One man's junk is another man's treasure!

Fast lens Aero Ektar f 2.5 A short history.. Designed by Dr. Paul Rudolph in 1896 based on the double Gauss design (in 1817, C F Gauss described a telescope objective consisting of a pair of meniscus shaped elements, one positive, and one negative.) The design was 4 groups of 6 elements, and a flat field design. Symmetrical optical configuration producing low spherical aberration and astigmatism. The normal wide airspace separating the positive and negative elements in the double gauss design made a large amount of spherical aberration. Rudolph thickened the negative elements and reduced the airspace as much as possible, which corrected the spherical aberration and the sagittal/ tangential astigmatic aberration. Rudolph also inserted a "buried surface" into the thick negative elements of a cemented interface separating two type of glass having the same refractive index, but different dispersive powers. Not widely used until coating processes were available, due to light loss from the large number of transmission surfaces causing very low contrast. Due to it's complexity and high number of transmission surfaces, it really did not come into it's own until coating was developed. The planar was used as a base for lens derivatives, though in asymmetric form. Almost all the high-aperture lenses supplied on Japanese cameras are modification on the Planar. The Aero Ektar is a well know variant of six element Double Gauss designs.

Patent issued 1944 Full name: Kodak Aero-Ektar f2.5 7in (178mm) 5x5 EE ****, Made in USA by Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y. According the prescription USP 2,343,627 (Aklin/Kodak) it is a seven element Biotar type. It has 6 stops: 2.5, 4.0, 5.6, 8.0, 11.0, 16.0 llllllllllllllll It is a tradition among optical designers to present lens designs for the focal length 100 mm. This way they can compare designs with a standard focal length. To make it into the focal length 178 mm, multiply all dimensions by 1.78. To make it into the 12 in (305 mm) f2.5 version, multiply all dimensions by 3.05. llllllllllllllll

Production Production started somewhere in 1940. All Serno's start with capital E which stands for 4 CAMEROSITY - 1234567890 (use this coding to find year of production. The lens was designed and developed for the Aerial cameras a.o K24 during WWII and used with Flash-bombs for Rec. missions. This a high quality lens made by Kodak for the American government. The mega order did cost some green ones...Lenses were USD 800 If you look at the aperture you will understand, i've never seen a construction of 15 blades. The K-24 shown here is a manual type and designed for 5x5In film. Most cameras however were electronically operated.(See below) Complete cameras can be obtained from E-bay, prices from USD 99 and up. Shipment can be steep as weight exceeds lbs 30. llllllllllllllll

Aero Technica 45 Probably thanks to the experience gained during WWII the Linhof Aero Technica 45 evolved. Compact motorized camera system primarily for high quality oblique aerial photography. Large 4x5 in. or 6x9 cm images on 5 in. or 70 mm perforated rollfilm (approx. 150 exposures per magazine load). llllllllllllllll

Master Technica 45 According many photographers this camera is the non plus ultra. Allthough our Speed Graphic sometimes referred to as "The Poor Man's Master Technika" , we know our Pacemaker beats the Master on one important feature at least - The focal plane shutter. Simple construction but reliable and a must have to work with barrel lenses. We have to disappoint Linhof owners who want to mount the Aero Ektar and want to experiment....Sorry, it won't work even if it is possible at all to get it mounted, you still will need a big black hat to control the shutter time. llllllllllllllll

Stainless steel This is a Graflex 3x4 completely covered with stainless steel. This camera was made for a crime photographer for the Toronto Star News Paper. His name was Norm James. The camera he used had a CARL ZEISS LENS (TESSAR)1:4.5/200 - Set in compur shutter, Leitz rangefinder. Photograph by Peter Visniar llllllllllllllll

US MARINE Graflex From the 1940s and the latter days of World War II, shown here is a very rare Folmer Graflex 4x5 military combat press camera in excellent condition. Made by Folmer-Graflex of Rochester, New York, 1944 and 1946. This camera bears the serial number, 1969. The lens on this camera is a 127mm. f/4.7 Kodak Anastigmat Special with the serial number, EE1171. The “EE” prefix on the number indicates a Kodak manufacture date of 1944. The camera was the property of the U.S. Marine Corp. But it was apparently transferred to the U.S. Navy, because there’s a brass Navy i.d. plate. llllllllllllllll

Master Graf ??? Hybrid Camera? No way, just a Century Graphic (2-1/4x3-1/4). I must admit the anatomical grip is a nice add-on but at a price these days! Modern plasmats can be used.... llllllllllllllll

