Peter Chiappini , Nov 15, 2003; 08:39 p.m.
Hello, I was wondering how these lenses perform compared to some
other ltm lenses. I just purchased a 2 inch. f/3.5 Taylor-Hobson
Ental II lens and I am considering a 3.25 inch f/4 Taylor-Hobson
Ental II lens; both cost about 20$. Any info would be appreciated
thank you, Peter
Rob F. 
, Nov 15, 2003; 09:46 p.m.
Al Kaplan - Miami, FL , Nov 15, 2003; 10:47 p.m.
For twenty bucks the worst you could end up with is a pair of decent quality magnifying glasses for examining slides, negs and contact sheets. They were a respected British lens manufacturer.
Steve Barnett , Nov 16, 2003; 07:00 a.m.
Definitely go for it at $20! The Reid cameras these lenses were meant for were by all accounts better made than the original Leica design they are copied from. And likewise I understand some of the lenses beat the Leica equivalent for image quality, although I couldn't tell you which ones. Either way at $20 it has to be a no-brainer.
Christopher Chen , Nov 16, 2003; 01:23 p.m.
The Taylor, Taylor & Hobson 2-inch f/2 Cooke Amotal for the Bell
& Howell Foton (sometimes found converted to LTM) is an
excellent lens. TT&H still make some of the finest cinema
lenses in the world. For $20 a piece, I would buy both lenses!
Alex Lofquist , Nov 16, 2003; 03:28 p.m.
Note on THC.
Taylor, Taylor and Hobson (later Taylor, Hobson, Cooke) designed some of the first large aperture lenses used on 35mm cameras. The Leica 50mm f/1.5 Summarit was built under license from THC, as I believe were other Leitz lenses. THC was acquired by Rank Industries (J. Arthur Rank) in the UK, and later to be peeled-off as a separate entity. I haven't heard much about them in the last few years.
Steve Barnett , Nov 17, 2003; 03:44 a.m.
Cooke are currently considering a new range of LTM lenses.......
Jonathan Reynolds , Nov 17, 2003; 04:32 a.m.
I recall reading somewhere that Zeiss bought an important Taylor Hobson patent, and that this led to early Contax lenses outperforming Leica lenses for a while. Sorry this is rather vague, but I no longer have the book. Be interested to know if anyone can confirm this, however.
Dan Fromm , Nov 17, 2003; 03:42 p.m.
Um, Entals are enlarging lenses. They don't have focusing mounts. Are you sure you can use your lenses on a camera?
Cheers,
Dan
Peter Chiappini , Dec 18, 2003; 01:50 a.m.
haha, I got the lenses and Dan is right! They do look very sharp and they have a nice coating, but I don't even have an enlarger.
