[LargeFormat] Wollensak 15" Telephoto

[Clive Warren]

At 22:12 20/04/2003 -0700, Richard Knoppow wrote:
>snip
>
>The photos are on the f32.net Discussion Forum at the following URL:
>http://www.f32.net/cgi-local/discus/show.cgi?tpc=6&post=530#POST530"
>Cheers, Clive
>
>   FWIW, the same lens was sold by Graflex as the Tele Optar. The barrel 
> mount cells will mount directly in a #4 Wollensak Alphax shutter.
>   For some reason Wollensak designs are quite variable. The telephotos 
> are excellent, some of the Optar/Raptar lenses for press cameras have 
> excessive coma, and Enlarging Raptars are awful. My Super-D Graflex has a 
> 190mm Optar, made by Wollensak, which is again an excellent lens. Who knows?
>
>Richard Knoppow
>dickburk@ix.netcom.com
>Los Angeles, CA, USA

Richard,

Thanks for the information about shutters. I also have the 15" Tele Optar 
in a barrel. The Tele-Optar is in a black rather than silver barrel and 
seems to weigh more than the Raptar in shutter version. Both lenses are 
coated and have the ubiquitous yellow dot on the filter rim. The shutter is 
a very tight squeeze on a 4x5 Speed Graphic lens board and there's not a 
lot of room for the rear holding ring on the black barrel Optar version.

I have read somewhere that the military version of the lens was made in a 
heavier barrel to cope with a tougher life and have seen examples of the 
lens with military markings. The markings seemed to be made at the factory 
so we can assume that there may have been built to a different specification.

My experience with Wollensak lenses has been generally good - you won't 
find the contrast of modern lenses in their older offerings but it is a 
look and feel that I like anyway. It seems likely that all of the large 
lens manufacturing companies have at least one skeleton in the closet. 
Perhaps into the late 1950's Wollensak were being driven more my 
accountants than designers. It could be that quality control was not what 
it is today and that a few lemons slipped through. There is variability in 
performance between examples of identical lenses from a batch even in 
modern lenses. Also the lenses may have had a difficult life through 
various owners and rebuilds over the years....

Anyway, the 15" Wolly appears to be an excellent lens and certainly capable 
of great results.

Cheers,
            Clive