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Leica ELCAN 6 INCH f2.8 lens 138 - 1527


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ELCAN 6 INCH f2.8 lens 138 - 1527

 

Intend adapting this via a bellows arrangement but have not commenced the project yet. Lens weighs 843g.

 

TTBOMK the lens may have been used on the Maurer KE-28B 6x6cm format aerial camera originally specified by USAF c. 1965... but this example has a UK Broad Arrow engraving 14A//6781 .

 

DSCF1397.jpg

DSCF1377.jpg

DSCF1370.jpg

DSCF1375.jpg

 

cont'd ...

Edited by dkpeterborough
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Very interesting... how much is the diameter of the barrel in the back side ? I'm wondering if it can get INTO the bellows' mouth... but maybe it's better to design & build a double threaded tube ... female to the lens thread that is visible in your phots, male to one of the std. bellows II front adapters... a nice project to carry on: go on and let us know the work's progression... :)

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Very interesting... how much is the diameter of the barrel in the back side ? I'm wondering if it can get INTO the bellows' mouth... but maybe it's better to design & build a double threaded tube ... female to the lens thread that is visible in your phots, male to one of the std. bellows II front adapters... a nice project to carry on: go on and let us know the work's progression... :)

 

Hi Luigi, The lens mount rear diameter is 6cm. I'm not planning to use it on a Leica bellows but might use it with a medium format camera on a home made bag type bellows with a suitable focusing rail. Or maybe a Pentax 6x7 utilizing a variable Pentax extension tube. Has to be a camera with a focal plane type shutter. If the lens covers 6x6 it might just cover 6x7. Whatever camera is used it will have to hang off the end of the lens rather than the camera supporting the lens ie needs a lens tripod mount . Need to experiment by holding the lens in front of a MF camera to see if it will focus at infinity. This is probably not a retrofocus lens and might not be suitable for a reflex camera. It could evolve into something interesting ... but not sure what exactly at the moment/

 

Cheers

 

dunk

Edited by dkpeterborough
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Hi Luigi, The lens mount rear diameter is 6cm. I'm not planning to use it on a Leica bellows but might use it with a medium format camera on a home made bag type bellows with a suitable focusing rail. Or maybe a Pentax 6x7 utilizing a variable Pentax extension tube. Has to be a camera with a focal plane type shutter. If the lens covers 6x6 it might just cover 6x7. Whatever camera is used it will have to hang off the end of the lens rather than the camera supporting the lens ie needs a lens tripod mount . Need to experiment by holding the lens in front of a MF camera to see if it will focus at infinity. This is probably not a retrofocus lens and might not be suitable for a reflex camera. It could evolve into something interesting ... but not sure what exactly at the moment/

 

Cheers

 

dunk

 

Ouch... 5 cm diameter...definitely not to try a strange Leica adaption... ;)

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Have discovered this interesting link which might be a bit controversial ... and which suggests that adapting the 6 inch lens might be difficult due to short lens flange to film plane distance..

 

ElCan lenses & cameras - Photo.net Leica and Rangefinders Forum

 

Cheers

 

dunk

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This looks very similar in its 'mounting' as the 3" f/2 that I have. Originally this was held in place in a complex mount which fitted it to a Vinten aerial camera with focus fixed at infinity and the aperture powered - hence the gear drive. Mine has no aperture makings. The 3" is not a retro focus design and will not focus to infinity if placed on a Canon EOS camera - you may be luckier depending on the design as you have a longer focal legth lens. I think that it should cover 6x6 or even 6x7 but without a shutter assembly or focus mount will be difficult to adapt - I was thinking of simply trying mine out at infinity on the M8. I can find out little info on these Elcan aerial lenses other than that they probably perform very well at infinity. I haven't checked the thread on mine as yet but as I have a local optical firm nearby who can machine up simple mounts I will do so - it may be that these lenses use the same thread to fit them into their mounts?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just stumbled across this thread, hope that some of you will find information taken from Elcan's C-series Reconnaissance Lenses catalog of interest.

 

First off, lens serial numbers have the form ttt-nnnn. ttt identifies the lens type, nnnn is the individual lens' sequence number within type. So the OP's 6"/2.8 s/n 138-1527 is the 1527th example of type 138. In the catalog, the types are characterized as Cttt, with ttt's leading zero suppressed. So, types C270 and C88.

