Can someone explain this question of F stops?

[68degrees]

I notice on some old cameras the f stop scale is
f4.5 6.3 9 12.7, 18 and on newer cameras it is
f4 , 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32

what is the deal with the older cameras? Were they just trying to be proprietary or could they not get the lens any faster than 4.5 so they had to start the scale there?

Thanks

 

[splitimageview]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116291

 

[FrankS]

It was just an early system that did not end up being the surviving system.

 

[alfredian]

Started at a half-stop, went full-stops from there on

Started at a half-stop, went full-stops from there on

Looks like the lens in the example happened to have a maximum aperture that was a nominal half-stop. The manufacturer provide full-stops stepping down from there. The later practice was-is to go to engrave the next standard full-stop, then do full-stops down from there. Look at a really big, really old lens and they will have the current series of full-stops plus the half-stops as well. The latter you only see in really complete f-stop charts and-or photography textbooks. There's something about shooting at, say, f/12.5 that is sooo satisfying to the inner nerd. -alfredian

 

[68degrees]

Looks like the lens in the example happened to have a maximum aperture that was a nominal half-stop. The manufacturer provide full-stops stepping down from there. The later practice was-is to go to engrave the next standard full-stop, then do full-stops down from there. ...

thats what I thought thanks.

 

[Rob-F]

No, it's just the older european system. If it were a question of the maximum aperture being between two stops, then it would go 4.5-5.6-8-11-16.

 

[tunalegs]

A first-year Argus C-2 I used to have.