I have an opportunity to buy a

215mm f4.8 Ilex Acuton Lens No.690

It's only available to me for the next day or so. Has anyone had any experience with this lens? Good, bad or otherwise? Any advice would be helpful.

It would be used in an older calumet 4 x 5 for mostly black and white work. Although it may see some color...

thanks

-- Harold (enamoredink@hotmail.com), July 29, 2001

Answers

Some items to consider are: $price? Is it in the later Copal 1 shutter or the older Ilex #3? These were convertibles, probably 215/ 370 or the like. It will probably do a good job if the price is right.

-- Jim Galli (jimgalli@sierra.net), July 29, 2001.

Thanks for answering my question. To answer your question the asking price is about $150 and it's in an no.3 Acme synchro shutter. I have to admit I haven't heard of that shutter either... Any further thought?

THANKS! again!

Harold

-- Harold (enamoredink@hotmail.com), July 29, 2001.

The lens dates from the early-to-mid 1960s when Calumet commissioned Ilex to make several series of lenses to replace the no-longer- available Kodak Ektars and to compete with the European inmorts. Most of these lenses were sold as Ilex-Caltars through Calumet, but a few were labeled as Acugons and Acutars and sold (I believe) through Burke & James. In any case, the Ilex lenses from this period that I've had experience with are good performers, though not quite up to the standards of present-day glass.

The Acme shutter was also made by Ilex and, while servicable, is definitely a cut below the modern Copal.

-- James Meckley (jmeckley@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu), July 29, 2001.