Todd AO rebuild

[Nils Henrik Sundgren]

Hi, I’m new to this forum and I have a question that I hope that someone with a knowledge of Todd AO anamorphics might be able to give me some clues about. I have a Todd AO 35 front element that I bought on Ebay some time ago. I’m trying to find out which focal length this element should have (as in, the focal length on the taking lens).
And also, whether this is the early or later version of the Todd AO’s. I was thinking that if I can figure out which taking lens to use, I could get an old Canon K35 lens and have the whole thing built into a fully functioning anamorphic lens by Kim Camera or the like.
So, I’m reaching out to anyone who might have a clue as to which lens size this element would fit with. The front is 122mm and the rear is 48mm. I would be grateful for any clues, and any pointers before I embark on this project!

[Ignacio Aguilar]

According to Richard Bradbury's excellent lens database, the 38mm Todd-AO 35 from the first generation of Todd-AO 35 lenses may be the lens that this front anamorphic element belonged for. The elements for that series were Cooke (Canons were used for the second), so you may be able to reconstruct the lens with a 40mm Cooke Speed Panchro. Maybe Double Speed Panchros were used for Todd-AO's, as I've read somewhere. Anyway, any 40mm lens should work if I'm right, since the angle of view is more important in this case that the lens characteristics. Bear in mind that this work may be hard and difficult, and probably is going to cost you a lot of money if you want the lens to be used professionally.

 

Here's the link to the database, go to the "other anamorphics" section: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U5Dzl4ziFl4SWQyamBj8Z57RIDYsSy4jD5E4CYTENjo/pub?hl=en_GB&hl=en_GB&hl=en_GB&output=html

[Nils Henrik Sundgren]

Thanks for the very precise answer, Ignacio! Really helpful. I understand the complexity of this project, and I'll be threading carefully going forward. I know this might end up being quite expensive, so I'll take it step by step.

[Ofer Rudolphson]

Hi Nils,

Did you get any further with your Todd AO project?

I also have a (different) Todd AO anamorphic front, currently on a Fujinon B4 mount zoom but can be easily dissembled - see picture. I was wondering if you found some interesting directions on your way, which might be beneficial on my research on the way for finding a decent rehousing job options.

 

Thanks! Ofer

[Christophe Collette]

Hey there Nils, if you're interested in selling your Todd Ao let me know, I'd take it. 

 

Thx.