The following still camera lenses were documented in the Kodak Reference Handbook - Lenses, Rangefinders and Shutters section, © 1942, 1945. This is the most inclusive edition of this material, encompassing both older and newer models from the late 1930s through 1945. It does not include any information about hardcoating or Lumenizing.

   
DESC
LENS

CAMERA/SHUTTER/
MOUNT
LENS TYPE
NOTES
f/2.0 45mm Bantam Special/
Compur or Supermatic		 Biotar
6-element

31.5mm slipon adapter ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions probably had no coating; starting ~ 1939 calcium fluoride; later may have had magnesium fluoride.
f/1.9 50mm Ektra/Special Barrel/Focal Plane Biotar
7-element 		No 24 screwin adapter ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions had calcium fluoride coating; later may have had magnesium fluoride. Two phase focusing: 3'-inf; 1.5'-3'
f/3.5 50mm Ektra/Special Barrel/Focal Plane Modified Tessar † No 25 screwin adapter ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions had calcium fluoride coating; later may have had magnesium fluoride. Two phase focusing: 3'-inf; 1.5'-3'
f/3.3 35mm Ektra/Special Barrel/Focal Plane Heliar No 26 screwin adapter ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions had calcium fluoride coating; later may have had magnesium fluoride. Two phase focusing: 3'-inf; 1'-3'
f/3.5 90mm Ektra/Special Barrel/Focal Plane . Ser V=> Ser VI stepup ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions had calcium fluoride coating; later may have had magnesium fluoride.
f/3.8 135mm Ektra/Special Barrel/Focal Plane Tele-Tessar Ser VI retaining ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions had calcium fluoride coating; later may have had magnesium fluoride.
f/4.5 153mm Ektra/Special Barrel/Focal Plane Tele-Tessar Ser VI retaining ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions had calcium fluoride coating; later may have had magnesium fluoride.
f/3.5 100mm

Medalist
No 2 Supermatic

Heliar Ser VI retaining ring, Ser VI.
Calcium fluoride coating.
Repurposing note

Cutaway image
f/3.7 105mm No 2 Supermatic,
 Heliar

38mm slipon adapter ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions may had calcium fluoride coating (undocumented) ‚; later had magnesium fluoride.

Not to be confused with the f/3.7 107mm Ektar that was a Tessar design.


f/4.5 101mm No 2 Supermatic,
 Tessar 31.5mm slipon adapter ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions may had calcium fluoride coating (undocumented); later had magnesium fluoride.
f/4.7 127mm No 2 Supermatic,
 Tessar 38mm slipon adapter ring, Ser VI.
Earliest versions may had calcium fluoride coating (undocumented); later had magnesium fluoride.
f/6.3 8 1/2 inch
Eastman Ektar		 Various shutters or barrel Tessar

44.5mm slipon adapter ring, Ser VII.
Inner surfaces had calcium fluoride coating.

f/6.3 10 inch
Eastman Ektar		 Various shutters or barrel Tessar

54mm slipon adapter ring, Ser VIII.
Inner surfaces had calcium fluoride coating.

f/6.3 12 inch
Eastman Ektar		 Various shutters or barrel Tessar

63.5mm slipon adapter ring, Ser VIII.
Inner surfaces had calcium fluoride coating.

f/6.3 14 inch
Eastman Ektar		 Various shutters or barrel Tessar

75mm slipon adapter ring, 4 inch square.
Inner surfaces had calcium fluoride coating.

