cooke series II anastigmat?

[butterfly]

Hi,

one of those impulse things of evil bay - I bought a lens, brass barrel marked ;cooke anastigmat lens series II f4.5'. The barrel is engraved 'Taylor, Taylor & Hobson , Leicester, London and New York'. It's mot a soft focus lens as far as I can tell - just has normal iris blades and no shutter obviously.

It's a beautiful thing (!).

However, I am thinking, is it a real Cooke, because I cannot find any information on this lens other than the closest thing would be a Cooke Aviar 7 inch 4.5. Is this what this lens is, or is it some other?

any information would be really helpful, and I am also wondering if the board hole size needed would relate to the copal sizes?

Thanks!

Steve

[Steve Hamley]

A picture or focal length would help immensely, but yes, Cooke (Taylor, Taylor, and Hobson) made many Series II f/4.s Anastigmat lenses.

The Lens Collector's Vade Mecum has quite a large section on TT&H lenses including a lot of information on the Series II lenses.

And no, this lens was probably designed before the parents of the people who first dreamed of a Copal shutter were born.

Cheers, Steve

[butterfly]

Hi,

It is marked 7 inch f4.5. The retaining ring is engraved with the TH logo. The serial number is 55979.

Forgive my ignorance, I've never heard of the Vade Mecum. I'll look it up.

Regards

Steve

[Steve Hamley]

Steve,

Nothing to forgive, you can find it here:

http://antiquecameras.net/lensvademecum.html

Dan posts here as "CCHarrison"

I have a 7" Series II f/3.5 without the soft focus that I like very much. Usually lenses this short didn't have the diffusion mechanism. I also have a Series II 10.4" with the diffusion that doesn't diffuse that much, but I like the way it renders in contrasty light very much.

Give yours a try on a still life close to a bright window or in bright overcast and I think you'll be very pleased with your purchase.

Cheers, Steve

[CCHarrison]

From "Camera...." 1904:

"In our November issue we announced two new series of Cooke anastigmats and now give an illustration of the series IV lens. It works at a full aperture of F 5, 6, and is designed for the finest portraiture, for high-speed photography, and for difficult photographs in poor lights. The series II lenses working at F 4.5 are intended for still more trying conditions, and the makers guarantee sharp definition with the diaphragm wide open to the extreme corners of the plate specified for each lens.. The Cooke anastigmat has the advantage of an extremely simple construction. It consists of three thin glasses which obviously admit more light than does a combination of six, eight or nine. The difference in lighting is distinctly noticeable in
practice, and the makers invite fair comparison between Cooke lenses and others of the same focus and aperture. They have a delicate screw-adjustment for the final corrections of the lens. Sensitive and efficient, the adjustment always remains rigid, and besides increasing accuracy, it is immensely more durable than the old-fashioned balsam, with no disadvantage of any kind. With its help can be secured the most critical definition throughout the plate for which each lens is listed, and one uniform excellence is attained.

These advantages are fully developed in the new series, and result in objectives of greater rapidity and defining power, with a more uniform excellence than has hitherto been possible in lenses having these large apertures. The series II, excel for portraiture by the adjustability of the back glass. This enables the photographer to secure at will uniform sharp definition, or to diffuse any required softness evenly throughout the plate. The value of this device can best be appreciated by the professional photographer.

The success of Cooke lenses in America during eighteen months has been unique. In government departments again and again they have replaced what were but recently considered the finest anastigmats for copying and enlarging. In astronomical research they are now used perhaps more than any other photographic lens. For photo-engraving Cooke lenses are chosen increasingly by the most critical workers, while the best amateur and professional photographers praise them on all sides."

Also

"Cooke Lens, Series II. Full aperture F. 4.5. These ultra-rapid anastigmats are designed for the finest portraiture, and for subjects demanding extreme speed. Like other Cooke lenses, they give definition at the margins of the plates equal to that at the center, and are quite free from that peculiar streakiness or marginal definition familiar to the professional photographer."


Dan

[butterfly]

That's great information! Many thanks everyone. Need to sort out a board and I'll give it a try!