Mamiya TLR lens question

[newcan1]

I just bought a 135mm f4.5 lens for the Mamiya TLRs. It is black with a blue dot on the shutter release.

Looking at it from the back, the shutter is the last thing, ie no element to the rear of the shutter on the taking lens.

My other TLR lenses (all chrome versions) have a rear element behind the shutter.

Have I been sold an incomplete lens, or are there black versions of this lens where the shutter is behind all elements?

 

[Rick A]

It's fine, I have an older version and no lens element behind the leaf shutter.

 

[newcan1]

Phew, I hope that's the version I have then! I'll take it for a spin in the next couple of days and see what transpires. Thanks for the response.

 

[MattKing]

Lots of people have the same initial reaction.

Hope you like yours as much as I like mine.

In case you don't have it, here is a link to Graham Patterson's excellent Mamiya TLR System Summary: http://www.gapatterson.com/grahamp

Graham posts here on APUG regularly under "grahamp".

If you look your lens up there, you will see that it is described this way (be sure to read the "Black Series Lenses" section) and as a "long focus design" and not as a "telephoto". As I understand that, this means that the lens elements are necessarily a fair distance from the focal plane.

 

[Mackinaw]

This is an excellent portrait lens, one of my favorites. You do have to exercise due caution when handling the lens, considering that the shutter is exposed, but use a rear lens cap when the lens is not in use and you'll be OK.

Jim B.

 

[grahamp]

It is a fairly unique design. To my knowledge the only other common cases where you find shutters outside the lens elements are large format convertible lenses where the front or rear element is removed to change the focal length.

The 135mm exposed shutter is perfectly normal. But it does pay to keep it in a clean environment.