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jpmose · Joined: 29 May 2001 Posts: 164 Location: Atlanta, GA

I just bought a nice condition Pre-anniversay Speed Graphic but haven't received it yet. It has a 15cm Goetz Berlin Dagor f/6.8 (serial number 436642). I REALLY don't know anything about this lens other than hear say. So I would appreciate any facts you can give me. One question I do have: What difference do the Berlin Dagors have over the American ones? Thanks for your time!

JP Mose

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Best regards,

JP Mose

Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682 Location: Detroit, MI

Berlin Dagors, in general will be older than US dagors, but should perform almost as well (US dagors will benefit from being newer)

Now there is a caveat. Burke & James imported several boxcars of second rate Berlin Dagors and they are still on the market. These were also re-pacackaged as Carl Meyer lenses.

If this lens is original to the camera then it's probably a good one, If the owner was a scrounger looking for a deal...... well let's just say it may make a great portrait lens.

Dagors by design will be lower in flare, very sharp and contrasty with a good deal of movement for it's focal lenght.

the detractions is that it's relatively slow (compared to a tessar) and it suffers from focus shift, so should be focused at the taking aperture, for critical focusing. One of these days I will take my own advice.