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Does anyone have an Ilex Series D?
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 4:29 am    Post subject: Does anyone have an Ilex Series D? Reply with quote
Just received: On eBay for US$1 plus $1.45 shipping I won a tiny (30mm wide x 24mm deep) lens on a 6cm2 lens board. It is marked -ILEX ANASTIGMAT SERIES "D" F:6.3 and that is all, no focal length nor nation. (Ilex was USA.) The f-stops are 6.3-8-11-16-22. My rough focus test shows the focal length is around 110mm.

When I search for information I find references to large-format lenses, with Ilex Anastigmat Series "D" being classed as a topogon, a wide-angle symmetrical double Gauss design. The front and rear elements seem to have similar curvature, which supports that idea. But this tiny thing just seems much too small to be large format.

My other Ilex lenses are clearly marked, but not this one. Does anyone here have experience with such a lens? Thanks!


PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lucky !

That should go for more. Its an uncommon lens.

It certainly can be a large format lens in spite of its size. I have a small Wollensak 90mm that covers 4x5 (equivalent to @28mm on a 35mm camera)

I expect this one should cover 4x5 at least, maybe 5x7.


PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 5:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just to add-
Ilex seems to have had more than one "Series D"

An earlier one from the 1910's-20's seems to have been a "normal" in coverage, and was just a low-cost standard lens. One of your focal length would have been intended to cover the usual 6x9.

I would really like to see your lens.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
luisalegria wrote:
I would really like to see your lens.

Here'tis. Sorry about the dust.



And now I have confused myself. Again. I try the focal-length test. Under an LED light it looks like about 110mm. Under a larger double-fluorescent-tube light, it looks like about 70mm. And I can't really measure the image circle. Grrr... So I can't tell if this is the UWA LF lens as purported, or Yet Another Enlarging Lens (YAEL). That's why I'm asking for help.

Ah, I just managed to remove it from the lensboard. Rear thread is one inch. Put it on an M42 bellows on a PK film camera, and infinity focus is indeed around 110mm. But I still can't measure the image circle. Does this ring any bells with you? Thanks.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
That's an enlarger lens, that's why the f-stop numbers are written upside down.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 3:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
That's an enlarger lens, that's why the f-stop numbers are written upside down.

Aha! I didn't consider that; my only known LF lens has the numbers oriented in a different plane. Thanks!

Well, it's easy to correct the database entry. Just move it from the LF to the EL section. I wonder if this one is really a Topogon? With symmetrical double-meniscus elements, little (but some) distortion, etc. Or was Series "D" just an Ilex family name?

Now I have 3 Ilex EL's: this one, a Dejur-Amsco 110-4.5, and a Solar Anastigmat 140/4.5. All nice and cheap, averaging US$6 each, shipped. I have used the 140 a bit, satisfactorily. Now it's time for a shoot-out between my 110's, including the Industar-100U f/4.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It seems to me this is indeed an enlarger lens, and not likely to be a Topogon or any other sort of wide angle. I'm guessing its just another enlarging Tessar.

Ilex reused their series designations. Series "S" for instance at one time referred to a design with variable soft focus capability, but I have a 1950's 8 1/2" Series S that is just a nice Tessar.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
For 6 bucks you can't go wrong!

I like ELs too, just mounted an Industar-23U for use on my EOS, which is a 110mm, it has the deep purple coating common to most Russian lenses and from the quick test shot I snapped, looks to be pretty damn sharp:



The flag is out of focus but look at the aerial on the right:



PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
For 6 bucks you can't go wrong!

Oh, that's the average. This particular Ilex was just US$2.50 shipped! The Ilex Dejur-Amsco 110/4.5 was US$8 and the Ilex Solar Anastigmat 140/4.5 was US$7, shipped. Whereas the Industar 100U 110/4 was US$21, but $16 of that was shipping from Ukraine to California.

Yes, excellent sharpness with these EL's. Otherwise they would be worthless, eh? Too bad I can't introduce some spherical aberration, for more 'pop'. Hmm, this reminds me of an experiment I have planned. Some months ago I broke down an old Polaroid Swinger for its lens. More recently I bought (cheap!) a batch of iris assemblies for Ilex Paragon 5.5in EL's. I'll mount the lensoid in front of an iris and see what happens. I think those cheap Polaroid lenses were noted for 'pop'.

Meanwhile, I took a closer look at this Ilex Anastigmat f/6.3 and compared it with other EL's and yes, it does seem to be just Yet Another Tessar (YAT) -- a tiny, slow one. But for two bucks I can't go wrong!

Last edited by RioRico on Mon Jul 11, 2011 4:33 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
That's the spirit! Experimentation and persistence is often needed to get these old oddities working in a useful fashion.

Those Irises are a great find, I could do with finding a load of iris mechanisms for some of my projector lenses.
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