Xenar 38mm F2.8 for a Micro 4/3 PM-1 digital

[Stephen]

After the mention of Instamatic 500 cameras on another thread, I realised that the Kodak Instamatic 500 is equipped with a very good Schneider German made 38mm F2.8 lens, which may be a candidate for stripping out, and converting to fit a Micro 4/3 digital camera.

I do not like stripping a working good condition camera for parts, but I have the remains of a non working one, and another cheap basket case on it's way from Ebay. The basket case has a 2x Converter by Sun included, although I suspect the optical performance would be badly affected with it in use!

The donor camera needs the focus working, the shutter not working does not really matter, and the iris must function. Never having opened one up I am making assumptions that a new body can be made to take the lens elements, and attach it to a "C" mount converter plate. The C mount is useful, as it is so cheap!, and provides the vital bayonet mount to fit the camera.

The distance behind the lens should clear the electric contacts etc, as the lens on the 500 popped out for operation on the Instamatic.

The retraction will not be retained unless there is enough all round clearances behind the lens elements.

The Schneider lens is top quality, 38mm F2.8, therefore 76mm f2.8 on Micro 4/3, a very good option indeed, as faster primes are not common or cheap for the Micro 4/3 cameras.

I will start taking the first apart, and then combine any parts need to make the core of the lens, and find some aluminium bar to make the new outer body.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

I knew it would happen, poking about the first cameras lens, and it has burst back into life!! So I will wait for the second to arrive and strip that, only using the first if needed, this may leave a working 500 as well as taking one lens as the donor for the digital camera. Measurement shows the conversion quite practical, it seems to clear everything at the back, as long as it is not retracted.

There is no chance of vignetting etc, as the 126 frame is 26x26, much larger than the Micro 4/3 sensor, and the Xenar has even light coverage as well, it is a Tessar type lens.

At least it will all test the theory that 126 cameras were never fitted with decent lenses, although the idea was that the 500 lens, and other high quality lenses, showed up the limitations of the Kodapak design, that has no pressure plate, and has the film rather loose in the cartridge grooves it moves in, allowing movement and possible bad curling.

After initial problems Kodak changed the specifications to suggest only small aperture lenses were to be used with new designs, partly overcoming the cartridge problems.

Even after Kodak learning this the same issue occurred with 110, casting doubt on the image quality from the Minota reflex and the Pentax 110. Again good lenses showed up the film problems.

All in all, a great pity that Agfa Rapid format was not used more, as it had none of the problems of plastic mass produced cartridges.

Stephen.

[hansz]

Stephen, someday I hope to find the 126 dias I made with the Contaflex 126 - real decent lenses (Tessar, Distagon, and Tele-Tessar. less the Color-Pantar).
The loading of 126 cassettes is a bit cumbersome, somebody out there, who still has original 126 film??
Hans

[genazzano]

Wow... You're going to do it. Your results will influence the entire Instamatic 500 market on ebay, you know.

I just picked up a couple old Kodak 126 cassettes dated in the early 1990's. Color will be way off but perhaps not beyond some PS work. The problem for me is finding someone to process the film here in Italy. I had planned on shooting with the Inst. 100 just to see how bad it could be, but I think it will be the 500.

[Stephen]

Jun 19, 2013 15:44:59 GMT -5 hansz said:

Stephen, someday I hope to find the 126 dias I made with the Contaflex 126 - real decent lenses (Tessar, Distagon, and Tele-Tessar. less the Color-Pantar).
The loading of 126 cassettes is a bit cumbersome, somebody out there, who still has original 126 film??
Hans

I don't think there is any production of 126, a surprise considering the numbers produced, even the Hong Kong cheap film makes from China do not do it.

I think one of the reasons is the customers general dislike of 126, it always had a tag of cheapness with the square format, the shots were difficult to find albums for, and lots of people hated the square format anyway. With no production of 110 as well, it is very unlikely any will come back, even with the chance of fitting 35mm film in the cartridges. Only the reformed Adox plant has the moulds for the cartridges, and so little demand they cannot commit to produce the film in B/W.

A lot of the digital printers in the shops cannot handle the negatives anyway, a sure deathknell. I would bet most staff in the printers would not even recognise the 126 format these days.

