Post your Frankenstein lenses here!

I have seen a number of Frankenstein lenses, mostly just rear and front lens cells were from different Petzval makers, but this one has two brass engravings of different nationalities and (probably) lens designs. The back half (sleeve, flange and rear part of the barrel) is one of the early Busch Petzvals when he was still based in Prussia, rather than Unified Germany. The front part is engraved Aldis (registered by the auctioneer as Alsis). The two barrels are joined together by a series of screws through the barrels where they oveylap. The auctioneer says there is a central lens too. Now as the lenses have a diameter of 11.5cm, this would be an interesting item IF the central lens was the front achromat of the very large original Petzval. But of little interest, unless someone is missing some parts from a similar Busch, if the central lens is part of the Aldis. I suppose that Aldis might have adapted the lens themselves to cater for someone special wishes.

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-us/a...3-a7fb0103e50f

Steven I'm not sure if this qualifies but here you go. Several years ago I bought the front and rear elements of a 14" Commercial Ektar thinking I'll find a shutter or a barrel. Well after a lot of time I had no luck so me being the one who loves to work with Walnut I decided to make a barrel out of you guessed it Walnut! Funny thing is I guess the spacing dead on and the lens works great. I even have custom waterhouse stops and I can go to F-64!

Yes, there are attractive Frankensteins as well as dead ugly ones.

I suppose the distance between the cells varies a little depending on air humidity and temperature. And if a cell can't be loosened, just put it in a sauna for a hour!

Thinking about this, brass has a high temperature expansion co-efficient, so the distance between cells increases as the lens warms up in the sun.

Attachment 170846 This might qualify. The back half of an 11 1/2" Verito. At some point the front tube went missing. The flange is shared with a 305mm Kodak portrait lens in barrel. The front tube was made by a 77 year old machinist in Seoul, and the front element is a Kern close up filter (from a tv camera or something). I have a couple of other Kern close up filters, but found they are doublets. The close up filter in the image is a singlet, so maybe sort of close to the Verito design. In present configuration it's about an 18" f6 lens.

Oh yes, I have produced some Frankensteinies.

My only interest in this corked brass lens has been the meniscus , so I robbed the meniscus by lathing the brass, and fitted it into a Compur:

Attachment 170850

Attachment 170851

Attachment 170852

This Compurs stick in old 9x12 cameras which came with different lenses.
I bought one with an absolutely wrong working Rodenstock Eurynar.
later I could compare against a fine Eurynar; that shows a wrong back lensgroup.
I decided to destroy and to reorganize some lens elements, because unscrewing didn't work there.

The result is nearly the same like my meniscus version and I have no ducumentation of the steps - but here is a print :

Attachment 170853

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2918/...53caca5e_c.jpgDSC05751 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Here are four Fuji GX680 lenses, I have removed the front and rear cells, and into modified Seiko shutters they go. Some shutters come from cannibalized RB67 lenses, some from view lenses. Then onto my Plaubel Makiflex flat and recessed lensboards. These are great lenses!


135mm F5.6, 100mm F4,
180mm F3.2, 125mm F5.6

Here is a ".. very rare collector's item" - very suitable for a posting on the 1st April.




Attachment 176639

From the right, it is a late Duboscq et Pellin aplanat, followed by a large classic anon. landscape lens, followed by various (projection?) brass parts.