Is there interest in a New Rapid Rectilinear lens?

[Old-N-Feeble]

Please can some kind soul save me from wading through what has become a very long and tortuous thread that had me so dizzy I stopped reading it shortly after it deviated around page 3?<snip>

Hah... I finally found someone as lazy as ME!!

 

[Sal Santamaura]

Please can some kind soul save me from wading through what has become a very long and tortuous thread...

It goes against my general practice of not rewarding laziness, but...

...Can we confirm that there is indeed interest in a new rapid rectilinear lens?...

No. Not yet.

...Is there a Kickstarter campaign to get these lenses designed and made?...

None needed for design -- it's being done pro bono by the OP. For manufacturing -- No. Not yet.

...What about Copal, Seiko, Compur, Silex or any other mid-lens style shutters? Can we look forward to a fresh supply of these from some enterprising mechanical genius on here?...

No. Not now. In my opinion, not likely ever.

 

[Regular Rod]

It goes against my general practice of not rewarding laziness, but...

No. Not yet.

None needed for design -- it's being done pro bono by the OP. For manufacturing -- No. Not yet.

No. Not now. In my opinion, not likely ever.

Thank you

RR

 

[Nodda Duma]

I think somewhere after page 3 I started stepping through the design process. Incredibly boring if you have no technical interest.


There was interest in a wide-field lens for 8x10 format. So I designed a 165mm f/6.3 to fit a Copal 1. I quoted the lens fabrication and it was acceptable enough to move forward towards launching a Kickstarter to produce a limited run. A colleague of mine is starting on the barrel design so we can quote the metal parts. Once that's done I'll launch the Kickstarter.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

FWIW, Nodda, a 165mm WA that covers 8x10 with movements does interest me. I recently sold a 150mm SSXL and have been crying ever since.

Of course, I need to raise the funds for the 165.......

 

[Regular Rod]

I think somewhere after page 3 I started stepping through the design process. Incredibly boring if you have no technical interest.


There was interest in a wide-field lens for 8x10 format. So I designed a 165mm f/6.3 to fit a Copal 1. I quoted the lens fabrication and it was acceptable enough to move forward towards launching a Kickstarter to produce a limited run. A colleague of mine is starting on the barrel design so we can quote the metal parts. Once that's done I'll launch the Kickstarter.

Well that's of interest too...

How much will one cost? Where can we get new Copal 1 shutters?

RR

 

[StoneNYC]

FWIW, Nodda, a 165mm WA that covers 8x10 with movements does interest me. I recently sold a 150mm SSXL and have been crying ever since.

Of course, I need to raise the funds for the 165.......

*shakes head*

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

*shakes head*

Stone... if you ever lose your income due to illness and must liquidate things to survive then maybe you'll understand. What do you mean by *shakes head*?

 

[Dr Croubie]

Where can we get new Copal 1 shutters? RR

New from factory? Nowhere (I think maybe Copal are still making #0 for digital lenses but that's probably about it). New Old Stock (as in never used but sitting in a warehouse / inventory for years)? More likely, but NOS shutters alone go for crazy money compared to just-as-working 2nd-hand shutters with lenses mounted in them. 2nd-hand from fleabay? Everywhere. Strangely the ones with glass in them usually go for less than just bare shutters.

 

[StoneNYC]

Stone... if you ever lose your income due to illness and must liquidate things to survive then maybe you'll understand. What do you mean by *shakes head*?

That you sold me your 150 SS XL because of financial strain and now want to buy an new lens for almost the same price.

Anyway, let's not babble back and forth on this, just wonder what you're doing over there sometimes. I wish you the best of course as you know.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Stone... Firstly, I can't buy right now (read my ENTIRE post). Secondly... why do you constantly say you're poor yet buy more than nearly anyone else on this forum... and beg for lower prices and try diligently to confuse the deals you make and take advantage of others? I'd state what I really think of you at this point but this isn't the place. Remember that I still have all our correspondence.

I apologize to everyone for this open banter and derailment. I won't comment on it again. But some members really do go too far.

Back to the ORIGINAL TOPIC.

 

[StoneNYC]

Stone... Firstly, I can't buy right now (read my ENTIRE post). Secondly... why do you constantly say you're poor yet buy more than nearly anyone else on this forum... and beg for lower prices and try diligently to confuse the deals you make and take advantage of others? I'd state what I really think of you at this point but this isn't the place. Remember that I still have all our correspondence.

I apologize to everyone for this open banter and derailment. I won't comment on it again. But some members really do go too far.

Back to the ORIGINAL TOPIC.

I'm poor because I spend all my money on expensive gear, and some gear I'm aware is actually rare, and some gear is just collecting dust and I don't mind asking for the latter for free.

And if you want to play this game.

I'm also actually USING my gear, unlike some who just collect and/or resell but have never actually taken a single image.

And when I do sell my gear I also describe it correctly and don't send people lenses described in "Perfect condition" that are filled with dust and debris...

