Shutter and Aperture for B&L Zeiss Anastigmat Series 11A

[Daniel Kabara]

I received what appear to be parts of a lense for a wooden 8x10 view camera: A board with a single lense element mounted to it and a separate single element lense. It appears that they could have been joined - I'm guessing with a shutter and aperture component - because, when I place them together, a clear image is provided on the ground glass. The front lense is labeled Bausch & Lomb Optical Co. Rochester NY, 10x12 Zeiss-Anastigmat. Series 11A Pat. Jan 13, 1891. Any thoughts or information on the original configuration of this lense will be appreciated.

[Ernest Purdum]

Could it be that there is an illegible "V" in front of the "IIA"? Zeiss did make a series II, but I don't know of a IIA nor do I know of B&L making any of this series. Are there any markings on the rear lens? If it should turn out to be a Series VIIa, that is a pre-1900 version of the lens which was called Convertible Protar after 1900. You are right in thinking that a part containing a diaphragm, and perhaps a shutter, is missing.

[Ole Tjugen]

The Zeiss Serie IIB was an early name for the Tessar f:4.5, so I guess there must have been a IIA at one time?

[Ernest Purdum]

Ole, thanks for your remainder about the Tessar designation. I just found out that I had overlooked an early Zeiss Anastigmat Series "IIa". It was an f8 asymmetrical type with a cemented doublet front cell and a cemented triplet rear cell. The existence of this lens probably explains why the f6.3 Tessars were designated "IIb".



Daniel, if the reflections in your front cell are substantially different from those of the rear, it probably is one of these early lenses.



You might luck out and find out that the cells came from an early B&L "Iris Diaphragm" shutter. These show up on eBay fairly often. They took cells threaded 22, 28, 35 or 45mm. It would be nice if the lens could be made complete, since it must be a rather uncommon example.

[Daniel Kabara]

First: I'd like to thank both of you for your responses. Next: It is definately Series IIA (there is no "V" - and I understand now that it isn't 11A). If we number the exposed lense surfaces from 1 to 4, starting with the outermost, the reflections are as follows: 1. Right-side up, 2. Upside-down, slight double image about 1/3x difference in size, 3. Upside-down, slight double image about 2x difference in size, 4. Right-side up. The thred diameters are 65mm. The back cell seems to have a yellowish crazed appearance around the perimeter on an internal surface while the front cell doesn't. I'd like to find a shutter as I'm compelled to see if this nearly complete camera (R.O.C. View Camera) will actually work. Thank you again for your help.