Kodak Ektar 47mm f/2

BrianSVP · Joined: 09 Jun 2023 Posts: 335 Location: Philadelphia

So I've had this lens, which was pulled from a broken Kodak Retina II body for a while, intending to adapt it for use on my Panasonic S5 thorugh an adapter stack. After being sent a wrong component from China a while back, I shelved it until recently, when I finally got around to reordering the correct part.

This lens was found on the type 011 Kodak Retina II cameras produced in Germany by Kodak form 1946-1949. The lens is U.S.-made and features Kodak's famed "Lumenized" coatings. It is significantly rarer than the German Schneider Xenon 50/2 more typically seen on this Retina model. There is a still rarer L39 variant that was outfitted to Leica III Clones manufactured by Kardon that they supplied to the U.S. Army Signal Corps. The L39 lenses routinely sell for over $1000!

This particular lens is mounted in a Kodak-badged Compur-Rapid shutter with 10 bladed aperture. In order to adapt it, I had to remove the cocking and trigger levers from the shutter to keep it open and allow it to mount flush against the adapter. I set these aside so I could reassemble the lens to stock later if needed.

The adapter stack I used is as follows:
Pixco L mount to m42 mount thin adapter
10mm Extension Tube
Fotasy 12-19mm focus helicoid
Chinese m25/0.5 to m42 adapter.

This stack focuses slightly past infinity with this lens, which I might try to alleviate at some point with more permanent shimming, after I first use the same stack to try a 50mm Rodenstock Karat Heligon, which has the same size shutter mount.

I took the lens out for a quick stroll through the park today for its first test run. It was a gloomy, sloppy day, and I must say, the lens really seems to like these conditions, doing a great job in the flat lighting. Overall impressions are an excellent-rendering lens with loads of character, rich color reproduction, and great contrast and 3d pop. Corners are soft (indeed positively dreamy wide open,) with quite a bit of field curvature evident, and the center sharpens up significantly between f/2 and f/2.8. Bokeh is quite attractive, with nice vintage character, swirly but not nearly as aggressively busy as Toby Marshall's commonly cited examples, which clearly are incredibly overly tone-mapped, would suggest.

Overall, a very enjoyable lens with which to shoot!

When I get a chance, I'll also throw some extension tubes in between to get some macro/heavy bokeh shots, but in the meantime, here are some forest pics from today:

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

alex_d · Joined: 19 Jan 2019 Posts: 377

i do like filmic feel that lens gives, unless is not over-edited ..?
i do find the grain outside the center quite remarkable phenomena.
its kind of a bastard child of industar 69 and 50.

colors: i dont like it at all. not natural as it shold follow the lens characteristics
PP or camera setup .. ?

BrianSVP · Joined: 09 Jun 2023 Posts: 335 Location: Philadelphia

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7555 Location: Hong Kong

It is the best lens for Retina camera at that time! Although it may not be as good as the later Xenon/Heligon, it has great character at close up.

alex_d · Joined: 19 Jan 2019 Posts: 377

ok i have to correct my self as i have checked pics again but now in a normal browser and other display.
not so industar-ish feel any more,
very sharp in the center and strange fall off sharpens that tent to go swirl but it's hessites ..
i do stand by my color comment: this is nowhere near a 'natural look..'
it reminds me on file from a film scanner from 20y ago.
and, imo, this lens does not live happily in this habitat

blotafton · Joined: 08 Aug 2013 Posts: 1616 Location: Sweden

Really nice character and tones! I'd convert one too just need a preferably non working camera Smile

BrianSVP · Joined: 09 Jun 2023 Posts: 335 Location: Philadelphia

I'd argue that you apparently have become so conditioned to looking at highly processed, color "corrected" (scare quotes intentional) photos that you no longer perceive what actually are extremely natural colors as "natural" anymore. This is very much what a gloomy, muddy Pennsylvania day actually looks like. At least on my calibrated, 100% gamut monitor it certainly does. Perhaps you live in the desert where such lighting is uncommon?

I'll take the lens out again when we get some sunshine and see if your opinion changes.

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

alex_d · Joined: 19 Jan 2019 Posts: 377

pennsylstan or whatever other ..,
greens are all over the place.
or even beter: greens are jacked up , saturated.

Cant imageine that is lens doing that,
so or it's PP,
or your camera has some add setup
or camera algorythm is doing some weird stuff
or...

make a pics with everything on zero, no-presets / sims and with the balance graycard

and for all forest dwellers: yes, there are forests outside Swisstan too.