Pacemaker Speed Graphic 45 This is the Pacemaker Speed Graphic from the fifties with a WWII lens - Aero Ektar 178 In (1944). The combination was successfully adapted and adopted by David Burnett (2004). Takes 4x5 sheet film, Polaroid 5* series, 120 rollfilm. llllllllllllllll

Early Model Got in an early Aero Ektar with a Serno EA350. Assuming production started in 1940, I'm not so sure as this number is very low. Lens has a BF of 123.25mm, a non removable lenshood. Glass is in very good state, though coated definitely not multi-coated. Unfortunately the aperture is jammed by two loose iris blades, thus making a nice paper weight probably..... However under Jo's tutelage I managed to place the iris blades back on their place... llllllllllllllll Shown left the dismantled rear group. Aero-Ektars are fairly easy to take apart. At least on the rear, the lenses use threaded collars with fine threads to hold the glass cells in place. The only "trick" to look out for is that Kodak liked to use very small locking screws to prevent the collars from rotating / unthreading. Old Schneider lenses tend have the same locking screws. So search for a very small screw on the side of the collar, remove first, then simply unscrew the large diameter collar. Clearly you can see the yellowish/brownish hue on the rear group caused by radio aktive glass.. There's a cure though!! View inside the Aperture housing from above. First we had to find the correct place to refit the loose blades. As it was clear somebody else tampered with this before, we could not be sure the open holes were the correct place. Actually we had to replace some notches to refit the loose blades in the proper sequence. The Aero Ektar EA350 resuscitated after total CLA. As I'm also from EA, I am pretty sure this lens will outlive me without problems... llllllllllllllll

Disassembled Aero Ektar (EA***) W A R N I N G      DISCLAIMER Dismantling is quite straightforward, however... Using the wrong tools and applying force can easily damage your unique Aero Ektar. If in doubt, don't even think about it! If you want to proceed be warned: You do these modifications and disassembling at your own risk! llllllllllllllll If neccessary to clean the lens from the inside, the lens must be taken apart. Of course I know, a little dust on- or little glass bubbles in - the elements won't do much harm or interfere at all with actual image making but....I want my lenses as clean as possible and my Makers Mark without ice. Dismantling the elements is not a walk in the park due to the bad state of the screws( Did not see any screws not tampered with!) . I persevered however and managed to get the lens elements and the diaphragm tube apart. Look for tiny screws - one on the back barrel and one in front. These are just screws to avoid movement on the front and back part of the lens. If you are very lucky the screws are not damaged by pre owners... Once removed it is not neccessary to replace them though... I don't plan any rides in a B-25 shortly so there is little danger the elements will getting loose due to bumps and rocking while airborn in a flying fortress. Modern plasmats have their front and rear lenses only screwed in the shutter also. Of course you can use the screws to lock the barrels, but most of the time they will be damaged badly. Eventually, the lens will come apart in 3 parts i.e Front lens, aperture barrel and back lens. Click image left to get a clear view of the location of the screws. To access the screw at the front element you have to unlock the black aperture ring beforehand! The screw in front is partially hidden by the aperture ring and must be removed. Two screws are in here also, take them out and turn the ring till it clears the screw in front. Hence, replacing the aperture ring might be tricky, you have to find the holes in the brass ring underneath. Making marks before you start will shorten assembling considerably! llllllllllllllll

Specs We only can give the specs from the model we have EE. One thing we know is that the lenshood in the earlier versions is not removeable. Note the numbering around the lens is closer to the glass elements as with the later versions. Also the aperture plate is not available on the earlier models. Dimensions: Overall Length: 113 mm Width front Ø : 120 mm (With shade) Width front Ø : 084 mm (Without shade) Width back Ø : 074 mm Width back Ø : 078 mm (Incl. Thread) Weight : 1500 gram Back focus : BF 122.8 can differ....lens specific. llllllllllllllll

Mounting the Aero Ektar Aero Combo - refer as Mod II #I Spacer and retaining ring The whole project was discussed by extensive phone and E-mail communication with Jo Lommen  (Jo is an expert on restoring Press Cameras and much more.)in Roermond (NL). This was a very important start after buying the Aero Ektar EE*****. We looked over different possibilities to mount the beast. In our pursuit we've found images of David Burnett and came in contact. As David kindly shared photographs of his own configuration, we decided to go for this solution. In our minds this was not extremely difficult to do but... Jo's contact needed time and the machines had to be programmed in between huge commercial contracts. The right material had to be chosen etc.. The waiting payed off, resulting in very nice crafted rings. Only one word.. jumps to our mind...AWESOME! The rings were not made of steel but bronze instead. As the lens tube itself is made of bronze, steel on bronze could easily oxydate and could result in sticking a few days short of foreever...! llllllllllllllll