Home processing is different, you can re-load the cartridges, it does not need the pre-exposed frames etc, and exact frame spacing does not matter for home use. So colour could also be attempted, but you would have to print them via a scanner these days to be economic.

But messing about like this...is it worth it for a handful of high class 126 cameras?... and again Rapid scores, you can just put 35mm in the cassettes in a black bag, and get it processed as normal,(with home scanning).

Frankly it is easier to use 828 than 126 at the moment.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

And I should add that I thought that Kodak were out of their tiny corporate minds to introduce APS format, it was far too late, and re-treaded the Rapid ideas, and was a total waste of time and effort. The world was already moving towards Digital, and look at what's happened, Kodak gone bust!

Stephen.

[Stephen]

One nice thing about the Xenar is it has the same filter size as Kodak Retina, so filters and hoods are easy. By the look of it most of the structure of the lens casing can be retained complete, with the front focus, and the back ring the iris, which goes down to a handy F22, matching Micro 4/3 limits. It just needs an intermediate ring made in the lathe or milling machine, to support the whole lot onto a Micro 4/3 "C" mount ring to provide the bayonet.

The C mount rings are only a couple of quid on Ebay, solid aluminium. Easy to enlarge the hole to suit, but leave enough to allow a ring to screw the Xenar lens and the shutter/iris structure to. Still work to find the infinity point, as no film flange distance is published for 126.

Stephen.

[Berndt]

As for 35 mm on M4/3, I use a Canon FL 35 mm F:2. One of the Thorium lenses and very sharp, even full open ... but ... 35 mm is actually not such a useful focal length on M4/3 IMHO. A good 24 mm would actually be the best deal here.

[Stephen]

Instamatics did not have Schneider 24mm primes!!..wish they had!..the kit Olympus zoom lens covers 24mm, but at very small T aperture, (T stops are actual aperture), and a prime lens could be a bit sharper. Some other cheap 20mm to 30mm lenses are ex cine types and do not have enough coverage of the sensor to work correctly, the Xenar has more than enough coverage, and the colour rendition should be better than with the zoom, which is good, but relies on the Jpeg software in the camera a lot.

Stephen.

[truls]

Dwayne's Photo in America developes 126-film. Practical if one not are developing at home.

Jun 19, 2013 15:48:20 GMT -5 genazzano said:

Wow... You're going to do it. Your results will influence the entire Instamatic 500 market on ebay, you know.

I just picked up a couple old Kodak 126 cassettes dated in the early 1990's. Color will be way off but perhaps not beyond some PS work. The problem for me is finding someone to process the film here in Italy. I had planned on shooting with the Inst. 100 just to see how bad it could be, but I think it will be the 500.

[genazzano]

Thanks Truls. If I can't find a place here in ITaly, I'll contact Dwayne's in the USA.

[Stephen]

I have stripped out the Xenar lens unit, a few issues though, the parts are riveted together in some places, making the removal very difficult, in particular the lens retaining ring that the collapsing lens required. It had to be sawn away, so difficult without workshop.

The shutter can be cocked and placed on B, and I am fitting a small plate to keep it at B rather than removing the blades. The plate is glued on just to operate the lever on the shutter back.

The brass tube the extending Xenar lens sat on, can be used to grip the entire lens and shutter unit, the lever that operates the iris still works, but need the surround modified to retain the scale as usable.

Generally the Kodak 500 is over engineered, too complex by far, and far too many riveted parts on the complex gear trains to operated the wind on etc.

The viewfinder optics are recoverable for a hot shoe viewer, and the meter still works! This particular lens unit is a bit scratched on the front surface, but usable. I have the second camera to use if needed. The next thing to design and make is the new mounting for the Micro 4/3 bayonet, made from a C mounting plate.

Stephen

[Stephen]

The camera came with a good condition Sun tele add on lens, Retina fitting via series adaptor, a first check shows it works quite well, maybe due to the small size compared to the larger tele adaptors for 49mm and above. Fits on the Retina and Voigtlander compacts etc., I take some shots on the Olympus PM-1 with a CZ Tessar that takes the same fit. I expect it will be sharp in the centre and soft at the edges!!

The CZ Tessar is also a recovered lens, fitted for Leica thread, it came from a beaten up Werra, converted to work with the Periflex.

Stephen.