Kodak Medalist II lens coating -- are yours like mine?

[Trask]

I just got a Medalist II, and perhaps you're like me -- as soon as you get your hands on it, you start digging to learn even more about the device than you knew before. So I got interested in these Ektar lenses, and learned that those in Medalist II's were "Lumenized" or received more than the inter-element softer coatings on the Medalist I Ektars. They were supposed to have received magnesium flouride coatings (thank you, Brian Wallen, what a great website!). I looked for the L-in-a-circle on the lens ring, and horrors, it's not there.

Does that mean my lens is not Lumenized? I decided to shot a photo of my lens under a small lamp so that the reflections on the elements, including the front element, would show. See my photo below -- I see three colors of images in the lens: blue, yellow, white.

I'd appreciate it if someone who has a Medalist II with a lens bearing the L-in-a-circle symbol checked under similar conditions, and report for all of us whether what I have in my camera matches a marked-as-Lumenized Ektar on a Medalist II. I suspect mine is. The date code on the lens is 1945, but the Medalist II supposedly didn't enter production until 1946, so it's clear that the history on exactly when production began and when Kodak started Lumenizing Ektars is a bit...out of focus.

This should be interesting! Thanks!

 

[Trask]

Sorry -- I meant to say (obviously, if you've looked at the picture) magenta/purple, blue and white reflections. Don't know why I typed yellow. Too much thinking about Kodak??

 

[matt miller]

My Medalist II has the date code ER 2839. It looks just like yours, with no L. I can't see any color in my reflections, but that doesn't mean it's not there.

 

[Trask]

That's interesting -- same year as mine, but different results. Perhaps someone with an "L" lens will chime in, or post their own photo.

 

[Samuel Hotton]

Good morning Trask,
My MedalistII has exactly the same color reflections as yours. Serial#ES3630 (L)marked. Hope this puts your mind to rest.
All the best,
Sam H.

 

[nworth]

"Lumenized" lenses were introduced shortly after WWII, I think - maybe about 1947. It was Kodak's trade term for hard anti-reflection coating. Lenses with this coating are identified with a circled "L" on the bezel. I have a couple of old 105mm Ektars, and the EO (1946) one does not have the mark and the EI (1948) version does. The lenses on my Medalist II and Signet 35, both later dates, are both coated. The lenses were single coated. The coating appears blue to lavender by reflection. These coatings seem to deteriorate with time and especially with moisture. The coating near the edge of these lenses now seems a bit irregular. Inter-element coating with magnesium fluoride was introduced on selected Ektars in the 1930s. I believe it was first used on the lenses for the original Ektra 35 camera.

 

[Trask]

Thanks, everyone. I'm glad that this thread will be available to others when they search on Kodak Medalist, as surely this question will come up again.