Film: More 8X10 Brute Force....

I did this one yesterday.

I had bid on a funny little no name lens in an Optimo shutter that I thought was going to be an unmarked f6 Versar. Holding the lens in my hand, I couldn't get an image on a ground glass. So I thought, what the heck have I bought here. Took it upstairs and it turns out it's a 14 3/4" f11 lens and just casts the most spectacular image on a ground glass! I'm going to machine it to fit a better shutter and I think it's found a permanent home. Definitely some buzz of some sort going on here, yet the image is so sharp you can see the dust on the bottles. 8X10 Century.

Upstairs studio, AM north window light, no-name lens.

Jim,

It's unusual for you to be flummoxed. Show a picture of the lens and how you mounted it. Looks as if this might make a good portrait lens wide open. When are you going to try it?

Asher

Here y'go Asher.

Asher Kelman said:

Looks as if this might make a good portrait lens wide open. When are you going to try it?

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As soon as you come to Tonopah and sit for me!

Jim Galli said:

Here y'go Asher.

As soon as you come to Tonopah and sit for me!

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That close?

I love that stand. What's it called?

Asher

Asher Kelman said:

That close?

I love that stand. What's it called?

Asher

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It's a Century Semi-Centennial stand. Camera is also a Century. J

Hi, Jim,

Jim Galli said:

It's a Century Semi-Centennial stand.

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And anybody who can figure out the basis of that name wins a hamburger here. It for example was not introduced at the 50th anniversary of the manufacturer, or any of the tangled trail of predecessors or successors. Nor is it half of one that was introduced on someone's 100th anniversary!

Camera is also a Century.

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10A, perhaps. And lovely! But the machine gray finish is a shocker! (I think I saw one like that on eBay once. Maybe this is it.)

Best regards,

Doug

Hi, Asher,

Asher Kelman said:

That close?

I love that stand. What's it called?

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1A Semi-Centennial. It has a coil spring counterbalance for the elevator. The elevator can be lowered almost to the floor (needed to do baby and puppy portraits) - there are no interfering crossmembers between the columns.

Here's the museum description on ours:

http://dougkerr.net/Pumpkin/museum/Exhibit_Century_Studio_10A_Polish_Century.pdf

(Be sure to note that there are five pages.)

Best regards,

Doug

Okay, this is the internet and anyone can say anything, so...


Semi Centennial was 1933 and celebrated Eastman's 1883 incorporation that caused the whole reason for the stand in the first place.

Now, if in 15 years that becomes accepted fact, remember, I started it right here. Hey, it's the internet and weirder things have happened. Now I'll go read the 5 pages.

I've had several lovely mahogany finished beautiful cameras. Ansco's. Centuries. But people keep buying them. So this grey one is like a $2 hammer that no one will steal. I'm probably stuck with it.

Hi, Jim,

Jim Galli said:

Okay, this is the internet and anyone can say anything

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Can you say Aberystwyth?

, so...

I Think...​

Semi Centennial was 1933 and celebrated Eastman's 1883 incorporation that caused the whole reason for the stand in the first place.

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Well, it seems as if the stand was introduced in about 1902. I think the name was in use for it from its introduction. So maybe it celebrates something that happened in 1852.

Ooh! I've got it! George Eastman was born in 1854!

Mine was apparently made in about 1927.

Here's an excerpt represented as being from a 1902 catalog (for the corresponding 11x14 machine) (emphasis added):


Best regards,

Doug

I had fun reading through your pages Doug. One or two observations. The giant billboard of a front was not just for simplicity and good looks. These brutes were made to cantilever the most bizarre of gigantic and primitive lenses. For instance, a Kodak 16" f4.5 Portrait Ektar dwarf's the 9X9 inch lensboard. I have several giants including a 19" f3.5 (do the math folks. 3.5 into 19 = a piece of glass that spans 5.5 inches) Bausch & Lomb Sigmar. That's just the glass. Then there's a 1/4 ton of brass to hold the 3 giant glass pieces together, etc etc. I have a 25" f5.5 Voigtlaender Petzval that cantilevers out about 14" from the lensboard. So the front was made to hold any kind of size and weight you could fit on 9X9 (or 10X10 for the Century 8 11X14).

Finally, a Ronar is not a good portrait lens. It's good for reproducing ad copy to different sizes perfectly in a graphic arts print shop pre-computer, but brings it's clinical sharpness to portraiture that would not only show every wrinkle on my face, but how deep and ugly it is. A good portrait lens would be a 15 3/4" Wollensak Velostigmat, or a Voigtlaender Heliar that can render me with just enough flattering firmness but not so much brutal detail.

Jim,

All this pulls me to the big format. Do you have an enlarger for 8x10 or you just do contact prints.

Asher

Asher Kelman said:

Jim,

All this pulls me to the big format. Do you have an enlarger for 8x10 or you just do contact prints.

Asher

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Hi Asher.

Yes, I have a beautiful Chromega F enlarger for 8X10 but I have never used it once and at this point I feel I probably never will. I'm stepping incrementally away from some of the depth of this that I originally intended. Contact prints are beautiful. You can come and get the enlarger for what I paid for it if you'd like. It's a space hog.

Here is another from the same session / different lens.


I think I may have shown a similar one before with yet another lens. I keep going back to this little 'found' scene on my studio window sill because I love the information in the high keys. It just shouts LIGHT at me.

Well Jim, that sounds great. I'm due a visit with my camera and lenses too. Need all sorts of guidance! Do you happen to have a picture of the monster! How much space does it demand?

Asher

Hi, Jim,

Jim Galli said:

I had fun reading through your pages Doug. One or two observations. The giant billboard of a front was not just for simplicity and good looks. These brutes were made to cantilever the most bizarre of gigantic and primitive lenses. For instance, a Kodak 16" f4.5 Portrait Ektar dwarf's the 9X9 inch lensboard. I have several giants including a 19" f3.5 (do the math folks. 3.5 into 19 = a piece of glass that spans 5.5 inches) Bausch & Lomb Sigmar. That's just the glass. Then there's a 1/4 ton of brass to hold the 3 giant glass pieces together, etc etc. I have a 25" f5.5 Voigtlaender Petzval that cantilevers out about 14" from the lensboard. So the front was made to hold any kind of size and weight you could fit on 9X9 (or 10X10 for the Century 8 11X14).

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Thanks for the insight.

Finally, a Ronar is not a good portrait lens.

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It was not bought to ever be shot - just something "credible" to complete the camera for exhibit.

Interesting to see your giant cigar trimmer mount adapter.

Best regards,

Doug