 

f /4.5 7 1/2 inch
f /5.6 7 1/2 inch
f /6.3 8 1/2 inch
f /6.3 10  inch
f /4.5 12  inch
f /6.3 12 inch
Ektars

  		Ilex #4 or barrel
(Format not specified)
Ilex #3 or barrel
Ilex #4 or barrel
Ilex #5 or barrel
Barrel		 Probably Tessar Although these Ektars are not included in data sections of either the 1945 nor 1948 publications, they were listed in 1952 Camera Technique for Professional Photographers as having been recently available for press and view cameras. I suspect the f /4.5 lenses were coated Antistigmats, since the lengths and maximum apertures are similar to the list below. Both "plain" Ektars and Commercial Ektars of the f /6.3 variety are included in the same list.
  KODAK ANASTIGMATS AND ANASTIGMAT SPECIALS
The professional line of Kodak Anastigmats were never called Ektars and were retired as a series between 1945 and 1948, and included here for reference. General information about the lineage of Kodak lenses is recounted on a separate page.
Beginning with the Kodak Reference Handbook of 1940, no descriptive details were given for Kodak Anastigmat and Kodak Anastigmat Special lenses mounted on consumer cameras. This scan provides limited information about these lenses as listed in 1942-45 edition. More detailed information about most of these lenses is available in the table for Kodak Lenses and Shutters of 1939 .
f/4.5 5 1/2 in. through 12 in.
Anastigmat		 Various shutters or barrel Tessar No coating.
Available in the following models:
f /4.5, 5 1/2 in.; f /4.5, 6 3/8 in.;
f /4.5, 7 1/2 in.; f /4.5, 8 1/2 in.;
f /4.5, 10 in.; f /4.5, 12 in.

   		f/7.7 8 inch
Anastigmat
 No 2 Supermatic Dialyte 33mm slipon adapter ring, Ser VII.
Angle of view at Inf 35° x 47°
This lens was not included as an Ektar in the publication.
 

†
Occassionally Kodak lens designers reversed the elements in the rear group of the Tessar design so that the positive element was next to the stop. This arrangement was used in the 50mm f /3.5 Anastigmat Special on the Kodak 35 and again for the 78mm f /3.5 Ektar on the Chevron.
‚
Since this document describes inner air-glass surfaces being coated for other Ektars of this vintage and the material for this lens does not include that specification, I assume that, at least earlier examples of these lenses had no coating.


Since this is such an excellent lens, it is natural to want to remount the stray example for use with another camera. Unfortunately, the linkages for shutter cocking and release don't lend themselves easily to this. To have this done by a qualified photo machinist would be likely to exceed the cost of a more modern lens of this length. See extended discussion on Medalist page.

 

 

10/29/2010 20:44

 

   
 
 
Ektar Home Page
Kodak Lens Index  
 
About Ektar lens data
Kodak Lens Lineage  
 
Kodak Ektar Summary
Kodak Lens Coating  
 
Kodak Lenses and Shutters © 1939‡
Kodak Reference Handbook: Lenses, Rangefinders and Shutters section © 1940†  
 
Kodak Reference Handbook: Lenses, Rangefinders and Shutters section © 1942, 1945†
Data Book on Lenses, Shutters and Portra Lenses, for Revising Kodak Reference Handbook, © 1942, 1945; Second 1946 Printing   
 
Kodak Data Book: Lenses, Shutters and Portra Lenses, Third Edition, (1948)
Kodak Data Book: Lenses, Shutters and Portra Lenses, Fourth Edition, (1952)  
 
Kodak Data Book: Lenses, Shutters and Portra Lenses, Fifth Edition, (1955)
Kodak Professional Handbook, Equipment Section, (1952)  
 
Kodak Data Book: Lenses, Shutters and Portra Lenses, Sixth Edition, (1958)
Kodak Lens Serial Numbers  
 
Enlarging Lenses      
 

‡


†
This booklet predates the first edition of the Kodak Reference Handbook and contains detailed information about many more lens models and considerable background information about Kodak lens design and production.

Kodak issued replacement pages to registered owners of the original Kodak Reference Handbook which was published in a loose-leaf binder; the replacement pages contained updated information about new products and processes. Newer versions of the Handbook would have contained these pages. © dates in this material appear for 1940, 1942, 1943 and 1945 and perhaps other dates. One of the first separately bound Data Books was published in 1946 "For Revising Reference Handbooks," and noted as Second Printing.