People know that I'm progressing and improving and striving to be great and get better, and recognize that I'm not all talk, so from time to time some very nice folks will send me or sell to me at low prices to help me out. There's a plethora of extra gear sitting around not being used (as noted by this thread, some lenses there are so many we don't need more, and some lenses there aren't enough of and we could use new or updated versions of) so I end up with the extra gear that there are a plethora of, at very good prices. And the good gear I need I pay for at expensive prices and then I'm broke again, but, I use it!

 

[LJH]

People know that you egotistical posts derail/hijack many, many threads both here and on LF forum.

 

[StoneNYC]

People know that you egotistical posts derail/hijack many, many threads both here and on LF forum.

I agree that I "started" this one, I'll "stop".

 

[Regular Rod]

New from factory? Nowhere (I think maybe Copal are still making #0 for digital lenses but that's probably about it). New Old Stock (as in never used but sitting in a warehouse / inventory for years)? More likely, but NOS shutters alone go for crazy money compared to just-as-working 2nd-hand shutters with lenses mounted in them. 2nd-hand from fleabay? Everywhere. Strangely the ones with glass in them usually go for less than just bare shutters.

Thank you. Looks like there is a niche here for someone who currently repairs shutters to start making them?

RR

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

There's a guy on eBay selling small electronic repro shutters for about $50 each. He has a whole bunch of them and I bought a box full a year or two ago (when I had the money) when he put them on sale for $25 each. I'd think front-mounting to those would be easy enough. However, the opening is only 40mm... plus a battery-operated controller must be made. If he has several hundred available and would sell his entire inventory cheaply enough maybe that's an option for shutters.

 

[TheToadMen]

There's a guy on eBay selling small electronic repro shutters for about $50 each. He has a whole bunch of them and I bought a box full a year or two ago (when I had the money) when he put them on sale for $25 each. I'd think front-mounting to those would be easy enough. However, the opening is only 40mm... plus a battery-operated controller must be made. If he has several hundred available and would sell his entire inventory cheaply enough maybe that's an option for shutters.

I personally don't want electronic shutters. Just mechanical.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I could certainly do with a 165mm lens that covers 8x10. Enthusiastically following this thread...

 

[scheimfluger_77]

Status question.

I realize we've just finished w/Christmas, and I'm sure the production quote is an additional factor, but I'm curious about the status of this project. Is this lens actually going to happen? Jason are you still planning on including the adjustible diffusion feature with the front element? Speaking for myself I think this is the buy/don't buy decision point for me. I've been ignoring lenses in this focal range on the assumption that the "Softray Dumagon" will be produced at some point in the future. I've even started watching LF lenses for shutter value only, considering the shutter part of this discussion.

So, no pressure...

Steve

 

[Nodda Duma]

No pressure felt .. Don't take the apparent inactivity as a sign the project has been abandoned. I'm still really excited to see this come to fruition. Sometimes the wheel of engineering time turns slowly. Actually, most times it turns slowly, particularly when it's a part-time project. It's kind of why you don't see many action movies about engineers. Or when you do see a movie about an engineer it's the type that spans his/her entire career or life.

Optics have been quoted. Modern AR coatings on all surfaces. I had to revise the design so I'll have to requote when I'm ready to start the Kickstarter. Thinking a 20-50 unit production run for the Kickstarter.

I do plan to provide the ability to provide soft focus to some extant. That's accomplished by pulling the front lens away from the rest of the groups. There's limited adjustment however, due to the length of the threads that can be incorporated into the space between lens 1 & 2. Adds about 6-7 waves of spherical aberration (how this translates to "soft focus" I have no good feel for. Just have to see what it is when the rubber meets the road).

I obtained a Copal 1 Press shutter to aid in barrel modeling. For those buyers who don't have a Copal, I'm thinking a "dummy" barrel with a set of Waterhouse stops, or an integrated manually adjustable aperture (14 blades or so). So you'll just have to cap the lens to make an exposure in that variant.

I've spoken in detail with a couple local (and not local) LF users to get feedback on different aspects of the design. The barrel needs to be modeled and then quoted.

Then I'll try to find someone willing to help make a nice video for Kickstarter.

So add this lens to predictions for 2015.

Oh and I have a good name for the lens (but like I did with my kids I won't share the name until it's born!)

 

[Dan Fromm]

Jason, see here http://www.skgrimes.com/products/new-copal-shutters for the differences between cock and shoot Copal shutters and Copal Press shutters. If you want to have the front (closest to the diaphragm) element of the rear cell go deep into the shutter a cock-and-shoot will be less limiting.

 

[Nodda Duma]

Thanks Dan. That's the plan, and what I have dimensions for. I have an example of both although the cock and shoot shutter is on loan.

 

[Gadfly_71]

Whatever your initial production estimate I'd suggest planning for and getting quotes for a larger run just to be safe. I've seen some Kickstarter projects get off track due to their popularity. Victims of their own success, as it were.

 

[Nodda Duma]

Yep, already have.

 

[LJH]

Any updates on this to start 2015?