For Sale Bell & Howell 36" (914mm) Telephoto f8 K-38 Aerial Camera Lens. ULF Project anyone?

[EASmithV]

Hello

I Got into Large Format when I inherited my Grandfather's Graflex. As I shot more, I decided to buy an 8x10 Camera, and built my own from parts view cameras. I didn't exactly know what I was doing, and in my folly, I acquired a massive honking lens. It's from a K-38 aerial camera, designed to cover a 18x18 inch format, so 20x24 is probably well within it's range, assuming that your camera's front standard is strong enough to support the weight of this beast.

The lens is mounted in some sort of shutter for the Aerial Camera, and I'm sure someone with technical know-how could figure out how to make it useful. It's got an adjustable aperture, which is quite beefy. The glass is in great. It comes with both front and rear metal lens caps

The Graflex is not included in the sale, it's for scale. And yes, that's a 4x5 not a 2x3

I'm selling this lens for $500 Please send me your zip code for a shipping quote.
You can see all the photos larger here http://www.flickr.com/photos/73169144@N04/
Thanks!





Tiny Nick in the rear element is the only defect

 

[brian d]

Way out of my range but, it sure would be fun to use it to build your own "big Bertha" good luck with the sale

 

[johnielvis]

what's the focus distance at infinity---this is tele so should be much less than 36"---can you get a measurement say within an inch is good enough...oh...what's it weigh?

 

[johnielvis]

ahh...wait...I see the writing 18.xxx BF..Im assuming that that's the backfocus and the 21.xxx is the flange focus

did you measure the image circle or just go by specs? that rear element don't look like you'd get that much of a wide anle coverage out of it, so it looks like if it was designed for 18x18, then that 's the max coverage (at infinity)...

do you have a link to the specs I can get a looksee at?

 

[EASmithV]

Here are some links about the lens/camera it came from.

I weighed the lens on a Freight scale, and it's 24.5 pounds.

http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00IWO1
http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6413

I'm going to wait till later next week before I think about listing it anywhere other than APUG.

Apparently this lens is thoriated, however there is no yellowing of the glass.

 

[johnielvis]

ahhh..ok...links say 9x18...the 18x18 they say was two of these together somehow....

anyways--they still say 600 image circle....

the weight is way too much though--does it look like you can remover the glass? I'm thinking the only way this would work is a lightweight barrel mount for the glass--ideally the cells themselves can com off the shutter--have you seen any way of doing this--looks like the rear glass can come out easily....and front too...if you use a big spanner....what do you think?

 

[EASmithV]

The lens cells look like they could be easially detached from the shutter unit. I'm afraid to take it apart to try, but the shutter unit itself looks like it could be stripped down to make simple flanges for mounting.

 

[johnielvis]

hmmmmmm...hey....may have promise...gotta let my machinist dude have a looksee at this and see if he thinks he can manage it....thanks.

 

[johnielvis]

oh well...some other folks i asked said that the shutter probably isn't such a significant part of the weight...so if that's the case I can't use it.....however if you can get it apart and weight the shutter and it's like more than half the weight, then i'd still be interested...my intent was to have something 10lbs or less....i know the shutter LOOKS like it's heavy, but other's have said that most of the weight is in the glass itself....oh well....if someone KNOWS the weight of these shutters for sure??????

 

[frobozz]

OK, this is a monster, but there's a 36" f/4.0 lens on ebay...now *that* is a big lens!

Duncan

 

[johnielvis]

36 f4???? yeah..that do sound like some doing

i was looking for a long lens with short backfocus...for a shorter camera---to long telephoto is what I'm after

OK---looks like people with experience with these things say that the shutter is NOT the heaviest part--so it's just plain too heavy for what I want to do....


thanks for answering the questions but my interest has now significantly waned (shall we say)....

unless you got another LONG tele lens (don't care if it's "slow" as long as it has short backfocus length and is LONG)....

thanks all...

I will NOT even LOOK at that 36 f4...well...just to SEE what it looks like ...but that is ALL.

 

[frobozz]

I will NOT even LOOK at that 36 f4...well...just to SEE what it looks like ...but that is ALL.

If you're worried about the weight of the shutter on this lens you should definitely not be looking at that 4.0 lens

Duncan

 

[johnielvis]

the only one I saw was a nikon 35mm slr lens that is 36" f4.....is that what you were talking about?

 

[frobozz]

Search on Perkin Elmer Aerial Lens and you'll see it staring out at you...

Duncan

 

[EASmithV]

It turns out that the lens cells unscrew quite easily from the shutter.

The front element grouping alone weighs 10 pounds
The shutter weighs 7 pounds
The rear element grouping alone weighs 6.5 pounds
The rest of the weight is the metal lenscaps.

The metal casing the lens elements seem heavier than they really need to be.

 

[johnielvis]

W O W!!!!

thanks for the conirmation on that....MAN....that must have MUCH more glass in there than looks! THAT is WAY over the top of any estimate I had in my head....

thanks

 

[EASmithV]

bump and price drop to 450

 

[EASmithV]

still for sale $400
I'll list on Ebay if it doesn't sell here, but I'd rather sell it here and give 3% to APUG

 

[frobozz]

OK, this is a monster, but there's a 36" f/4.0 lens on ebay...now *that* is a big lens!

Duncan

It was for sale for $5000 or best offer... someone bought it at $4000. Yikes!

Duncan

 

[michaelbsc]

It was for sale for $5000 or best offer... someone bought it at $4000. Yikes!

Duncan

Good for him. And quite honestly I hope the person who bought it gets the value out it.

 

[EASmithV]

Good for him. And quite honestly I hope the person who bought it gets the value out it.

I've heard some people use these to build telescopes.

 

[EASmithV]

Sold on eBay.