[pure-silver] Re: Ektar enlarging lens
----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Stephenson" <photographica@xxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, November 20, 2006 9:53 PM
Subject: [pure-silver] Ektar enlarging lens
Any opinions on the usefulness/quality/value of a Kodak Enlarging Ektar 100mm f/4.5? And does the little "L" in a circle have any meaning? 

Thanks in advance,

-Bill
The Enlarging Ektar series were intended to promote color printing by making available lenses with excellent color correction. The 100mm Enlarging Ektar is a four element air spaced type similar to the Goerz Dogmar. It is slightly asymerical in order to inprove correction at its optimum distance. It is intended to cover 2-1/4 x 3-1/4 negatives. The circle-L mark means its coated, this stands for Kodak's coating tradmark "Luminized". You can date the lens from the serial number. Kodak lenses made beginning about 1940 have a two letter prefix for the serial number. The letters stand for the last two digits of the year of manufacture. The key word is CAMEROSITY standing for the numerals 1,2,3,... Kodak seems to have had very good manufacturing QC so there are not many dogs. I have one of these lenses that someone gave me because the barrel is dented. I also have a 75mm, f/4.5 Enlarging Ektar. This, and the 50mm Ektar are modified Heliar types with excellent color correction. I've tested it against my Schneider Componon and its hard to see any difference other than the Componon (a Plasmat) probably has slightly greater coverage. The name Ektanon was introduced by Kodak about 1949 for use on lenses not quite up to the quality of the Ektars. Nontheless, Ektanons can be excellent lenses. I think the main difference may be the degree of color correction but I don't know for certain. All of the Kodak enlarging lenses with focal lengths longer than 100mm were Ektanons. 

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
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