Any info on a Berthiot Eurygraphe Double Anastigmat Series IVa?

I couldn't resist buying this, even without being able to find out much about it. The cells I have are marked 305 and 390. Combined they seem to be around 190mm or so. Is anyone familiar with this set? The individual cells seem to have decent coverage- at least 400mm. Together they seem to cover (or light up) around 325mm or so.

The aperture scale is interesting. At first I thought the aperture ring was threaded backwards as the scale seems reversed (the marking '47' is indexed to wide open and '4' is stopped down) but after checking the iris with calipers the aperture markings appear to correspond to the diameter in mm.

I'm looking forward to using it to find out more about it, but if anyone has any info on this set I'd be interested in hearing it. Thanks.

Colin, here's a between-the-wars Berthiot catalog that explains Eurygraphe casket sets:

http://www.collection-appareils.fr/a...9d3802b532215d

Short version, it is a double convertible anastigmat much like the Dagor.

Great, thanks Dan.

For fun I plugged some of the catalog text into Google-

Quote:

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Originally Posted by google translate

Series III. Constitutes an lens with three elements fast enough for good light for taking moments, it is also suitable for large-scale portrait, the stereoscopic picture or uses requiring a longer focus.
The meeting of two elements of this series is an lens symmetric similar to our series Iva. By combining two elements of different focal length, we obtain an asymmetric lenses with multiple combinations.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by google translate

Series IVa.These objectives consist of two lenses of the series III substantially the same focal length. They are suitable for the quick snapshot taken of the portrait, landscape, groups and devices are perfectly suited to hand-draw double(?).
By using only the posterior lens, we obtain a simple goal of the series III with a focal length approximately equal to twice the combination and which, even in the open position, an excellent definition.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by google translate

Eurygraphe Sets (Series IVc). These kits consist of three Series III lens of different focal lengths. They can be used as single elements, very fast because of the clarity and firmness of drawing they give, even at full aperture.
By combining two of these two lenses, we obtain dual purpose for varying the dimensions of the images according to the desired result.
These kits be used for all photographic applications. In extreme cases a useful complement (106 degree) Perigraphe f14 when the field angle of 80 degrees is not enough.

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Cool, the cells from series 3 and 4 are the same, just sold in different configurations. I'd like to track down some more of the cells- were these fairly common? Anyway, the sun's finally coming up here, looking forward to using it.

Colin, polish your French and ask for information on the French LF forum, also watch its for sale section (occasions). http://www.galerie-photo.info/forum/

Also watch www.ebay.fr and www.ebay.co.uk . For some reason Eurygraphes turn up more often in the UK than in the US.

Not really common, often expensive. You might also want to look for Ser. VIb f/6.8 (mainly) Perigraphes. These are imitation Dagors. Subject to operator error in the one trial I've run, the 135/6.8 is ok but not quite as good as the more-or-less equivalent 135/6.8 Boyer Beryl, also a Dagor clone. Pre-WWI, Berthiot recommended using single elements of the Ser. VIa, dropped the recommendation post-WWI. Boyer recommending using single Beryl elements to the end (1982).

Thanks again Dan. Not sure if there's any hope for my conversational French, but I'm good enough at brute pattern recognition. ;-)

I do have one of the series VIa perigraphes, great lens. It's one of the main reasons I got the Eurygraphe- it's impressive enough to make me want to try more offerings from Berthiot.

Colin, I made a typo. Before WWI Berthiot recommended using single elements of both Ser. VIa and Ser. VIb Perigraphes. After the war they didn't.

I agree with you about f/14 (Ser. VIa) Perigraphes, don't know how well most of Berthiot's line shoot.