Ihagee Photoklapp Duplex

I have this old Ihagee camera, which I believe is the Photoklapp Duplex 720 (?) and I was wondering if its possible to switch out the lens? Mine has the CZJ 135mm 1:4.5 Tessar, which isn't too bad in my opinion, but would be nice to include other focal lengths for my set up if possible.

Howl23 said:

I have this old Ihagee camera, which I believe is the Photoklapp Duplex 720 (?) and I was wondering if its possible to switch out the lens? Mine has the CZJ 135mm 1:4.5 Tessar, which isn't too bad in my opinion, but would be nice to include other focal lengths for my set up if possible.

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Does your camera have interchangeable lens panels? Is it a plate-camera or a rollfilm camera? Whether or not it has an interchangeable lens panel you should be able to mount another lens with a suitable shutter, i.e. the right size mounting thread, if your camera is a plate camera. Could you possibly post a pic of your camera?

lobitar said:

Does your camera have interchangeable lens panels? Is it a plate-camera or a rollfilm camera? Whether or not it has an interchangeable lens panel you should be able to mount another lens with a suitable shutter, i.e. the right size mounting thread, if your camera is a plate camera. Could you possibly post a pic of your camera?

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I don't believe it has interchangeable lens panels, but I could be wrong. It is a plate camera, uses 9x12cm plates, but I do have sheet film adapters that I use. I believe a rada film back can be used, but I haven't found one yet to test it. I know the lens can be some what unscrewed as it did happen by accident, but I am too scared of completely removing the lens in fear of damaging the the camera.

I own an almost identical model of this Ihagee camera; in my view its perhaps the best basic 9x12 folder made. Mine only has a Ihagee 3-element lens though, but this lens is very good. The only damage you might do by removing the Tessar lens would be the inside of the bellows when removing the retaining ring, otherwise no danger. Just be a bit careful. Did you want to mount a longer og shorter focal length? The Tessar should be capable of first class work; however in my experience the shorter length Tessars can be quite different i picture quality, one sample from the other.
Your lens/shutter has a 39mm mounting thread, the shutter size is no.1. You may possibly be lucky enough to find tele-photo elements suitable to be mounted in the shutter in place of the Tessar-elements. F.ex. a 240 mm Schneider Tele-Xenar from before the great war would fit right in. The flange to flange distance of the old (prewar) no.1 Compur-shutter is 20mm. This is the same as the latest and newest Copal and Compur no. 1 shutters, but if such a new shutter if small enough to fit your camera I don't know. But if this should happen to be the case you might mount modern lenses on your camera. F.ex. a Schneider G-Claron 9/210 mm would fit into a modern no 1 shutter - but not into the older, prewar no. 1 Compur (unless you can work with a lathe and remove part of the inner thread in the shutter).

I am hoping to mount a shorter focal length for wider shots, but I am curious overall to what lenses I am able to mount to the camera. I had always been told the tessar line of lenses were not the best, but this one has shown me otherwise. I am quite happy with performance.

If you would like to mount lenses with longer focal lengths, be sure you have enough bellows draw/length; a 150mm Tessar will surely fit, but much more might be doubtfull.

However if lobitar was able to put on a 240mm Xenar on a comparable camera, it should be possible to use lengths up to at least 240mm.

If you want to put on shorter focal lengths, be sure that the image circle of the lens is wide enough to cover fully your 9x12 plate: a 'standard' lens for the 9x6,5 plates, like 100mm or 120mm won't cover. What likely will cover are the 90mm Angulons and 100mm and 120mm Weitwinkel Aristostigmats (not sure whether the 80mm will cover: here's more info:https://www.largeformatphotography....itwinkel-Aristostigmat-6-8-f-8cm-Dating/page2). Of course there are also more modern alternatives.

