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Thread: Beck 12x10 - more infos?

  1. #1

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    May 2015
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    Beck 12x10 - more infos?

    Hello everyone,

    I just got my hands on a nice brass lens - R. J. Beck 12 x 10 rectilinear, 16".

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I am trying to get some more information on this lens.
    It seems like it is very similar or even identical to a Dallmeyer Aplanat, right?
    How old may it be?
    In which setup would it typically have been used?

    I have no inserts (or whatever they are called), so I'll use it wide open. But it came with a flange.
    Already made a board from a sheet of aluminium in Technika-size, so I can use it with adapter-boards on my Linhof Kardan 18x24 and on my 4x5 Sinar F2. For the latter I'd need a massive extension for the bellows and rail to focus it. So this is probably not an option.

    Michael

  2. #2
    IanG's Avatar
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    Re: Beck 12x10 - more infos?

    Approx 1890 to about 1905, they were used for portraits, group shots and landscapes. It's a fairly typical Rectilinear lens, similar rather than identical to the Dallmeyer lens you can make yourself some Waterhouse stops.

    Ian

  3. #3

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    Re: Beck 12x10 - more infos?

    Quote Originally Posted by IanG View Post
    Approx 1890 to about 1905, they were used for portraits, group shots and landscapes. It's a fairly typical Rectilinear lens, similar rather than identical to the Dallmeyer lens you can make yourself some Waterhouse stops.
    Ian
    Thanks a lot, Ian!

  4. #4

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    Re: Beck 12x10 - more infos?

    Hi Michael

    you will (also) be able to obtain longer focal lengths by using either of the elements solely

    good luck
    andrew

  5. #5

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    Re: Beck 12x10 - more infos?

    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Plume View Post
    Hi Michael

    you will (also) be able to obtain longer focal lengths by using either of the elements solely

    good luck
    andrew
    On the Linhof I should be fine, but on my Sinar I'd rather want the focal length to be shorter, no?
    Maybe I just need to get another lens, sigh

    Michael

  6. #6

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    Re: Beck 12x10 - more infos?

    Patent protection was quite short in the 19th century, so competitors to Dallmeyer appeared in the last decades.

    These were made in very large sizes covering up to 20x24". Apart from the uses mentioned by Ian, they were much promoted for copying work - which probably explains why these are often found in larger sizes.

    Performance on a par with anstigmatics will require a couple of Waterhouse stops (F16 or smaller).

  7. #7

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    Re: Beck 12x10 - more infos?

    Quote Originally Posted by Steven Tribe View Post
    Patent protection was quite short in the 19th century, so competitors to Dallmeyer appeared in the last decades.

    These were made in very large sizes covering up to 20x24". Apart from the uses mentioned by Ian, they were much promoted for copying work - which probably explains why these are often found in larger sizes.

    Performance on a par with anstigmatics will require a couple of Waterhouse stops (F16 or smaller).
    Thanks, Steven!

    Michael

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