I've seen a lot of pictures shot with the Speed Graphic/Aero Ektar aerial reconnaissance lens combination that I really like so I've had it in the back of my mind that one day I would get one. Two things put me off: firstly the fact that the Aero Ektars are radioactive (some reports suggest dangerously so) and secondly that the price of the lens is now, frankly, ridiculous, frequently topping £700 on e-bay.
Just before Christmas I was browsing antique stalls in my local market when I spotted what was clearly not an Aero Ektar, but was some sort of World War II aerial reconnaissance lens. The seller...