Description: Up for sale is a great CLAed example of the classic and rare Kodak Ektar 4 inch (102mm) f/2.8 RMI 125 lens. This lens was produced for the U.S. military for use as the standard lens with the Combat Graflex KE-5.5x7 medium format rangefinder camera, aka the "Gulliver's Contax."Due to its exceptional optics and 7x7 coverage, it remains popular both for use with the KE-4 and for adapted use on medium format film and digital bodies, and even on 2"x3" large format. Vintage condition with minor scratching (see pics). Free of haze and fungus. Exterior shows wear and dings consistent with military use. Mechanics are all in full working order. In addition, this lens has been completely disassembled and CLAed (Cleaned/Lubed/Adjusted), with cleaning of individual components aperture cleaning and total helical cleaning/relube for like-new performance! b167 CLA FAQs Q: Why buy a CLAed lens? Put quite simply, lenses get dirty over time. Many used vintage sold lenses here on eBay are described as “mint condition,” typically meaning they are free of obvious optical flaws like haze or fungus and have a clean-appearing exterior. However, opening them up tells a quite different story. While these lenses may appear tightly built, they nearly all use open designs, which allows substantial amounts of dust, dirt, and grit to enter the lens, where it settles into delicate precision components, adversely affecting the mechanical properties of the lens and leading to increased wear. Furthermore, even in unused samples, lubricants tend to degrade over time, leading to degraded focus action as grease dries out, or slow blades and soiled optics as oil migrates within the lens. Q: What services do you perform on the lens before sale? With the lens disassembled, I perform a full CLA (Clean Lube Adjust). This entails cleaning out any internal and external soiling, cleaning aperture blades of grease that can slowing, re-lubing the focus helical, and adjusting all components for tightness and accuracy. Where there is extensive dust or internal lens soiling, I will disassemble lens cells and clean off surfaces; however, it is my general philosophy to keep lens elements in their factory positions in assembled cells when at all possible to ensure optimum performance. Q: DUST? What do you mean DUST? A: All vintage lenses have dust in them. In fact, they had dust in them when they were brand new from the factory! This is because prior to the advent of very modern sealed designs, lenses were not put together in a clean room environment, and the natural static charge of the glass tends to attract dust particles. Coupled with the open designs used in these lenses, it is virtually impossible to find any vintage lens without some degree of dust particles visible when you look closely through the lens. All of my CLA lenses have at minimum the exterior and internal cell surfaces wiped with a dust-free, lab-grade optical tissue and then blown off with an air bulb prior to reassembly and thus have a significantly below average amount of dust for a vintage lens.
Price: 850 USD
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
End Time: 2025-01-09T17:02:50.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Model: Ektar
Custom Bundle: No
Compatible Brand: For Hasselblad, For Graflex
Focal Length: 102mm
Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
Series: Combat Graflex
Type: High Quality, Standard
Exterior Material: Aluminum
Non-Domestic Product: No
Modified Item: No
Focus Type: Manual
Brand: Kodak
Mount: KE-4
