Ross 5" f/4 wide angle weirdness...

bliorg · Oct 1, 2025

'Afternoon, all -

Recently took possession of a Ross 5" f/4 lens marked "ROSS, LONDON", "5 IN", and "WIDE ANGLE". Not "XPRESS". Aperture also goes f/4 to f/32, which seems counter to everything I've found online (typical to f/11). Definitely plasmat, serial puts it squarely into WWII, so AM, though not marked. Bought it to put on a 5x7, not too concerned about movements or coverage, but kind of curious what I've got. Will be mounting it and seeing what kind of image it projects soon.

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Thanks for any info/experiences.
Scott

Dan Fromm · Oct 1, 2025

I had an ex-MOD one of those lenses. Sharp, flary. According to the VM there were variants.

bliorg · Oct 2, 2025

Thanks, Dan. Glad to hear it's sharp. Have it mounted, and it looks like it will cover 5x7 satisfactorily. I've seen there are variants, just really haven't found one with these peculiarities. Proof of the pudding is in the eating; need to make an adapter for my Packard and test it out.

Wolfram Malukker · Oct 3, 2025

This is the lens from the US Navy Type 1 Torpedo Camera, and many of them are marked "AM" for Air Ministry. Some aren't marked that, though!

It will cover 5x7, and was used on the 2 1/4 x 7 1/4" frame in the torpedo camera. Most aren't coated, however B&J supposedly coated a bunch, and the post-war civilian versions are coated as well.

I now have three of the military model, which only has an aperture scale marked to F/16, but the aperture stop can be removed to allow up to F/32. The civilian model lenses don't have this shortened aperture scale and get the whole range from F/4 to F/32 right out of the box.

I am saving my pennies to send one of my lenses out to be coated, maybe one day.

loccdor · Oct 4, 2025

Very interesting to learn of this! An electric motorized panoramic camera from WW2.

David Lindquist · Oct 4, 2025

Back in the day Ansel Adams used the 5" Ross Wide Angle (Xpres). For example: https://www.nga.gov/artworks/66726-church-and-road-bodega-california
Taken circa 1953, it is included in his book Examples. Per this same book (another photograph), by 1956 he had gotten his 121 mm Super Angulon. Have a hunch the Ross didn't see much use after this acquisition.
David

bliorg · 2025-10-10T09:42:52-0400

Wolfram Malukker said:
This is the lens from the US Navy Type 1 Torpedo Camera, and many of them are marked "AM" for Air Ministry. Some aren't marked that, though!

It will cover 5x7, and was used on the 2 1/4 x 7 1/4" frame in the torpedo camera. Most aren't coated, however B&J supposedly coated a bunch, and the post-war civilian versions are coated as well.

I now have three of the military model, which only has an aperture scale marked to F/16, but the aperture stop can be removed to allow up to F/32. The civilian model lenses don't have this shortened aperture scale and get the whole range from F/4 to F/32 right out of the box.

I am saving my pennies to send one of my lenses out to be coated, maybe one day.

Cool - thanks for the info. It's mounted and ready to go, Packard adapter fitted. Waiting for a little light now...

bliorg · 2025-10-10T09:44:18-0400

David Lindquist said:
Back in the day Ansel Adams used the 5" Ross Wide Angle (Xpres). For example: https://www.nga.gov/artworks/66726-church-and-road-bodega-california
Taken circa 1953, it is included in his book Examples. Per this same book (another photograph), by 1956 he had gotten his 121 mm Super Angulon. Have a hunch the Ross didn't see much use after this acquisition.
David

Interesting, didn't know that. Years ago, in my first foray into 5x7, I bought a 121 SA. Used it a bit, but mostly just for macro work. Priorities and subject availability (and pocketbook) have changed since then; I'm hopeful this fills a gap.

Ian Grant · 2025-10-10T11:30:21-0400

During WWI & II all British military optical contracts were handled by Ross, and some lens manufacture was subcontracted.

The military A.M, Ross 5" f4 WA with the limited aperture range has a poor reputation, they are very inexpensive. The lens here is slightly different, but its SN indicate wartime manufacture.

This is the late 1945 coated version in the 1946 BJP Almanac.

.

During WWII Ross made the E.M.I, 5"f4 W.A. Expres, this was higher quality for the RAF, the aperture range was f4-f11, E.M.I. stands for Extra Marginal Illumination. These lenses have the serial number on the rear cell as well as the front. It's likely there's quite a difference in quality between the different version, compared to this one.

Ian

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bliorg · 2025-10-10T12:03:30-0400

Thanks for the interesting info, Ian. Like I said, waiting on the weather. I'll burn some film and see if it meets or exceeds "poor".

David Lindquist · 2025-10-11T10:11:42-0400

Ian, do know if Ross sold these mounted in a shutter, particularly post-war? Thinking of the civilian market, someone like Ansel Adams.

David

Ian Grant · 2025-10-11T12:07:22-0400

Yes

This is from the 1954 BJP Almanac.n That's the 2nd version of the Epsilon shutter, which was only made in #0 size, it's Compur/Copal compatible, but has no preview feature. The first Epsilon shutters were a simpler design, unreliable, Kodak Ltd modified them for the 203mm f7.7 Ektar.

Post WWII there were severe import restrictions here in the UK, you needed a special licence to import cameras and lenses, that included shutters, hence the Epsilon made by Ross. Restrictions were just being lifted in the early 1950s. AA's version might have been in a Compur shutter.

Ian

Ross 5" f/4 wide angle weirdness...

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