Re: Revere & Wollensak

[P3D Eric Goldstein <egoldste@xxxxxx>]

Dr. George A. Themelis wrote:

> My 2.8 Realist is a fuzzball at 2.8 or even f4 and f5.6.


Spoken from a man who has seen a *lot* of realists. In contrast, I have
no problem shooting wide open with mine.

So George brings up what I think is the most important point of all with
regard to 50s cameras and lens performance, which is the tremendous
*individual variation* between different models of the same camera.
We've written about it before, but it warrants repeating: These cameras
were made to production standards far less rigorous than those of today,
and you should expect two different cameras of the same model and
manufacturer to perform differently. The best thing to do before
purchasing is to buy a camera subject to approval, shoot some tests, and
see how well the lenses match and perform. I have seen realist and kodak
3.5s which will beat the heck out of a not-so-great realist 2.8, and
visa-versa.

Also, once you buy, many if not most of these cameras benefit visibly
from a Jess Powell or other knowledgeable repair person tweeking them
up. It's a good investment...


Eric G.


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