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Old February 15th 11, 07:54 PM posted to rec.photo.equipment.large-format
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Default Lens Cell Cleaning

On 2/14/2011 8:52 PM, David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 2/14/2011 3:57 PM spake thus:

On 2/14/2011 2:32 PM, Thor Lancelot Simon wrote:

In ,
wrote:

From my use, it's a very nice lens given a bad rap mainly because
it was sold at a low price as a "novice lens". Who wants that
when you can buy a pro lens? :P

Well, at least in the 1990s when the question arose for me, it was
more like "who wants that when you can buy a nice clean used
Commercial Ektar"?


I actually replaced a "nice clean" commercial ektar of the same length
with this lens and got much better results at my shooting apertures of
f16-f22. Maybe my sample was a bad one but the geronar has much higher
contrast and "snappyness" to the pictures, especially in difficult
lighting. Add to that a much better shutter, I don't think I'd want 50
year old lens with marginal coatings in one of those old supermatic
shutters over this one.


What do you mean, "marginal coatings"? Do you think they flake off or
something?

Sorry, but it sounds to me as if you've bought the marketing hype hook,
line and sinker when it comes to "advanced, space-age" coatings. The
only "marginal" here is that modren coatings are marginally better than
the old ones. Hell, even *uncoated* lenses (horrors!) can perform
extremely well (under certain conditions).




I guess you missed the "difficult lighting? And yes those early coatings
were good, just not as good as later ones. And yes I do use uncoated
lenses too so understand your point here. In tough lighting the ektar
created low contrast chromes.

I didn't make this judgment based on marketing. I wouldn't have bought
a geronar at all if I wasn't having issues with the commercial ektar of
the same length. I have a 135mm WF ektar and the images it makes are
nice and crisp compared to the ones I was getting with the comm ektar,
hence I looked for a replacement. I have never considered replacing the
135mm WF ektar, it works just fine so don't thing older coating are rubbish.

Sorry if posting that -in my experience- this "novice" lens performs
much better that my old commercial ektar did- rocks the boat of people
who are sold on those old lenses are somehow some sort of religious
experience. I could see nothing wrong looking at the commercial ektar,
maybe it was a bad one? I can only base this on my experience. It was a
-sharp- lens but didn't have the contrast/snappyness this geronar has.
So to say "-Blank- old lens is a better choice" didn't work out for me.

Stephey