Turner-Reich lens question

tjaded · Jul 24, 2011

Hi all--
I just bought a lens at a flea market and I am hoping someone here has some knowledge of this lens. The markings on the front are as follows:

5x8 Turner-Reich Anast. F:6.8 Ser. II 205367 Gundlach Manufacturing Corp. Fairport N.Y.

The rear element is:

Turner-Reich 205367 14"

It is in a Compur shutter marked Baush & Lomb No.2

It looks like a triple convertible, it has aperture scales for 8 1/2, 14, 20.

I'm curious what era it is from, coverage and what element combos are for the three focal lengths. I paid $85 for it, mounted on a 4"x4" wooden board. Hopefully that is a decent price. I kinda got a bit impulsive at the flea market...

Thanks,
Matt

Fotoguy20d · Jul 24, 2011

If it's marked Fairport instead of Rochester, it's probably from the 1920s, since Gundlach moved around that time frame. It's a triple convertible as you guessed, and will cover 5x8 (as it states). If there isn't too much separation in the balsam, they're nice lenses - if you look at the reflections, you'll see that it's 5 cemented pieces of glass per lens element. Combined, you get 8 1/2" FL, just the rear gives you 14", and the front gives you 20". $85 is probably a decent price for one of that size (assuming minimal separation and a working shutter).

Dan

tjaded · Jul 24, 2011

Thanks for the info! It has really clean glass with very minimal separation at the very outer edge. The shutter works well at the high speeds but the slow speeds are all about 1/25 regardless. Honestly, the shutter is so dang beautiful that I will be happy with it either way.

Fotoguy20d · Jul 24, 2011

I'm a big fan of them. I have the 4x5 and 8x10 ones. They're quite respectably sharp unconverted and not bad as a single element. There's focus shift on stopping down so watch for that. I usually shoot mine around f32.

Dan

rjmeyer314 · Jul 25, 2011

You may get more coverage than you expect out of the lens. I have a 12/21/28 that covers 11x14 just fine.

TheFlyingCamera · Jul 25, 2011

And remember, if you convert it to use the front element, take the rear element off and put the front element on the rear of the lens.

John Koehrer · Jul 25, 2011

It seems that Weston the senior used a 12/21/28 to photograph California and the West. He did OK.
ref:Through Another Lens, Charis Wilson

JBrunner · Jul 26, 2011

It likes a yellow filter.

Turner-Reich lens question

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