DIY Shutter for Ektar 111mm f:1.5

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

I have that lens and I want to build a 6x10 cms back for 120 film and a camera body and the wooden tripod.
Problem , there is neither shutter nor diaphgram on the lens. Lens is very high speed and the films also.
How can I make a shutter for that large diameter lens ? I dont want to lose the shallow DOF and I need a fast working solution can be installed to that camera. May be a sliding slit ? But I dont want to add a slit as a second lens to the system because of additional abberrations if there is . What can be the solution. I will photograph the buildings , sunsets , my mother and may be crowded night streets. No moving compositions generally. I dont want to spend for any hardware and filter.

Umut

EASmithV · Jan 1, 2012

The easiest way would be to mount it on a Graflex and get a 6x12 back. Would you be mounting this on a view camera to begin with? You should look into Packard Shutters, or Thornton Packard shutters.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

EASmithV,

I will build a camera bymyself , basic as a barn door. What are the prices of these shutters ? But I prefer a trick from old timers as basic as a hat or a pinhole camera shutter with a spring. But I am open to all suggestions. I will build a back like Hasselblad with 6x10cms sizes.

Umut

Ian Grant · Jan 1, 2012

A Thornton Pickard roller blind shutter would work perfectly with the lens, hoever that f1.5 Ektar sounds like a Projector lens from a slide projector and it probably doesn't have an image circle large enough for 6x6 let alone 6x10.

Ian

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

2¼ $140 $165 $220 $340 $38 4½

Packard shutters are impossible for me.

Umut

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

Ian ,

I tried the lens with box and paper , it is hugely cover the sizes. I will look to that product.

Umut

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

Ian ,

It is what I thought , slit on textile with springs. I think I can build one. Slit is a lens also and it has abberations. Do you think it does or not add abberations to the lens. I saw pictures of Aero Ektar and it was the best. If this lens is similar , I dont want to lose it.

Umut

Ian Grant · Jan 1, 2012

You may be lucky with the lens Umut, I just looked in my late 1940'sKodak Referance Handbook but there's no 111mm f1.5 Ektar listed, however it's almost ceratinly newer anyway possibly.

Thornton Pickard shutters are quite different to Packard shutters, in fact they were the very first Roller blind shutters paptented in 1888 and made up until the early 1960's so there's plenty around. They can fit between lens and camera or be front mounted on a lens. If your lucky they can be found for around £10 (less than 30 ytl).

Ian

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

Ian ,

It is Kodak Fluro Ektar 111mm f :1.5 Mag.1:6 RAII0. I bought it from street seller for 50 cents and it is 10 pounds or so. It has a wonderful huge deeply screwed aluminum parasoleil with screw holes on the rim which makes possible to attach to somewhere somehow. Its sitting as a collection part for 14 years , what a shame !

Do you know a online seller for shutter from England ? Brits dont get leg and arm when it comes to postage.

Happy New Years !

By the way Fluroid glass is from end of the war by Kodak and it could be from 50s , someone read the code and said 1954 or 1957 years ago.

Umut

Ian Grant · Jan 1, 2012

Umut, I'd test that lens first I'm not 100% sure it'll work well as a conventional camera lens. The Fluoro-Ektar lenses are usually optimised for mid Green and 16:1 magnification.

The easiest way to test the lens would be with a plate camera and a roll film back (or sheet film) if you know someone in Istanbul with one.

It's possibly too large a lens for the common TP shutters, bigger versions are rarer & expensive.

Ian

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

Ian ,

I am focusing the lens on paper and everything seem to me perfect. I asked the green correction issue several years ago but people told me , not important. What can be the result , blue and reds would be have astigmatism ? What is the meaning of 1:16 magnification. My paper is a A4 and I think it was covering it but I need to find a new box if I needed to try again.
Back side diameter is less than 6 cms , is it too much for shutter. I am thinking to use it around my home because it is extremelly heavy , it can harm a arm.

Do you have a idea for lowering FP4 ASA to 1 ?

Thank you ,

Umut

Ian Grant · Jan 1, 2012

You could use Micro-film if you can find some, the ones I used were around 6 ISO

The 16:1 bit means the lens is optimised for a close up subject approx 12" across and with 35mm films (usually), in many ways it's similar to an oscilloscope lens.

The achromatization to mid green means that if the lens is used normally then there's shifts in focus depending on the colours in a scene effectively giving quite a soft fucus lens not really correctable by stopping down.

This is an example of your lens in use.

6cm is slightly larger than the commonest TP shutter.

Ian

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

Ian ,

I am very impressed with the picture , its like russian optics but better than them , I liked the smoothness and original colors.

I have a Cosina SLR and when I put the lens front of it , it works as a powerful tele , even 500 meters is not enough to cover more than 1 building.

How this DG1 Panasonic succeed to use that lens as wideangle lens , or the distance is very great , may be kilometer.

Is my lens is the same ? May be the sensor size small.

Can you explain that ?

Thank you ,

Umut

EASmithV · Jan 1, 2012

Do a search on APUG for the Jim Galli shutter. You could always stack ND filters instead of using F-stops. Your DOF is going to be incredibly thin, I hope you realize. You'd probably have better luck shooting sheet film.

Or you can try x-ray film. I'm running out of Foma 200, so i'm going to be looking into it myself.

Ian Grant · Jan 1, 2012

It'll be acting as a moderate telephoto on 35mm ans more likea 135mm with a smaller sensor. My guess is the image was shot from another apartment block maybe 1/2 km away.

Note the shutter speed used was 1/3200th the f1 is a default reading if the lens isn't coupled and it was 100 ISO

It's such a specialist lens but it's the same as yours, there was also an f0.75 version.

Ian

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

EASmithV ,

Thank you. I will look for it but Ian's post was very interesting. I researched his link and found same lens with mine but why 35 SLR body is seeing the image as powerful tele and digital as wideangle. I am trying to resolve that now.

Umut

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

Thank you Ian , I will use the lens on 35 mm at Bosphorus if I can carry it to there.

Best ,

Umut

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

New question ,

Fluro Ektar is telescopic design , where the narrowest section is tubular and at the back , shiny brass and 6 cms wide. How can I attach Cosina to Ektar , focusable !

thank you ,

Umut

Matthew Rusbarsky · Jan 1, 2012

Google around for "gravity shutter" and "Waterhouse stop".

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 1, 2012

Matthew ,

Gravity Shutter sounds like great idea, no spring, no rolls. Great !

Umut

John Koehrer · Jan 1, 2012

Mustafa Umut Sarac said:
Matthew ,

Gravity Shutter sounds like great idea, no spring, no rolls. Great !

Umut

They're also called "drop shutters" Very simple to make and make several different
slides with narrower openings to give you higher shutter speeds too.

DIY Shutter for Ektar 111mm f:1.5

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