Three matching lenses

[tjaded]

Hi all--
I've got the bug to build a camera and to do so I need to get three lenses that are the same. They need to cover 6x6 and not be too large (stereo camera). I was thinking about using something like lens/shutters from the small Graflex cameras. Anyone have any advice on what would be a good choice--keeping in mind size and most importantly price? I've also been tinkering with the idea of Soligor 80mm lenses from the Soligor 66. I've got two of those, but that puts me back to square one for shutters and such. Anyway, any thoughts/ideas are appreciated.
Thanks,
Matt

 

[John Koehrer]

Howz about a set of old folders. Pick 'em up for $5-$10 each. Ebait? make sure they have a cable release socket then you can use a double cable release to trip 'em.
The double release is the expensive way. You can likely find an alternative

 

[Hikari]

Buy three Mamiya TRL interchangable lenses. They are mounted in a shutter with an aperture. The 80mm lens is quite compact. You should be able to unmount them from the board. If you need just two taking lenses, then you would only need two as you could use one of the viewing lenses for the viewfinder.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Matching lenses, eh? Matching in what respect and how closely?

I ask because Graflex -- you brought them into the discussion -- made more than one focusing scale for every nominal focal length offered for Graphics. This because not all lenses of the same nominal focal length have the same focal length.

This isn't a matter of poor quality control. Once upon a time I bought 20 38/4.5 Biogons that were mounted in AGI F135 aerial cameras. I extracted the lenses, noticed that each one was marked with its measured focal length, to 0.1 mm, and flange-to-film distance at infinity, to 0.01 mm. Focal lengths ranged from 38.3 mm to 38.8 mm. Don't be surprised, per Zeiss the 38/4.5 Biogon's design focal length is 38.5 mm. Each lens had its own shim, marked with the lens' serial number, to focus it to infinity.

As they say, nothing is perfect. If you need matched lenses you're going to have to buy many and select carefully. And if a stereo camera, why three lenses?

Hint: Hikari suggested Mamiya TLR lenses. The viewing lens is a taking lens in barrel and its cells will go into a shutter just like the one the taking lens is. Lenses in a pair -- one for taking, the other for viewing -- are matched on focal length. So there are the matched taking lenses a stereo camera would need.