The mighty Aero Ektar goes digital

Abbazz · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 1098 Location: Jakarta

I have been the happy owner of a Kodak Aero Ektar lens for some time now. This is a big chunk of glass, which was designed to be used on aerial reconnaissance planes. The focal length is 7in. (178mm) and the maximum aperture F/2.5. The lens is huge because it needs to cover the 5in. x 5in. (12.7cm x 12.7cm) format used in aerial photography. The lens was one of the first to include some rare earth special glass. As a consequence, it is indeed radioactive and it is not advised to store it under one's bed: http://home.earthlink.net/~michaelbriggs/aeroektar/aeroektar.html

The lens has a diaphragm but no focusing helicoid. So I used mine on a 4x5 Speed Graphic large format camera, like many other happy photographers around the world: http://www.xs4all.nl/~lommen9/aero/

A few days ago, I saw a classified ad for a rare adaptation of an Aero Ektar with a focusing helicoid and an M42 mount. As the price was right, I bought the lens and here it is:

My poor Pentax K10d looks dwarfed by the monster lens:

The helicoid is fully geared down: you need 15 full 360 degrees rotations to focus from infinity to 1 meter (not really a reportage lens):

Now for some pictures (no post processing or sharpening):

1. Wide open at F/2.5

2. 100% crop from preceding picture

3. Same picture at F/8

4. 100% crop from preceding picture

5. Wide open at F/2.5

6. 100% crop from preceding picture

7. Wide open at F/2.5

8. 100% crop from preceding picture

The Aero Ektar seems much less interesting on a crop format digital camera than on a large format camera. As a large format lens, F/2.5 is incredibly fast for a 178mm focal length, making it a one of a kind lens. As a crop format lens, F/2.5 is quite common for such a focal length. My Tamron SP 180/2.5 is just as fast, much easier to use and it delivers better image quality, as the Aero Ektar suffers from low contrast and lots of chromatic aberrations when used wide open.

Cheers!

Abbazz

poilu · Expire: 2019-08-29

nice monster Abbazz Shocked

Jieffe · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 754 Location: Belgium

Impressive ! You forgot to tell us about the weight ... I guess it's not the kind of lens you want to carry a whole day on your shoulder

Abbazz · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 1098 Location: Jakarta

Xpres · Expire: 2014-10-28

Good god! What a monster. I love the Aero Ektar with the 5x4 - I think I must have the same set up - but agree that it's a bit wasted on the digi.
Great bit of kit though Very Happy

patrickh · Expire: 2011-11-18

If the original designers only knew...

patrickh

vilva · Expire: 2015-05-27

I've been tempted a couple of times but sanity has prevailed - this once Smile

Veijo

Ballu · Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:23 pm Post subject:

Abbazz · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 1098 Location: Jakarta

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

Now, this is incredible!!! Shocked

A camera that hides behind a lens! Laughing

This set does not have a real use, does it?
But it is great to see that we are playing around with lenses and test whatever is possible!

Fantastic. Low in contrast but great detail rendering... (as far as I can see.)

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

Perhaps one of us should also have tried this one:

See here: Click here to see on Ebay
(Seller doesn't even know which lens that is...)

Farside · Expire: 2013-12-27

Abbazz · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 1098 Location: Jakarta

Farside · Expire: 2013-12-27

dakoo · Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 603

Man this lense on speed graphics really has amazing results..
I just keep getting stunned when i see portrait by this lense..
A lot of info here.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~lommen9/aero/

And another shot i saw today at artlimited.net

CarbonR · Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:42 pm Post subject:

Damn, 178/2.5 on 5x5' equals to... a 50/0,7 lens on 24x36 Shocked

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

It looks like the lens that ate the camera!

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

exaklaus · Expire: 2011-12-02

I have that monster lens in Exakta focussing mount.
Probably adapppted by Burke & James. They had kind of a "lens bank", much surplus stuff and lenses from other sources and they did many adaptations and complete focussing mounts.

Must try that lens soon on my newly modified Sigma SD9.

Greetings
klaus

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

Thanks to Abbazz for posting these samples. I recall in the late 1950s these were advertised constantly in the UK 'Amateur Photographer' magazine at quite low prices.

Just a few questions/comments -

How well does it work at infinity as opposed to fairly close distances? It was, after all, designed to be used at quite long ranges!

And how well does it respond to post-processing?

Is it coated? It looks to be in your pic, but it might be the blue sky that's misleading me

And finally, to be fair to the lens, it might seem realtively undistinguished as a 35mm/crop format lens today when compared to newer designs, but it is sixty-plus years old and (as you do fairly point out) it wasn't computed to work on miniature neg sizes.

But it is really interesting to see it working on a digital camera - thanks again

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Thanks for the sample dakoo. It is very inspiring.

I don't have an Aero Ektar, but I do have a 2.8/16.5cm Zeiss Biotessar for my Speed Graphic. I have to adjust the Kalart rangefinder for it, but its a bit of a pain as that involves more than resetting infinity, it has to be reset for all distances, and lots of testing on the groundglass. Its a project to kill a sunny afternoon.

Its also probably wasted on my 6x6 roll film holder; I would really like a 6x9 to do justice to the lens.

Maybe its my new project. Thanks again.

ManualFocus-G · Expire: 2014-11-24

LOL, brilliant! Laughing

And Dakoo... Shocked

overmywaders · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 49

Thanks for telling us about this lens. I have an Aerostigmat 5.0/307mm that I was going to try and mount on my Nikon D40. Now, I have been saved a lot of effort and a possible hernia. Very Happy

lwsy711 · Joined: 21 Oct 2009 Posts: 230 Location: VA, US

wow, can not keep thinking the image of someone carrying it on the shoulder walking on the street, so ....... Laughing

This baby can not pass security check for sure, it is a weapon by itself Laughing