Astragon lens - question

madsox · Mar 2, 2023

Looking through Dad's LF gear, I found what may be the lens for one of the 4x5 bodies. It's marked as Astragon on the cap, then seikosha-slv vxm on the body (is that the shutter?), and is a 180mm f/6.3 lens. There's also a Toyo type L lens board I found in the same box, separate from the cameras. Would that lens match with that board, and would that then fit either a Calumet Cambo SC or a Nagaoka Seisakusho camera (both 4x5s)?

This lens wasn't in the equipment list dad left me, so I'm not sure where it belongs. The few google-y references I find seem to point at it being for a 4x5, but asking here is always good.

(Side note, Dad's gear is mostly going up on the classified section, please take a look and give feedback on pricing, etc.)

abruzzi · Mar 2, 2023

a 180 is definitly a 4x5 lens. "seikosha-slv vxm" does indicate the shutter size, just the maker and some features. Fitting a lens to a lens board is all about the hole size. The common copal/compur #0, #1, #3 had sommon hole sizes--34.6mm, 41.6mm, and 65mm. So you'll need to measure the rear of the lens and the size of the hole--or since you have both in hand, just try fitting them and see if they fit. That the beauty of LF lenses, just about anything fits anything if you can et the right size hole.*

* there are occasionally interference issues with large shutter that back up agains small standards.

EDIT: I forgot to address lensboards and cameras--Every LF camera takes a spcific lens board. Some cameras (usually from smaller makers) reuse lens board designs for larger manufacturers like Linhof or Sinar. So the Toyo lens baord will only fit a Calumet or Nagoka if those cameras were designed to take Toyo boards. You'll even find some lens boards that are nearly the identical size, but dont fit due to the placement of light traps--like the Sinar 140mm and Arca Swiss 141mm boards--they aren't compatible either direction.

xkaes · Mar 2, 2023

"Astragon" on the cap might mean that it is an Astragon lens, but most lenses are marked somewhere with a name or serial #. Pictures would really help.

jimgalli · Mar 4, 2023

They were superb little Tessar type lenses probably made by Congo in Japan. I have a picture hanging 8 feet away made with a 6.3 Astragon 180mm. Not worth a lot though. If the shutter is snappy and sounds right at the different settings, I'd probably try to get $125 for it. If the shutter's hanging as slower speeds let someone have it for $75 or so telling up front it needs a "clean".

xkaes · Mar 4, 2023

Jim,
Since you know about these lenses, do they have a name on the lens? somewhere?

xkaes · Mar 4, 2023

Here's the answer. Is this what you have:

abruzzi · Mar 4, 2023

What Jim stated about Congo as the manufacturer is what I have generally found as well (nothing official, just repeated hearsay). I have a 90mm ƒ6.8 "Wide Angle Astragon", though I've never tried to determine the maker of that one. Its a small lens, so I've assumed WF Ektar clone or Angulon clone thogh I'm sure there are other wide angle designs.

madsox · Mar 4, 2023

Pics coming tomorrow, but this (posted by xkaes) does look like the lens I have here.

xkaes · Mar 5, 2023

Did the face-plate fall off?

jimgalli · Mar 5, 2023

Where are the pictures?

madsox · Mar 5, 2023

Where are the pictures? Right here!

Note that I don't actually know how to operate this lens, so... just trying to figure out what I've got here.

Edit - yes, I do. Works like a Copal, it was just sticky at first. Worked it very gently, realized which are the cocking knob and the shutter release, and tried it out. Shutter speeds seem to progress about right (I can test later, once I get my Photoplug from Filmomat working) and the aperture stops down correctly.

xkaes · Mar 5, 2023

Thank you. Mystery solved.

jimgalli · Mar 5, 2023

That one looks almost mint. BTW for selling the lensboard with it's box might get you $30 by itself if you separated the lens from the board and sold them separately.

madsox · Mar 5, 2023

jimgalli said:
That one looks almost mint. BTW for selling the lensboard with it's box might get you $30 by itself if you separated the lens from the board and sold them separately.

Dad did always take very good care of his photo gear. That, I learned from him.

And it turns out that's not the right box for the lensboard - not sure which one it goes with, but the board that lens is on is larger than a Type L. If I do have the one for that box, I might could bundle them together.

Not sure I want to get into selling every single bit as separate pieces, though.

Dan Fromm · Mar 5, 2023

madsox said:
Where are the pictures? Right here!

Note that I don't actually know how to operate this lens, so... just trying to figure out what I've got here.

Edit - yes, I do. Works like a Copal, it was just sticky at first. Worked it very gently, realized which are the cocking knob and the shutter release, and tried it out. Shutter speeds seem to progress about right (I can test later, once I get my Photoplug from Filmomat working) and the aperture stops down correctly.

Works like a Copal? Not exactly.

madsox said:
Where are the pictures? Right here!

Note that I don't actually know how to operate this lens, so... just trying to figure out what I've got here.

Edit - yes, I do. Works like a Copal, it was just sticky at first. Worked it very gently, realized which are the cocking knob and the shutter release, and tried it out. Shutter speeds seem to progress about right (I can test later, once I get my Photoplug from Filmomat working) and the aperture stops down correctly.

View attachment 331497

Works like a Copal? Not exactly. The tab sticking out of the shutter at ~ 8 o'clock will open the shutter for focusing. To use it, cock the shutter and pull the tab out. To close the shutter, push the tab back in. The shutter will stay cocked, ready for shooting.

madsox · Mar 5, 2023

Dan Fromm said:
Works like a Copal? Not exactly. The tab sticking out of the shutter at ~ 8 o'clock will open the shutter for focusing. To use it, cock the shutter and pull the tab out. To close the shutter, push the tab back in. The shutter will stay cocked, ready for shooting.

Oh, nifty. Yah, I never did anything with large format, that was strictly a "Dad" thing. It's neat to learn about all this stuff though.

abruzzi · Mar 6, 2023

its kind of weird how the smallest aperture on the aperture plate is ƒ63, not ƒ64. so it threw me off at first glance because one side is ƒf63 (with the period not printed) and the other side is ƒ63.

Astragon lens - question

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