Kodak Aero Ektar 6" f/2.5 questions

[blee1996]

Hi, I recently acquired an Aero Ektar 6" f/2.5 locally, and have a few questions,

This lens does not have any aperture control, and the middle barrel looks like wood-colored synthetic material. I saw a few other specimens online with the same barrel in the middle. Are they after-market modifications when company buys out military surplus and convert to civilian use? Or are they original? I do see even fewer specimens online which has an aperture control. Since I will shoot it wide open most of the times, I will just make do with a couple of waterhouse aperture discs directly sandwiched between the front & back groups in the rare occasions when I needed.

All the serial numbers I have seen started with RR, which means 1955. They are all coated (lumenized) with beautiful colors. The rear group has some usual yellowing, so that needs to be bleached out in the sun or UV light.

I'm lucky to find it with original yellow filter, front and back caps. But there is no obvious way to mount it, since there is no mounting threads for flange or mounting ring. I will have to combine friction mount and some home-rigged fastener. If you happen to have a good way to mount it, please kindly share.

I temporarily mounted it on my Anniversary Speed Graphic 4x5 with gaffe tape, and it seems to illuminate the format well. The image looks nice, with almost identical characteristics of my other 7" Aero Ektar.

Attached a few photos of the front, middle and back.

 

[Bob Merlin]

It's been chopped up probably to use as an astro camera. This is what a "stock" 7" Aero Ektar looks like. The other photo is my Aero Ektar that has had the front cell remounted and a new aperture ring was made. The conversion was done by City Camera out of New York. A good part of their business in the 50s was war surplus aerial cameras and lenses. You could get the 7" 2.5 as "stock" as in the photo, in a modified barrel like mine and in an Exacta mount.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Your 6"/2.5 AE is typical of nearly all of the ones I've seen (Kodak and B&H). Barrel mount with fixed aperture. Like you I've seen a very few in normal barrels with diaphragms, but these are very rare.

If you're serious about making your lens more usable, approach SKGrimes about putting it in a barrel with a diaphragm. Won't be cheap.

If you're serious about mounting it permanently on an Anny board, the cheap way is hot glue. The expensive way is a circular clamp that goes around the lens' circumference held to the board by a screw or two. My 1.75"/2.8 Elcan is mounted this way. SKGrimes did the work, not cheap.

 

[lobitar]

Hi, I recently acquired an Aero Ektar 6" f/2.5 locally, and have a few questions,

This lens does not have any aperture control, and the middle barrel looks like wood-colored synthetic material. I saw a few other specimens online with the same barrel in the middle. Are they after-market modifications when company buys out military surplus and convert to civilian use? Or are they original? I do see even fewer specimens online which has an aperture control. Since I will shoot it wide open most of the times, I will just make do with a couple of waterhouse aperture discs directly sandwiched between the front & back groups in the rare occasions when I needed.

All the serial numbers I have seen started with RR, which means 1955. They are all coated (lumenized) with beautiful colors. The rear group has some usual yellowing, so that needs to be bleached out in the sun or UV light.

I'm lucky to find it with original yellow filter, front and back caps. But there is no obvious way to mount it, since there is no mounting threads for flange or mounting ring. I will have to combine friction mount and some home-rigged fastener. If you happen to have a good way to mount it, please kindly share.

I temporarily mounted it on my Anniversary Speed Graphic 4x5 with gaffe tape, and it seems to illuminate the format well. The image looks nice, with almost identical characteristics of my other 7" Aero Ektar.

Attached a few photos of the front, middle and back.

My specimen of the 6"/2.5 A.E. has aperture stops from 2.5 - 28 and a mounting thread (don't remember if there is a flange, and as at present stowed away in the attic can provide no picture). Not yet got around to testing it.