A Schneider Radionar 105mm that missed the scrap bin by a whisker.
2,002 posts
Link
Posted 12/02/2023 - 09:33
An amazing rescue job on the lens. You're a genius! 
The photos are really good. It might be the lens, it might be the light, it might be your processing, but they seem to me to have the feel of photos from the days of film. Why do we bother with big, heavy and expensive modern lenses??
Steve
PS: Having cleaned the lens with hair shampoo, does it now have more shine, long-lasting smoothness and no sign of dandruff?
The photos are really good. It might be the lens, it might be the light, it might be your processing, but they seem to me to have the feel of photos from the days of film. Why do we bother with big, heavy and expensive modern lenses??
Steve
PS: Having cleaned the lens with hair shampoo, does it now have more shine, long-lasting smoothness and no sign of dandruff?
Link
Posted 12/02/2023 - 13:02
Fantastic and it illustrates why I, like you, am incurably addicted to old glass.
This is one you should be rightly proud of and such beautiful colours and clarity.
The way to success is to experiment and if you don't try, you don't achieve.
Well done!
PS This has prompted me to add 'older lenses' into my signature... lol..
C.O.L.B.A.S victim
(Compulsive Obsessive Lens Buying Addiction Syndrome)
What you need are lenses, more lenses, bigger lenses, better lenses, faster lenses, older lenses, and when you have these, your pictures will be perfect!
This is one you should be rightly proud of and such beautiful colours and clarity.
The way to success is to experiment and if you don't try, you don't achieve.
Well done!
PS This has prompted me to add 'older lenses' into my signature... lol..
C.O.L.B.A.S victim
(Compulsive Obsessive Lens Buying Addiction Syndrome)
What you need are lenses, more lenses, bigger lenses, better lenses, faster lenses, older lenses, and when you have these, your pictures will be perfect!
Last Edited by Defragged on 12/02/2023 - 13:25
Link
Posted 12/02/2023 - 13:44
The results speak for themselves, well worth all that effort!
Cheers
Mike
Cheers
Mike
Link
Posted 12/02/2023 - 19:05
Great results, really like the catkin. Amazing colour rendition and sharpness.
Very impressed in how you are able to adapt these old lenses and the achieve such results.
At first I thought that the bomb crater maybe the crater from the Hanbury explosion near Tutbury, Staffordshire.
Paul
K1000, Espio 140, ist, istD, K70, K3iii and numerous lenses, just don't tell my wife.
Very impressed in how you are able to adapt these old lenses and the achieve such results.
At first I thought that the bomb crater maybe the crater from the Hanbury explosion near Tutbury, Staffordshire.
Paul
K1000, Espio 140, ist, istD, K70, K3iii and numerous lenses, just don't tell my wife.
Link
Posted 12/02/2023 - 22:00
Lovely images. I am completely in awe of your skills!
John
John
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davidwozhere
Member
Slap in the middle of England
I almost ditched it but since it was 'scrap' anyway I thought I might as well dismantle it and see what happens. To cut a long story short, after removing all the glass and using a few dozen cotton buds dampened with dilute hair shampoo I got it all crystal clear. Since the aperture blades are metal, I dunked the whole shutter and gave it a good shaking followed by a couple of rinses and put it on some kitchen towels by a radiator. That cleaned the blades but the mechanism was still a bit slow - but that doesn't matter - the T setting works ! The front cell has multiple entry points to the shutter's helicoid so my precaution of photographing its alignment the instant it came free paid off and I got it screwed back on in exactly the right place (phew!).
When I put it on the camera I was gobsmacked at the results. This potential scrapper from the 1930s is the equal of some the best Pentax glass! It quickly acquired a focusing helicoid and I discovered that a vintage "Black Cross" hood fitted over the front cell a treat.
Here it is fitted onto a Pentax K1, showing the various compontents.
and with the hood fitted - it really looks like it means business.
These few were taken on a recent walk .....
1 A WW2 bomb crater that has been softened by the trees.
2 Hazel catkins with amazing Trioplan style bokeh rings (the multi-bladed aperture is almost circular).
3 It was never intended as a macro lens but with the focusing helicoid fully extended you still have an additional (original) helicoid on the front cell.
Screwing this all the way out as well enables close ups that the original users never dreamed of.
4 Jess, the farmer's retired sheepdog.
5 and one of the sheep.
6 An elderly Massey Fergusson tractor with a decidedly custom built front shovel.
7 As I said, it does great close-ups.
8 or even closer with an additional extension ring!
Normally Radionars sell for high prices - for obvious reasons - but nobody wanted this one and I nearly binned it. I'm so glad I didn't.
Both the *istDS and the K5 are incurably addicted to old glass
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