raid
Dad Photographer
I used today a 6x9 lens on the E-P2. It is the Schneider Kreuznach 105mm 4.5 Xenar. I bought this lens many years ago adapted to Pentacon P mount. I added a Pentacon P to Canon FD adapter, followed by Canon FD to LTM adapter, and I wrapped things up with a LTM - M 4/3 adapter. It has no focusing capabilities, and I have to walk back and forth into and out of focus in the range 5-6 feet at aperture 4.5. I also used aperture 32 to get low contrast images that were OK sharp for distant objects. The lens works best wide open for portraits;. It is a lot of fun to play with such lenses to get some different results once in a while. I took my two daughters for a drive to downtown Pensacola where we first had lunch, followed by walking around for a while. Then we picked up my wife from our home and we drove to the beach to enjoy the colorful sunset.
raid
Dad Photographer
This was at the Farmer's Market and on Palafox Street downtown today.
At home:
At the beach:
At home:
At the beach:
raid
Dad Photographer
This lens has some flaws. It is very difficult to use during a sunset. I cannot even estimate where the focus is. Using it at F 32 lowers the optical performance.
raid
Dad Photographer
I had fun with it all. The lens is OK for portraits but maybe this is where I should leave things. It does well in sunshine.
A Harley was parked on the street, so I took some shots. Its owner was a guy my age (but he had tattoos). He told me that he bought the bike for $16000, and that he has driven it "everywhere". He called it "my girlfriend".
A Harley was parked on the street, so I took some shots. Its owner was a guy my age (but he had tattoos). He told me that he bought the bike for $16000, and that he has driven it "everywhere". He called it "my girlfriend".
hamradio
Well-known
What'd you find a 105/4.5 Xenar attached to? I used a SK Radionar 105/4.5 triplet in my homemade Polaroid rig, originally sourced from a 6x9 620 folder. The nice thing is, you can't really tell a difference in sharpness between f/4.5 and f/11 with the instant film. 
raid
Dad Photographer
I found the lens by itself without any camera on ebay. I once had a Franka Solida IIIe folder with a Radionar lens. Like your lens It was quite sharp.
raid
Dad Photographer
biomed
Veteran
Looks like it works well for portraits and maybe some landscapes.
hlpgtf
Member
Raid - if you can find an old lens barrel you could attach it somewhere in the middle and use it to focus. I managed to find a scratched-beyond-repair Nikkor & took the glass out. There's a picture of the frankenlens HERE.
My next step is to get one of the helicoid close-focus adapters for my Sony - it will give me a little more flexibility in finding infinity focus (almost everything I've built is just a little too short & focuses past infinity).
My next step is to get one of the helicoid close-focus adapters for my Sony - it will give me a little more flexibility in finding infinity focus (almost everything I've built is just a little too short & focuses past infinity).
raid
Dad Photographer
I will give it some thought to see if I manage to do such a thing or not. It would be great if the lens could be focused.
raid
Dad Photographer
Your Frankenlens looks impressive!
hlpgtf
Member
Thanks - I got lucky that the lens was built with a (I guess somewhat standard) 39mm large format screwmount, which meant that I could get a cheap 39-42mm adapter, screw that into a 42-52mm step-down ring, and attach that to the filter ring.
raid
Dad Photographer
I will see what I can come up with.
Nokton48
Veteran
raid
Dad Photographer
Thanks! I can now see how this lens was intended to be used. I am using it because of its sharpness. Portraits can look very sharp.
raid
Dad Photographer
I would have to stop down the lens a lot to use it well for landscapes. I may have overdone this with F 32. Here, the camera (on auto ISO) may have chosen very high ISO.
Nokton48
Veteran
You are welcome.
raid
Dad Photographer
Is the focus distance then also fixed for you so that you cannot take photos of distant objects? Is this a lens that is meant to be used with bellows? Is it a "macro lens"?
hamradio
Well-known
That lens would've been used on something with a means of focusing...I imagine something designed like a Voigtlander Avus, but it could've also been for a 2x3 press camera, as I've seen quite a few 105/4.5 Tessars on baby speed graphics. My Radionar is front cell focusing, and I just found a grub screw that fit nicely in a hole left by its infinity stop, to lock the front cell at infinity.
raid
Dad Photographer
So your lens now is set fixed at infinity for landscapes?