Just won a voigtlander heliar 18cm f/4.5, now what?

[robsoe]

I won it for ~$85 shipped, and received the lens last week. It is my first uncoated lens. It's very clean and very nice glass, the top-dial-compur shutter works, but no flash sync. What's the coverage for this lens? For head and shoulder portrait, will it cover 5x7? The aperture marking is unusual: 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12, 18, 25 and 36. Are these aperture numbers common in its day (pre-wwII?)? Is it easy to find the same size compur shutter that has flash sync? Is easy to hack the shutter and add flash sync switch myself? BTW, I'm good with mechanical stuff and electronics. What kind of image can I expect from it?
thanks, sorry for that many questions.

rob

 

[Claire Senft]

I do not know how common it was to use half stops as the marking. I would guess that it was only used on certain lenses that had a half stop wide open.

As far as the lens is concerned whay not expose some film and tell us how well it works?

 

[Ole]

The 180mm Heliar was originally made for 10x15cm "postcard-size" cameras, search for "Voigtlander Alpin" on German ebay (there's one there now). In my experience, it should cover 5x7" at infinity - my 150mm almost does so the 180mm certainly should.

The aperture series was very common in pre-WWII Germany, note the many lenses from that time with largest apertures of f:4.5, f:6.3, and f:18. A little later it became common to mark the aperture scales at f:4.5, 5.6, 8 and so on. Think of it as one third stop offset.

Shutter sizes at that time were not standardised like they became later on. The probability of finding a Syncro-Compur shutter with the same threads as a dial-set shutter is generally very low. However Voigtländer (and Schneider) were very early at using the sizes that later became standard, so you have a far better chance than with any other manufacturer. The bad news is that it's most likely to fit a #2 shutter...

 

[Jim Noel]

The f-stop series is the European series which wa used extensively on european cameras prios to WWII.
JIm

 

[jimgalli]

The barrel Heliar's of the era had both scales, the 1/2 (to us) scale and the usual one we like in USA and that was finally standardized. It is a perfect lens for head and shoulder shots on 5X7. The shutter doesn't cross over to anything modern or semi modern. Many were modified in days of yore for a flash sync. But these really sing in open shade. Go find someone interesting to shoot and see what a treat is in store for you. Nice purchase. You're lucky I've been both broke and snoozing of late! I'd have not let it pass for $85 or double that if I had found it.