Kodak Series "N" filters -- what are they good for?

[john_van_v]

I read somewhere that some Kodak "series" filters will slip onto Voitlander med format lenses. As I getting ready to try my Bessa 66, I am hoping to verify this.

I would also be curious to find out of any of them work on Jupiter or Leica 39mm lenses, such as the Jupiter 37.

(The caps from those big crystal clear cylindrical one gallon water bottles fit very snugly over the front of a J-37. I will try to remember the brand.)

There are a lot of references about the "Series" but they are anecdotal and unorganized, so I am hoping y'all can give me some ideas, as the filters are widely available.

 

[sevo]

Series filters won't slip onto anything, having neither slip-on retainers nor a screw thread (these are on the corresponding Series filter holders). At the very best they might slip into the front lens fitting - but doing so, they would most likely come into contact with the lens center, which is quite high on the list of undesirables.

That said, both series filters and filter holders are very affordable nowadays, and quality makers like B+W, Tiffen and Wratten all made them - I use quite a few of them, in particular for cameras with unusual filter diameters, but I always use them in the appropriate holder.

 

[Robint]

Series filters and holders are a way of attaching filters to old cameras. I have fitted series VI hoods to my Olympus cameras. I obtained a 34.5mm adapter for my Olympus 35-S v1. A 37mm slip fit for an Oly. 35 IVa. The advantage of series adapters for old cameras is the ability to attach filters and hoods to cameras where its is impossible otherwise. I also have obtained yellow, orange, red and UV filters which fit into the adapter and between the lens hood. A good review is found at http://silverbased.org/series-filters/

 

[Spavinaw]

As mentioned in the reference cited in Robint's post, many Kodak 35mm cameras from the 1950's had lenses threaded for series filters plus a retaining ring. Also mentioned were Canon rangefinder camera lenses. I am not familiar with any such lenses. Does anyone know what Canon rangefinder lenses were being referred to? I also have a Sears Tower Reflex TLR made by Aires that has series threaded lenses with retaining rings. OK, now comes the exception, not all series filters are threadless! How about that! As I type this I have on my desk in front of me a Vivitar SER VI 81C filter with threads front and back. I don't know of anyone else, but Vivitar made some threaded series filters. I also have a Spiratone Spiralite Series VII fractional diopter threaded lens. Did Vivitar make it? I don't know.

 

[Al Kaplan]

I don't think that Vivitar made much of anything. A lot of Vivital lenses were the same as Soligor lenses, and they both came out with the interchaneable T-4 camera mounts. Vivitar I'm pretty sure started out as a marketing brand name by Ponder & Best while the Soligor brand was used by the Allied Impex Corporation. Just about everybody made "series" filters and accessories. Sizes ranged from IV (rare) up to IX.

A lot of the oldest ones were uncoated and they're all likely too old to be multi-coated. Many of them consisted of a gelatin filter laminated between two pieces of glass, epecially those for color film.

 

[john_van_v]

gelatin filter laminated between two pieces of glass (??)

Does that work? Well I guess it did. Sounds like a experimental plan. Does Saran wrap work? Should if gelatin does. Just cling-wrap your lenses and be done with it.

 

[john_van_v]

A good review is found at http://silverbased.org/series-filters/

thanks this what I was looking for, but google didn't cough it up on first pass