Really cool lenses it would be fun to shoot with...

[GKC]

...not because they are famous, costly or have achieved cut status, but because you find them interesting?
The 203mm Optar is one of those lenses for me. Why? Because the 203mm Ektar gets all the 203mm love (and they are great lenses---one rides aboard the snout of my 5x7 Speeder.) Still, I'm entranced by the notion of the reclusive illusive Optar.
Or how about a 270mm G Claron? There are 240s and 305 G Clarons seemingly all over the place, but what became of the 270mms?
Another lens would be a Darlot Hemispherique Who the heck shoots with a Darlot Hemispherique? How do you even pronounce it after two beers? I suspect it just has to be a magic bullet lens. I can imagine this conversation spoken above the sound of the roaring (Que the Erroll Garner dissonant chords) surf in Big Sur 70 years age:
E.W.: "Ansel, quickly! Bring me my Hemispherique!
A.A.: "Edward, you left it at home on the kitchen table with those peppers."

Which lenses would you like to play with, just for fun?

 

[snapguy]

The 45mm F2 Rokkor-PF on my Minolta AL rangefinder. I acquired this little beauty several months ago and have neglected it. The camera is in fabulous cosmetic shape and if there is a single scratch or dent on the body or lens, I cannot find it. Works smooth. I need to take it out to where people are interacting on the street and wring it out real good. The light meter does not work but I dislike using built-in light meters anyway. The smallish rf camera has a shutter speed of up to 1/1000 sec. It has everything I want in a camera.

 

[Vaughn]

Not at all famous, but fun to play with was a cheap magnifying lens mounted on a Speed Graphic, using Type 55.

 

[NedL]

hypergon with the little fan to spin and even out the exposure... it would be fun to even see that lens.

 

[removed account4]

grab a olde skool casket set ... like 5 or 7 lenses at once in one box. all
brass and fun with a nice signature ... or a tessar, fun and cheap

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

I second the Hypergon lenses... the only lenses that you hope blow.

 

[GKC]

I second the Hypergon lenses... the only lenses that you hope blow.

I can imagine the crackling over the headphones as someone transmits
"Ground control this is Hypergon 85 mike mike requesting taxi for take-off."

 

[removed account4]

I can imagine the crackling over the headphones as someone transmits
"Ground control this is Hypergon 85 mike mike requesting taxi for take-off."

look for the ones with the hose and bulb ...

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

look for the ones with the hose and bulb ...

Hypergon... the only lenses you hope come in hosed condition.

 

[DREW WILEY]

270 G-Clarons are neither rare nor exotic, but just give you an option between 250 and 300, equivalent in field of view on 8x10 to 135mm in 4x5. They're fully modern hard-sharp lenses, single-coated, just like the other G's.

 

[GKC]

270 G-Clarons are neither rare nor exotic, but just give you an option between 250 and 300, equivalent in field of view on 8x10 to 135mm in 4x5. They're fully modern hard-sharp lenses, single-coated, just like the other G's.

Then they must be well loved--I seldom see one for sale but 240s and 305s turn up quite often.