Old/rare equipment/lenses - where to find in UK?

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dalex_257

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Alexey Danilchenko
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Hi all,

Having recently tried to get hold of one of the old Rodenstock TV-Heligon or XR-Heligon super fast lenses (f/0.75) and failed I decided to ask for an advice here. Quite some time ago I got inspired by some Bjørn Rørslett photos used customised versions of those lenses and only recently have came to the point of actually trying something like this myself. A few years there was plenty of them on eBay quite cheap - now it seems they all diappeared. The occasional ones popping into existence on eBay but ending up in those bid wars which I never seem to manage to win. Since a few people who got them managed to get them from some kind of photo stores that sell old equipment, I decded to try that route as well.

So here is my question - does anybody have any advice on where do one find old optical item like this in UK? (no reference to eBay please) I am mostly after some small local stores that you know about that may sell this kind of things. Hampshire area would be especially appreciated ;)

I'll try a couple of small London stores I know about (like York cameras) but I only know a couple really so appreciate the extra info about similar stores? Those lenses seem to come from old X-Ray machines - any good place that sells parts of those?
 
Thanks guys, keep them coming ;-)

Mr Cad looks impressive...

I know about Greys but as far as I know they specialise on Nikon stuff and what I am looking for is definitely weird and definitely not Nikon ;-)
 
I've briefly tried looking for similar lenses myself, but unfortunately like you had very little luck. Good luck on finding one though and if you do, please give us an indepth review and photo fest. :)
 
dalex_257 said:
Thanks guys, keep them coming ;-)

Mr Cad looks impressive...

I know about Greys but as far as I know they specialise on Nikon stuff and what I am looking for is definitely weird and definitely not Nikon ;-)
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Well worth a visit, I doubt you will have seen so much kit in one place. Last time I was in there they had about 20-39 hassies and the same in mamiyas and even more bronicas. Then there are just cabinets full of lenses and 5x4 and 10x8 cameras enlargers and the list just goes on and on
 
Davec223 said:
Well worth a visit, I doubt you will have seen so much kit in one place. Last time I was in there they had about 20-39 hassies and the same in mamiyas and even more bronicas. Then there are just cabinets full of lenses and 5x4 and 10x8 cameras enlargers and the list just goes on and on
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Edited: I have not realised you were referring to Mr Cad (sorry looked at the last like you commented upon) - yes I'll go there it looks great.
 
Messiah Khan said:
I've briefly tried looking for similar lenses myself, but unfortunately like you had very little luck. Good luck on finding one though and if you do, please give us an indepth review and photo fest. :)
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I will once I get one and figure out how to adapt it to Nikon F mount ;). At the moment plans are to use some cheap old F-mount lens for that or M42 lens + Nikon adapter.

Surprisingly, a few years back there was a lot of them on eBay, and now all is quiet...
 
shiato storm said:
everyone hanging onto their gear...
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Well that's not so much of a gear yet - it needs some DIY to be used on SLR. So usually the sellers of this stuff have no idea what to do with it. It seems to me that thanks to Bjørn they got so popular that you cannot find them anymore :(
 
Wanted to post an update.

Found the local guy, http://www.abex.co.uk/sales/sales.htm that sells all kind of those in various conditions. Spoke to him over phone and going to have a visit to check it and possibly pick one up on Friday. He seems to have loads of those lenses (more than website shows) so if any of you guys want to experiment with that, might be worth giving him a call to discuss...
 
dalex_257 said:
Wanted to post an update.

Found the local guy, http://www.abex.co.uk/sales/sales.htm that sells all kind of those in various conditions. Spoke to him over phone and going to have a visit to check it and possibly pick one up on Friday. He seems to have loads of those lenses (more than website shows) so if any of you guys want to experiment with that, might be worth giving him a call to discuss...
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Nice find! What lens you going for? How much are you looking at if you don't mind me asking. And please keep us updated on converting it to Nikon Mount.
 
Messiah Khan said:
Nice find! What lens you going for? How much are you looking at if you don't mind me asking.
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Well that's the thing - I don't know yet. Apparently they have all sorts with the largest size being Deude Rayxar 65mm F0.75. The guy I was talking to (Adam Bexley) told me that the prices vary depending on the condition so if something will be in mint condition it can cost around 100 pounds and even more. That's the reason he asked me to pop in a choose so I can pick something that will suit my price range. I wouldn't go beyong 100 - even that is a stretch. A few years back you could have find the old Rodenstock TV-Heligons for around 30 quid ;-). It's all in their warehouse with all the other equipment they sell, so I'm going to have a look. I'd still prefer Rodenstock if they have it - it has slightly larger backfocus distance. Rayxar if nothing else is there - but this has practically nonexistent backfocus distance (0.8mm). I have a "cunning" plan that one day I may adapt it to have proper infinity focus on the new breed of cameras like Micro Four Thirds that allow closer mounting of the lens (so smaller backfocus distances).

I'll post something more on Friday when I will know more.

Messiah Khan said:
And please keep us updated on converting it to Nikon Mount.
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Will do, need to get the lens first to see which way is the best to proceed.
 
Messiah Khan said:
Nice find! What lens you going for? How much are you looking at if you don't mind me asking. And please keep us updated on converting it to Nikon Mount.
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An update as promised. Got myself a Rodenstock TV-Heligon 50mm F0.75 lens.

Edited: removed lens images from my gallery.

