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Elgeet 4-inch Mini-Tel f/4.5
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PostPosted: Sat May 25, 2019 8:26 pm    Post subject: Elgeet 4-inch Mini-Tel f/4.5 Reply with quote

This is the coolest-looking lens I own. Exakta mount; 13 aperture blades; 3 elements (I think, or possibly 4 - I can't remember and I forgot to check again). It's tiny and light, made in the late 1940s or early 1950s as far as I can surmise.

Sorry about the specks on it - I keep it in an old leather case and I forgot to blow off the little fragments before I shot this.



The quality of manufacture is as good as anything I've seen. It's got a bit of oil on the blades, but that doesn't affect their function at all. The focus is Takumar-smooth. I particularly like the focus ring; the ridges are almost sharp. Ergonomics are excellent. The integral lens hood is nice too. It can be unscrewed and removed, but it's clearly meant to be left on because taking it off exposes the front element to an alarming degree.

A couple bokeh shots at f/4.5:





Flowers called Jacob's Ladder:



A Wild Geranium:



Last edited by KEO on Mon May 27, 2019 5:35 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2019 1:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Elgeet was an interesting outfit.
One of the Rochester NY group of companies.
Rochester was the American Jena.

"Elgeet" is a phonetic rendition of LGT, from the names of its founders, ex employees of Kodak and Ilex.

Elgeet was in most niches of the lens business, but relatively little in the sphere of still cameras. You have a fairly scarce piece there.

Most Elgeet products are enlarger lenses, projection lenses (almost all their later business, under the Navitar name), movie lenses, and a celebrated lens for military use, the 10" Navitar.

An excellent historical link-

http://bvipirate.com/Kodak/Rochester.html


PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2019 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

luisalegria wrote:
Elgeet was in most niches of the lens business, but relatively little in the sphere of still cameras. You have a fairly scarce piece there.


Thanks for the info, Luis. I've read that Elgeet made few still camera lenses, which is a shame given the quality of this one.

There's almost nothing on the net about Elgeet, but I'm going to continue to search. I'd love to track down a list of serial numbers and try to date the lens. If I find out anything more I'll post it.

In any case it's extremely fun and easy to use.

BTW, 4 inches comes out to 101.6mm, in case anyone's wondering about the conversion.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 7:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have one of these Elgeet 4" 4.5 Mini-Tel lenses. Seems beautifully made and in excellent condition. Came by it in a box of old camera stuff given to me by a friend, which I've just this moment been going through.

It's in an oily canvas bag inside a very ancient-looking and sturdy leather case. It's probably not been exposed to oxygen for 40 years till just now.

I don't suppose anyone can give me some idea of its value? I'm really not sure whether to keep it and figure out how to use it with a digital SLR (it'll certainly require an adapter), or sell it to someone who'll put it to glorious use.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ran into this...
From page
https://spiral-m42.blogspot.com/2013/06/elgeet-opt-mini-tel-100mm4inch-f45.html

Translated by Google Translator from Japanese

"Elgeet optics

"Elgeet is an optical equipment manufacturer founded in Rochester, New York, in 1946 by three young people (Mortimer A. London, David L. Goldstein, Peter Terbuska). London is an engineer from Kodak who specializes in lens inspection. Goldstein and Terbuska are from Ilex, a well-known shutter manufacturer. Three of them were friends from boyhood, and the company name Elgeet itself was created by combining the initials of the three names (L + G + T). They opened a store in Atlantic Street in 1946, started as a leasing company for lens polishing equipment, and soon started manufacturing and selling lenses. The company had less than 300 employees in 1952, and has grown to the scale of shipping thousands of cinema lenses (for 8mm / 16mm movie cameras) and optical equipment annually. At this point, the three positions are Glodstein as president, Terbuska as secretary, and London as general manager. The business scale has been steadily expanding, whether the gap industrial style of supplying low-priced products for professionals has succeeded, and in 1954 the Navitar for missile tracking lenses will be supplied to the US Navy ing. Furthermore, the company will strengthen its relationship with NASA and the Department of Defense around 1960, but from this point on, the company's management will not be successful. At the same time, the founder London retired, and two years later, the company temporarily acquired the ownership of Steinheil in Munich, Germany, but immediately sold it. Two years later, in 1964, a general meeting of shareholders recommended that the company be reorganized, and Goldstein was chased as president. Alfred Watson was appointed as the new president by the general meeting of shareholders, but two years later, the company's capital was absorbed by MATI (Management and Technology Inc). MATI survived and disappeared until 1969, and Goldstein purchased some of the assets owned by MATI at this time, and founded D.O.Inc. (Dynamic Optics, Inc.). However, the new business failed to get going and the new company was closed in 1972. Goldstein re-established D.O.Industries (Dynamic Optics Industries) in 1972 and started again. In 1978, the company launched a lens for slide projectors under the Navitar brand name. In 1994, the company began producing zoom and video lenses for microscopes. The company was renamed NAVITAR Inc. in 1993. In 1994, Goldstein's two sons Julian and Jeremy purchased the company from his father, David, and started working together with his brother. Both of them have lived in Japan and can speak Japanese. Jeremy was seconded to KOWA in Japan in 1984 and 1985, and has experience in learning lens manufacturing and management techniques. Navitar is still a maker that manufactures and sells life science-related optical equipment and military optical products."


PostPosted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

pchelp wrote:
I don't suppose anyone can give me some idea of its value? I'm really not sure whether to keep it and figure out how to use it with a digital SLR (it'll certainly require an adapter), or sell it to someone who'll put it to glorious use.


No idea what it's worth, but I've got no intention of selling mine. It's too cool.

I assume yours is Exakta mount like mine. An Exakta adapter is a good investment. There are lots and lots of great old Exakta mount lenses.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

KEO wrote:
pchelp wrote:
I don't suppose anyone can give me some idea of its value? I'm really not sure whether to keep it and figure out how to use it with a digital SLR (it'll certainly require an adapter), or sell it to someone who'll put it to glorious use.


No idea what it's worth, but I've got no intention of selling mine. It's too cool.

I assume yours is Exakta mount like mine. An Exakta adapter is a good investment. There are lots and lots of great old Exakta mount lenses.


The whole Elgeet line look very cool. It is not easy to spot a 4in to even 3in. Many wide angles there whose image circles are pretty small even if for APS-C. I guess Exakta mount is even rarer.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

vivaldibow wrote:
The whole Elgeet line look very cool. It is not easy to spot a 4in to even 3in. Many wide angles there whose image circles are pretty small even if for APS-C. I guess Exakta mount is even rarer.


I'd definitely be interested in a 3-inch Exakta Elgeet.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 22, 2019 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

KEO wrote:
pchelp wrote:
I don't suppose anyone can give me some idea of its value? I'm really not sure whether to keep it and figure out how to use it with a digital SLR (it'll certainly require an adapter), or sell it to someone who'll put it to glorious use.


No idea what it's worth, but I've got no intention of selling mine. It's too cool.

I assume yours is Exakta mount like mine. An Exakta adapter is a good investment. There are lots and lots of great old Exakta mount lenses.


Actually mine is Clarus.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 22, 2019 8:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

pchelp wrote:
Actually mine is Clarus.


Nice. I like the spiral teeth on the focus and aperture rings. That's a difference from mine.

If you find any information about serial numbers, I'd be interested. I've come up empty so far. It would be nice to date these.