Mysterious Eastman Kodak Rochester NY

[emperorjot]

I've just purchased a mysterious Kodak lens - described by the seller as a "1 inch Kodak Lens"
It has a maximum aperture of 6.8 and a minimum of 32. The only other engravings on the lens besides the aperture markings are "EASTMAN KODAK ROCHESTER NY." It hasn't been posted to me yet so I haven't been able to get a close look but do have the original seller's photos of it. I'm wondering if anyone can identify anything about it (especially its potential mount) so that I can understand its use better.
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[blotafton]

[Gatorengineer64]

thats an old Kodak enlarging lens.... not sure on the mount.....

[emperorjot]

[jamaeolus]

I doubt the 1 inch is actually the FL. The lens seems too large for that.

[calvin83]

Never see a Kodak enlarging like this. You can check if it is an 1 inch lens if you have other 24-25mm for comparison.

[emperorjot]

[calvin83]

I am pretty sure it is not a lens with focal length of 1 inch(25mm). It looks like it is a lens with focal length of 4 inch(100mm) or more.

[jamaeolus]

I agree Calvin. Both the size of the elements compared to the hand and the size of the aluminum? tube indicate a much longer. FL. A 1inch enlarger lens is going to be pretty small. I have a Minolta CE 30mm that is much much smaller than that. Emperorjot? Please let us know what you discover. Looks interesting.

[visualopsins]

I don't see any 1" mark?

Looks like lens that fits a shutter such as Comput. Similar to Retina lens.

[emperorjot]

[emperorjot]

[emperorjot]

[jamaeolus]

My guess is it is just threaded into the aluminum tube and the livery suggests (as you point out) early 20th century. Probably 1905 to 1925 range. There would almost no call for a 1 inch enlarger lens during this time frame. Your wish for 100mm-ish lens seems likely to come true. My experience with lenses from this era is that they are surprisingly good...if proper care is taken to accommodate their inherent weaknesses. Ie keep the main lighting behind you, use a deep hood and don't expect razor sharp corners. The flaws...coma, veiling flair, rainbow flair etc can be used for dramatic artistic effects. What kind of adaptation kit do you already own? Bellows? Helicoid adapter? Extension tubes? I have cobbled together quick easy testing systems and more complicated things as well. Quick tests can often be done by drilling a hole in a plastic body cap not quite big enough for the threads to drop through then judiciously carving it bigger until thr threads start to bite into the plastic. The work the lens back and forth to carve threads with the lens in the plastic (don't do this with a metal body cap!). Another approach is to actually use the aluminum tube as the inner part of a tube in tube sliding focus system. If you do this you will want to blacken the inside of the aluminum. Take it off the lens. Spray with flat black spray paint, or better yet apply stick on flocking vinyl.

[emperorjot]

[jamaeolus]

Well, if the lens unscrews off the aluminum as I think, then you need to get to m42 with the proper threads and the proper distance to the sensor. Kodak might be imperial or metric, hard to say. Helicoid m42 to m42 are available in several ranges and are very helpful for this kind of project. They aren't horribly expensive but not dirt cheap either, thirtyish IIRC . The standard extension sets from China are dirt cheap 5 ish but the odds of hitting the right focal length without some type of variable system are quite small. For quick and dirty estimates I do "Free lensing" ie hold the lens up to the body of the camera, or the adapter, and see if you can get an image. Move the lens in and out until you get an image. This is easier if you have a tripod to mount the camera on. Also a dark piece of cloth over the top of camera and lens will help limit stray light from washing out the image. That way you can get a handle on what kind of tube length and adapter you might need. A permanent mount thread to thread in metal might be easy...or might not be possible for less money that you paid for the lens. There are lots and lots of ready made adapters from China or also more specialized ones from RAFcamera in Belarus, others exist as well but I have not purchased from any of them. Custom fabrication can be accomplished but depending on where you are that can get expensive. SKGrimes in the US is fantastic for professional photographers with unusual needs but would be pretty expensive for a hobbyist on a limited budget.

[emperorjot]

[alex ph]

Congrats for an interesting find!

It looks like a good enlarger lens. As for Kodak folder lenses, you may find some recent samples here and here. And here is a more modern enlarger lens than yours. It would be interesting to compare.

If you wish to test it ASAP, you might wish to use duct tape with an M42 adapter.

[jamaeolus]

Excellent! The first thing I would try is freelensing it with the aluminum tube attached. The 130 is FL means that from the center of the lens, (where the light crosses the aperture) to the sensor is 130 ish millimeters. That should have the lens focused at infinity. The first thing I would try is freelensing it with the aluminum tube attached. First just against the camera body. Hold the base of the aluminum tune tight against the lens mount (be careful not to hit the sensor if the aluminum tube diameter is small enough to actually fit inside the mount) See how that looks on the view screen. Change where the lens is pointed to distant and not so distant objects. If you have a distance that you form a sharp image then you need to do this without the aluminum tube. Repeat this against your m42 adapter if it is blurry. That will almost certainly be far enough out to create an image at some non infinity distance. Once youu have established that you need to mount the lens somewhere near that distance from the sensor.The body cap technique should be pretty easy. Purchase an m42 body cap. Plastic is easiest to start with. Cut a hole just a bit smaller than the diameter of the threads. Carve the edges slowly out until you can just get the threads to bite then work it back. And forth to use the brass lens threads to form threads in the plastic. Tighten it so the lens is flush all the way around the cap. Now with you m42 adapter and an m42 helicoid adapter and maybe an extension tube or 2 you can use it like a typical camera objective!

[emperorjot]

[jamaeolus]

Yes! That is just the kind of thing I was talking about. The trick will be to get enough extension that as the helicoid moves from 17 toward 31 it reaches infinity with a small movement. That is best but not always achievable. That ves the most fcal range for your custom lens. Getting to "the best you can" requires some trial and error which is why I suggested the freelensing experiments.

[emperorjot]

[calvin83]

[emperorjot]

[calvin83]