Cost me less than a hundreed pounds in the end, and it was discounted since the front element is a bit mucky. I tried to clean it up and it looks ok now, though not perfect - has 1 small area close to the edge where the reflective coating is off (about 1.5 mm in diameter). I did a quick clean and could not clean it to the pristine condition like a lens you'd buy in a shop but that is to be expected. The back element and insides are pristine though. I guess this is the best you can get taking into account their use - they likely to get knocked a lot during their intended lifetime. Still the glass is smooth so no scratches. Lens in similar state goes for 140 pounds nowadays on eBay so although it was top of my budget I am pleased nevertheless.

Adam seems to have loads of them of all kinds. He sells them to scientific labs where they mostly use them in image intensifiers so he gets his money back quite well. The best and cleanest glass he has is Canon 65mm f/0.95 - humongous lens about 2 kilos. But that one was over my limit.

He has a lot more Rodenstocks TV-Heligons (we picked a few other 50mm f/0.75 and he took them with him to place on eBay). I told him that there may be some other people interested from this forum, so Messiah Khan and others, if you want one, contact him, he'll be waiting (Adam Bexley at sales@abex.co.uk, email him and he probably will give you the phone to discuss it over).

I have yet to attach Nikon mount to this lens, but a quick test shot with lens just handheld in front of my D200:
p656685446-4.jpg


The imperfect area of the front element has no effect on this at all and I find it was quite easy to take a picture - since viewfinder is really bright.

Will post more details when I get more results and couple it with Nikon properly.
 
I meant to post last night, I came across an advert advertising all sorts of adaptor rings last night. I will post the link when I get home.
 
Thanks for the writeup. It's good to know there are still ones knocking about. Im also pleasantly suprised at the price of them as well. Can't wait for some shots of it fitted to the Nikon. I assume this is a fixed aperture lens? And what about focus? Does it have a focus ring of any sort or is it a matter of focusing with your feet, and if so, what distance is focus set to? I don't mind the fixed aperture (after all the point of the lens is a WIIIIDE aperture), and I don't mind manual focus (Although converting one to AF would be a fun project), but fixed focus would probably annoy me a little.
 
Messiah Khan said:
Thanks for the writeup. It's good to know there are still ones knocking about. Im also pleasantly suprised at the price of them as well. Can't wait for some shots of it fitted to the Nikon. I assume this is a fixed aperture lens? And what about focus? Does it have a focus ring of any sort or is it a matter of focusing with your feet, and if so, what distance is focus set to? I don't mind the fixed aperture (after all the point of the lens is a WIIIIDE aperture), and I don't mind manual focus (Although converting one to AF would be a fun project), but fixed focus would probably annoy me a little.
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None of those lenses have a focus ring. To complicate things, they have very short back focus distance for they won't focus on infinity ona traditional SLR. TV-Heligon 50mm has back focus distance of 6.1mm so it needs to ba that far from a sensor to be focused on infinity - this simply is too far into the mirror chamber of modern SLRs. Nikon/Canons have more than 40mm backfocusing distance.

The limited focusing with those lenses is still possible, if you will manage to fit them with say F-mount and focusing helicoid (for Nikon) scavenged from old manual lens. I don't think it is an easy task though so I will concentrate on fixed F-mount. For foxed one focusing is done by moving the camera, similarly to how you would do it for reversed lens. Only from my today's trial - much easier (greater distance to the subject - around 20cm and brighter image so you can see what's in focus relatively easily). To me all the drawbacks of having "everything fixed" are nothing compared to this weird effect and image style those lenses produce. I'm looking forward to using those.

Btw, the Rayxar lens was just sold on eBay for 106 pounds and that was the one with the chip in a glass. So I guess Adam's 100 quid for a lens was not a bad deal after all ;-)

To those interested in technical details about some of those lenses (backfocusing, construction and some history) - look here for more details.
 
blinkerz said:
Alot of these were used to record X-ray or oscilloscope screens at fixed distance, so they are impractical because once converted for photography they will also lose the ability to focus at infinity.
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I would correct you slightly, they are impractical for traditional/conventional photography. But they do have their niche and appeal despite the limitations just as the photography with the reversed lens...
 
An update. Since commenting on the lens I got, I contacted Adam again and he exchanged it for a better one. So I'd definitely recommend him as a source for those superfast lenses.

In the meantime I'm waiting on the delivery of the extension rings with Nikon F mount. I measured the lens backside and it appears that 16mm extension ring fixed at the back is all it needs to be attached to the camera.

In the meantime, some abstract photos of tulips (again with the lens handheld in front of the camera) just to show the lens capabilities:

1.
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2.
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3.
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4.
p851831305-4.jpg


All those were processed in LR with only autotone applied. So all the blurs and faded colours are from the lens really...
 
Why not pickup an old "K" ring set of eBay, with the fabled K1 ring you can use any Pre AI lens on your DSLR too. Then convert the f0.75 lens to 52mm with a stepping ring.
 
Beagletorque said:
Why not pickup an old "K" ring set of eBay, with the fabled K1 ring you can use any Pre AI lens on your DSLR too. Then convert the f0.75 lens to 52mm with a stepping ring.
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Well, I wouldn't want to complicate it to start with. Similarly to what you said I could have bought the M42 extension ring and then used M42 - F mount adapter thaty allows me to use any M42 lens...

The extension ring comes with 58mm thread to which a convertor to F mount is attached - so for me it is flexible enough for now ;-)

My dream approach would be to get an M42 focusing helicoid (16mm-...) and use that so I can do at least some limited focusing. Bu those are not cheap and will cost the same as the lens so I'll skip it at this time.
 
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