In progress.... #II The lensboard Construction. The material used was brushed aluminium with a thickness of 1mm The hole to be drilled must be 78mm . The backside was covered with black Decifix. Eventual reflection should be absorbed now. Comprehensive workout at Jo's Site llllllllllllllll

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Official release aug. 1948

Alternate mounting solution. Graflex Combo - refer as Mod I By now you will have read any syllable about the mounting of the Aero Ektar, but there are more ways... We have found this construction consisting of an original Graflex lensboard with a mounted tube. Actually this machining is done the way Steve Grimes did on Frank Petronio's camera. The tube accepts any Aero Ektar directly by means of a threaded collar inside. As the total weight is in front of the lensboard now, it is mandatory to use a support. Though the solution is very good and stable, we find it difficult to tilt the lens occasionally. Notice the short bellows draw , which makes it extremely difficult to handle the knobs on the front standard. N O T E :: There is one big advantage though on using this setup. Changing lenses is much easier and faster with this tube! Ideal would be two cameras - One for the Aero Ektar and another body for the rest of your glass. N O T E :: From Les Newcomer (Graflex org) we learned these tubes actually were made by Graflex! In this shot, the difference in bellows draw is clearly visible. As we own and worked with both we can say there is of course no difference in the actual image making. The distance from the filmplane to the center of the AE is 178mm at infinity. With this knowledge under your belt and our tips, please feel free to pick your choice. Exerpt from Graflex Trade notes - august 1948: Special Lensmount for Aero Ektar Lenses: THE ITEM: Lensmount for 7"Aero Ektar f2.5 lens on Speed Graphics. PROSPECTIVE USERS: Owners of Pacemaker Speed Graphic 45 and earlier model 4x5 Speed Graphic Cameras. PRICE: Cat No. 5518 - Lensmount for Aero Ektar Lens: List $17.50

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Alternate mounting solution. part II Detailed view Detail of the .above construction: Front and rear assembly on original Pacemaker lensboard. Mount the lensboard the usual way...and screw in the Aero to the end stop. Checking GG for infinity while pulling out the front standard and lock. Note: We mentioned this before, this is the second best solution It ressembles the mod and machining of Steve Grimes. This solution was not new, it first appeared on the market in 1948 ref : Mod I Shown here is the original board made by Graflex. The unit clocks a mere 1600 g. Ours is and remains the # 1 choice. Part of the weight of the lens is behind the front panel. Also much more bellows draw for easier tilting..

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Mod I complete for rent... Try before you leap. Biggest advantange of this mount is, the lens can be used without any adaptions on the camera or lensboard! If you live near John.D and own a Speed Graphic, it is possible to try this combination on your personal camera. Rental possible for 3 days(contiguous) at a reasonable price...

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Accessories and other paraphernalia... part I Lens cap The only lens cap I've found is this one shown together with the AE. Vivitar metal slip-on lens cap 85mm.

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Accessories and other paraphernalia... part II Tripod mount The best and most reliable quick mount tripod adapter is the Linhof Quickfix II Two versions exist, the elder one with a red release as the newest one has a chrome release handle. Mounting your SG is a jiffy and extremely helpful in cold weather First image shows both types Shown here is the latest version Quickfix II. It speaks for itself and Linhof, both screws are supplied i.e 1/4" and 3/8" For easy mounting there is a hex wrench hidden in the tripod part. The tripod part has 2 x 1/4" inch holes and one 3/8" hole for perfect placement on your specific tripod. Dimensions: 100 x 60 x 20 mm / Tripod mount: 1/4" und 3/8" / Weight: 320 g

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Accessories and other paraphernalia... part III Polaroid back To do quick tests or just as a master negative (type 55) you will need a Polaroid cassette type 545. During the time several were made from the type 550. All are usable, however if you want to be the sharpest guy on the block, you probably want the 545 Pro. It has a digital readout for several functions. For dim light situations it has a blue button to illuminate the screen. Once you gave in the code for a specific film, the 545 pro will take some guesswork from your creative mind. It can deliver the following information: Type number Ambient temperature Eventual Dev. corrections Development time Audible beep Shown here is the development with Polaroid type 56 resulting in 45 sec. After pulling out the Polaroid it will count down and give an audible beep to remind you to peel apart the film.... More on Filmholders.

