoated Tessar, Leica Elmar/Summicron * none (0)* have had separation. My mother's Bantam Special (f2 Ektar) had the beginnings ...lovely snowflakes (incredibly fine camera, better format tan 35..sigh).

[disemjg]

Both my 15" Tele Optar and Tele Raptar have complete annular separations in the rear cell. The speparation extends between 1 ~ 1 1/2mm from the edge. The design, or perhaps the cement used or the process employed may have made these 15" lenses susceptable to the separations. I have only examined the two lenses that I own, and the separations may be a fluke.

I have, literally, have had or currently own hundreds of lenses. Separations are rare, and the only other lens I have right now with this problem is a Nikon RF 35 f2.5 that has a few small "stars". They have no effect on the photos, but saved me about a hundred bucks. I just hope they never grow any larger, and do not develop brothers and sisters. I will admit that an edge separation would worry me a lot more that the stars, as it is more likely to continue to spread until the cementing fails completely. Avoid such a lens unless the separation is not too bad, and the price takes the defect into consideration. For my two 15" lenses, I paid something like $35 for one and $70 for the other. The price was right.

And yes, I would consider heat to be a factor in developing the separations.