lens on graflex series C

[jamie young]

I might be picking up a graflex series c camera with the 6.5" taylor hobson cooke f2.5 lens, and am wondering if anyone here has used this lense, and if it gives an interesting look?
Thanks! Jamie

 

[shutterfinger]

The series C Cooke lens is in a magnesium barrel. The barrel has a tendency to seize preventing element cleaning or crack.

 

[Ian Grant]

Kodak Ltd (UK) always sold Graflex cameras with British lenses, look here for details of the lens. It's a pre-war fast press lens for quarter plate, it won't cover 5x4 and it probably won't be as sharp overall as TT&H (Cooke)'s slower lenses.

It's possible Eaastman Kodak also used Cooke lenses but I'd guess the camera was taken to the US from the UK or a colony.

Ian

 

[shutterfinger]

Ian, the RB Series C was made from 1926-1935, in 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 format only, and the Cooke 6 1/2 inch f2.5 lens in magnesium barrel was the only lens available for it. Should be good for portraits.

 

[Ian Grant]

Must have been a special order for that model Graflex as Cooke only list 5 1/4" and 6 3/8" f2.5 lenses during that perion. That's not unusual though as TT&H made lenses specifically for some Thornton Pickard reflex caneras and Kodak had been using Cooke lenses on some cameras for over 20 years.

I'd forgotten that Eastman Kodak were the distributor for TT&H Cooke lenses in the US in the 1930's, Kodak Ltd were the distributors of Ross lenses in Australia & New Zealand.

Ian

 

[shutterfinger]

No indication it was "special order".
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/graflex_17.html
Suggest "standard production".
pages 10 &11.

 

[k_jupiter]

Ian, the RB Series C was made from 1926-1935, in 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 format only, and the Cooke 6 1/2 inch f2.5 lens in magnesium barrel was the only lens available for it. Should be good for portraits.

Sounds like a great camera to me.

 

[Ian Grant]

No indication it was "special order".
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/graflex_17.html
Suggest "standard production".
pages 10 &11.

Must have been a special order for that model Graflex as Cooke only list 5 1/4" and 6 3/8" f2.5 lenses during that perion. That's not unusual though as TT&H made lenses specifically for some Thornton Pickard reflex caneras and Kodak had been using Cooke lenses on some cameras for over 20 years.

I think you misunderstand my use of the term special order, TT&H Cooke didn't offer that focal length as a standard catalogue item so it would have been a special order of lenses made specifically for Graflex.

That Graflex RB C camera itself is quite heavy at 7¼lbs, it's 4lbs heavier than my Dallmeyer Press (a rebadged Ensign) which is a similar era quarter plate SLR.

Ian

 

[jamie young]

The graflex series c only came with the cooke 6.5 f 2.5 lens where ever it was sold. Your probably right Ian. It was likely made just for this model camera. I'm probably going to get it, though I'll have to check to see it I am going to have problems with the magnesium barrel. The shutter is hung up so I might have problems there too. Hopefully it will be a easy fix. I'm interested in it for it's shallow depth of field and hopefully swirly look. I'll pick it up tomorrow, and we'll see
Jamie

 

[shutterfinger]

I serviced a Series C a year ago, had to make a new shutter curtain from scratch, lens was like new, cam apart easily. Good luck. contact me if you need assistance.