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Accessories and other paraphernalia... part IV Filterholders Can anybody shed some light on it? Yes, Oliver Kruse could, thank you Oliver! This is the original filtermount for the K-24 Aero Ektar 7In. Actually the glass drop -in filter has a diameter of 4 1/4 Inch. The mount consists of two parts holding and securing the drop-in filter. The thumbnails below can be enlarged telling the rest of the story...

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Filter Holder ?? llllllllllllllll The filters left measured 6In and were also meant for the Aero Ektar 7In. More likely meant for the 12In. However the diameter of the front shade is about 4,6 In. Probably needed a filter adapter as shown...to be honest it still does not make sense to me. Can anybody shed some light on it? The Mod I by Graflex with Aero Ektar 7 In - Filterholder mounted. If you shoot your model with this...it must be a frightening experience indeed! llllllllllllllll

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Aero Ektar 307mm 12 In llllllllllllllll This is the Aero Ektar 12 In f3.5 The Filterset offered on E-bay seems more appropriate for this lens. The Diameter is much to large to use on The Speed Graphics, however if you own a 8x10 camera it could be a real image catcher :-) Front view of the 12 Inch Aero Ektar. Arithmetic was not the strongest side of the designers or....? 12 Inch is 304.8 mm and not 307 mm! Just pray the design of the lens was calculated with less tolerances.

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Aero Ektar 153mm 6 In llllllllllllllll This is the Aero Ektar 6 In f 2.5 Seems to have an orange coating... Due to smaller size it is no problem to mount this one on a Pacemaker lensboard.

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Working with the Aero Ektar f 2.5 A few notes After you did mount the Aero and adjusted your Kalart RF you're ready to shoot! Remember the Kalart when properly adjusted will focus to 6ft as the shortest distance. Utilizing your Aero for the greatest fun,is working wide open i.e f2.5 - f2.8 If you stop down to f16 you can use any other lens... Beware of the the very small dof at all times. To give a little understanding see our Palm screen. If you focus within 6ft you need the GG and of course a tripod. Focusing at 1.50 meter see the tip of the styli. You will have an ample 4cm ....but an irresistible bokeh! A second screen dump will show the Values for a distance of 10 meter. If you use a palm already read below: Pcam description: David Eubank - 1st Camera Assistant - developer of pCAM, pCINE and Eubank's Log. ... Pcam is shareware. www.davideubank.com One more thing, even mounted on a sturdy tripod, try to avoid camera movement by using a long cable release. Have fun!

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Radio Activity The rear elements of the Aero-Ektar lenses are famous for having thorium glass that is a mild gamma radiation emitter. This lens element does, indeed, emit gamma radiation, approximately 3 mR/hr. according to my Geiger counter. I looked into what exactly this means to the timid photographer. My brief web research indicates that if you put this lens in your (big) pocket for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, after six months you would have been exposed to the 5000 mR maximum permissable annual occupational exposure. So, don't grind it up and eat it, use it for a pillow, make it part of your uniform, or put your body in contact with this device on a regular basis. Beyond a couple feet away, the detected level of radiation disappears into the background. llllllllllllllll Exerpt from Michael S. Briggs See our link for Mr Briggs for more information on Radio Activity!

I want a Combo like this...:

Mod 2 Combo

What do I need to build the Aero Ektar - Speed Graphic: A Pacemaker/Anniversary Speed Graphic with good working FP shutter. Aero ektar 7" Lens Retainer ring Spacer Lensboard with a 78mm hole Mask no 2 Adjusted Rangefinder for 178mm As you probably understand by now, this shopping list is not intended for your local Mall. Instead you have to google and search for the Speed Graphic, the Aero Ektar as well the Mask no 2. The spacer, retaining ring and drilled lenshole will add some more difficulties, look out for a good machinist... It takes a while to get it and a long while to get it right... We get many requests about mounting and/or adapting the Aero Ektar 7In for the smaller formats (6x6cm and 35mm) We give our comments right here to avoid unnecessary bandwidth ;-): This lens was originally designed to shoot aerial photography on 5 by 5 inch roll film. (9 by 9 inch for the 12In Aero Ektar) Doing so and Shooting 35mm or 6x6cm is really underutilizing these lenses. Only a small part of the image circle would be used this way! Someone with machinist access should modify it for 4x5 or 5x7 film formats! Slight vignetting will occur on 5x7! If you want to do M=1 on a 8x10 ..no problem It will cover the format with ease. More on our page about the Image Circle.

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