The Beast

What my Lomography account is named after. Here it's mounted on a Speed Graphic, for its focal plane shutter (the lens has no shutter of its own). The Aero Ektar is capable of decent sharpness, but in practice, using it is all about shallow focus. The equivalent lens for a 35mm camera would be around 50mm f/0.7 , so it's considered one of the all-time most extreme bokeh-monster lenses. #aeroektar #4x5

Fotografo:
aeroektar
Caricato:
2015-11-10
Tags:
4x5 aeroektar
Cittá:
Mississauga,Ontario
Paese:
Canada
Album:
Aero Ektar 178mm f2.5 4x5

7 Commenti

  1. chilledvondub
    chilledvondub ·

    What a babe!

  2. aeroektar
    aeroektar ·

    I was lucky enough to find the lens many years ago when it wasn't so famous. The whole rig, tripod and all, cost less than a Petzval with enough left over for a few boxes of film.

  3. neneohcs
    neneohcs ·

    looks beautiful!

  4. bwman
    bwman ·

    Where can I get a Kodak Aero ektar lens?

  5. aeroektar
    aeroektar ·

    Well, let's see.
    I lucked into mine at an antique "barn" in Ontario in the 1980s. At the time I didn't have any 4x5 gear, and this was during a period when these lenses were forgotten. As soon as I saw that it was f2.5 and would cover 5x5 I realised what it would be able to do, and grabbed it for $80.00. I was doubly lucky that the one I bought still had its lens cover and was in an M-42 focusing mount, so it was well protected. I later did the research to find out about its history. It's not until the past couple of years that I put the camera together.
    In the meantime, they've become sought-after.
    Aero Ektars are often available on the Great Auction Site, but you don't get to check the condition, and you're bidding against the whole world.
    My best advice is to find the nearest historic photography society, and go their shows and auctions.
    I live near Toronto, and lurk at their events to great success. Even if nobody's selling an AE at the event you attend, you'll likely get a line on one by asking around.

  6. neufotomacher
    neufotomacher ·

    Does it use individual holders for each 4x5 sheet?

  7. aeroektar
    aeroektar ·

    @neufotomacher Yes. The film goes into standard 4x5 holders, two sheets per holder. The holder slides into the slot you can see just at the back of the camera body.
    I've also got a couple of Polaroid sheet-film holders. For these, the film is in s light-tight envelope that you slide into the holder. The holder grabs the envelope but not the film, so you pull the envelope out to expose the film. New55 is making instant film for this holder, as well as regular film packaged in the same envelopes.
    On this camera, you can easily remove the ground glass, and replace it with a roll-film holder - in my case this takes eight 6x9cm exposures on a roll of 120.
    cheers

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