 

A few types that turn up from time to time and that might appeal to photographers are:

 

270, 1.5"/2.8, back focus 0.80"

088, 1.75"/2.8, back focus 1.78"

060, 3.0"/2.0, back focus 1.69"

154, 3.0"/2.8, back focus 2.06"

138, 6.0"/2.8, back focus 1.60"

 

I have 088-0347 and 138-1482, had and have sold 060-2005. As was already pointed out, type 138 was supplied for the Maurer KE28 camera. The ones I've mentioned were supplied for various versions of the Vinten F-95 camera. All of mine were made for the F-95.

 

IMO, the only one of these lenses that can be used is type 088, which will make infinity with mm to spare on a 2x3 Pacemaker Speed Graphic. Practically speaking, it covers nominal 6x6, in a pinch might be used for 6x7 but with severe distortion in the corners. It doesn't illuminate more than 6x7. The others have too short back focus and too large barrels to be used on any camera smaller than a 4x5 Speed Graphic. I don't see the point of using a 4x5 press camera to shoot 6x6, which is all these lenses cover.

 

Oh, yes, my 088 isn't that good a lens at any aperture. On 6x6 a 38/4.5 Biogon is much much better, on 6x9 a 47/5.6 Super Angulon is much much better.

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

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  • 5 years later...

I have been successful in using my Leitz Canada Elcan 6 inch f2.8 lens on my Sony a7r digital camera body. I have had an aluminium focusing mount made specifically for this lens by Rudy Lingg quite a few years ago in Culver City, CA. He also made a custom metal lens hood to fit the front of the lens. The lens mount was Olympus Pen F fit. I recently used a Pen F-to-Sony E Mount adapter (easily obtainable and inexpensive on Ebay). This lens is now capable of focussing full frame digital from near distance to infinity without any vignetting problem. I don't think that this lens is adaptable using any 35mm SLR camera lens brand mount. Note that the Pen FT SLR system utilised a half-frame film size.

 

As I recall, the lens cost me $25 and was in absolute mint condition. The custom focussing unit with Pen F mount and lens hood cost me several hundred dollars. The Olympus Pen F-to-Sony E mount adapter was less than $15.

 

When I first purchased the lens many ears ago I was always confident that it could be used in some manner in the future other that its original function as the aerial lens for the military KE-28B camera. I was happy to have succeeded in my ultimate goal of a practical use for this lens.

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I have been successful in using my Leitz Canada Elcan 6 inch f2.8 lens on my Sony a7r digital camera body. I have had an aluminium focusing mount made specifically for this lens by Rudy Lingg quite a few years ago in Culver City, CA. He also made a custom metal lens hood to fit the front of the lens. The lens mount was Olympus Pen F fit. I recently used a Pen F-to-Sony E Mount adapter (easily obtainable and inexpensive on Ebay). This lens is now capable of focussing full frame digital from near distance to infinity without any vignetting problem. I don't think that this lens is adaptable using any 35mm SLR camera lens brand mount. Note that the Pen FT SLR system utilised a half-frame film size.

 

As I recall, the lens cost me $25 and was in absolute mint condition. The custom focussing unit with Pen F mount and lens hood cost me several hundred dollars. The Olympus Pen F-to-Sony E mount adapter was less than $15.

 

When I first purchased the lens many ears ago I was always confident that it could be used in some manner in the future other that its original function as the aerial lens for the military KE-28B camera. I was happy to have succeeded in my ultimate goal of a practical use for this lens.

 

Very interesting; can you please post some of your image results?

 

Thanks

 

dunk

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I'm a Luddite at posting pictures on a website. At present I hope that my thousand words will suffice instead of a picture. I'll try to take some interesting photos with my setup and post them on this site in the near future. Please trust the veracity of my comments about the successful use of this lens on a full-frame digital camera body.

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ELCAN 6 INCH f2.8 lens 138 - 1527

 

Intend adapting this via a bellows arrangement but have not commenced the project yet. Lens weighs 843g.

 

TTBOMK the lens may have been used on the Maurer KE-28B 6x6cm format aerial camera originally specified by USAF c. 1965... but this example has a UK Broad Arrow engraving 14A//6781 .

 

DSCF1397.jpg

DSCF1377.jpg

DSCF1370.jpg

DSCF1375.jpg

 

cont'd ...

 

Just for information - or confirmation : the broad arrow is the official mark of Royal Air Force equipment.

The two attached views of the Maurer KS-28B I had in my Fontenelle collection illustrate how different - except for the serial number - the ELCAN 6 INCH f2.8 lens nº 138 - 0156 is.

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Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

Here are the photos of the ELCAN lens attached to my Sony a7R camera body and one picture taken with the 6inch f2.8 lens.

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