CZJ and Rodenstock sold push on accessory lenses, the Zeiss ones are Proxars for wider angle, and Distars for short telephoto (equivalent). I have a 1.5x Tele Rodenstock version which just fits my 203mm f7.7 Ektar. It fits the 150mm f4.5 Tessar on my 9x12 Patent Etui and will focus to around 9ft.

One (maybe more) of the Ihagee 9x12 cameras had an interchangeable bayonet lens mouth quite similar to their Exacta's, I saw one on eBay around 14 years ago. Voigtlander and Zeiss also had similar mounts.

Ian

Funny enough I just found someone selling the 240mm Tele-Xenar that Lobitar had mentioned on Ebay and its on the exact same shutter I own, so that should be a perfect fit! I have considered accessory lenses, but I haven't found many in good condition, but it has also been a while since I've looked into it, so I will look again and see what I can find.

Thank for you suggesting Angulons and Aristotigmats. I will look into those as well and see if they will fit, as well as the coverage.

My camera doesn't seem to have a bayonet mount, rather it just screws in and locks in place with a ring in the back.

Off-hand I can't think of a suitable wide-angle in a no. 1 rimset Compur. Perhaps you can have an adapter-ring made so as to adapt a no 0 shutter (32,5 mm mounting thread). In that case there will be the Angulon 90mm (both for the pre-war and post-war shutter); I've also seen the WW-Aristostigmat 100 mm in a no. 0 shutter, and perhaps - perhaps - in a no. 1 shutter - not sure. But perhaps you may find something by perusing the Bay.

Despite what some eBay sellers say the 240mm Tele Xenar isn't listed by Schneider as covering 9x12/5x4, there were two versions of the 240mm f5.5 Tele Arton, the one in a Compur #2 shutter covers 5x4, in a Compur #1 6x9. Also be aware that one listed on eBay is in a shutter for a different FL lens so the aperture scale is incorrect, it's probably a shutter for a 150mm f3.5 Xenar.

Those of us who are long time LF users don't switch lenses between lens boards very often, switching lenses on a 9x12 body is not something you would want to be doing frequently, and not when out and about shooting. I looked at attaching a bayonet mount to some lenses to use on a KW Patent Etui, around 2008, there are people who have done this with Pentax K mounts.

Ian

Ian Grant said:

Despite what some eBay sellers say the 240mm Tele Xenar isn't listed by Schneider as covering 9x12/5x4, there were two versions of the 240mm f5.5 Tele Arton, the one in a Compur #2 shutter covers 5x4, in a Compur #1 6x9. Also be aware that one listed on eBay is in a shutter for a different FL lens so the aperture scale is incorrect, it's probably a shutter for a 150mm f3.5 Xenar.

Those of us who are long time LF users don't switch lenses between lens boards very often, switching lenses on a 9x12 body is not something you would want to be doing frequently, and not when out and about shooting. I looked at attaching a bayonet mount to some lenses to use on a KW Patent Etui, around 2008, there are people who have done this with Pentax K mounts.

Ian

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Good point with the covering power of the post-war Tele-Xenars. In fact I own one of these in the no. 1 shutter. It does 'cover' 9x12, but not nicely! However I have a faint recollection of once having seen a pre-war Schneider catalog, and if I'm not mistaken there was then only one size 24 cm Tele-Xenar.

Of course nowadays most don't want to be fiddling with changing lenses in a shutter when on location (even if I did exactly that abt. a fortnight ago, even had 3 sets of Tessar 13,5 f.6.3 lenses, as I wanted to see if there might be a noticeable difference. Not really). But in 'the-good-old-days' before the war, this was routinely done, I believe, and also advertised by the manufacturers. As far as I know all three leading german makers (Schneider, Voigtlander, Zeiss) sold both wide-angle and tele-elements seperately to be exchanged by the user.

But if said Tele-Xenar is seen as mounted in a pre-war Compur no. 1, I should think it would probably be the pre-war version of the lens? And my guess would be it covers 9x12 in a way comparable to other pre-war teles and wide-angles, i.e. mostly somewhat fuzzy in the edges?