The Lenses

THE WISNER CONVERTIBLE PLASMAT

Combined front and rear
The convertible lens has been a favorite of large format photographers for years and has been used by every landscape photographer of note since the beginning of photography. Today, venerable old examples of these lenses, which are becoming more and more scarce, are traded jealously as prized possessions. The photographer who wants to build upon a fine convertible set as the corner stone of his backpacking outfit will be faced with the prolonged chore of combing the used equipment listings to assemble his set.

THE FIRST CONVERTIBLE LENS TO BE OFFERED IN MODERN TIMES It is now possible to buy a fine modern convertible lens set. On a par with and following the tradition which started with the famous Protar made by Carl Zeiss, the Wisner Plasmat is a series of convertible lens sets which may be used in combination or singly to form different focal lengths of wide-field double- or long focus single-cell lenses. These "Convertible Plasmats" are grouped into four sets, complete with shutter and cell case and engraved brass table of f:stops. Each set is suitable for the standard formats of 4x5 (focal lengths of 152mm to 450), 5x7 (182mm to 500mm) and 8x10 (227mm to 600mm) and consists of five, five or four cells, respectively. Each set is capable of forming eight or more practical focal lengths in their respective ranges, resulting from the combination or single use of the various cells in each set, affording considerable savings in weight and expense.

  "As elegant and beautiful as any convertible lens set I have ever seen.....There is a subtle roundness of the image... a three dimensional effect.." "...when converted---only a single cell is used---the Wisner was sharper than all of the other convertibles tested except the Zeiss [Protar]." Gordon Hutchings, View Camera Magazine, Jan/Feb 98

  The master set, consisting of all six elements, is also available, and will provide the user with a total of seventeen double and single-cell focal lengths. This would serve the photographer who is using multiple formats. The Convertible Plasmat offers the same flexibility, convenience and economy as the original Protar sets.

The optics are manufactured under exclusive agreement with Schneider Kreuznach and Schneider Corporation of America according to Wisner requirements and assembled and tested in our optical department.

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