Brass Wollensak Vitax (13" / 3.8)

[Cameron Cornell]

Good morning.

En route from Kentucky is a 13" Wollensak Vitax No. 2 that I recently bought on the auction site.

I am curious about these unpainted brass Vitaxes. Does anyone know the dates that Wollensak offered these? I have looked through the old catalogues that are online, but I haven't run across any mention of whether the lenses described are painted or not, so I've not been able to reconstruct the date span.

Does anyone have any thoughts or information on this subject?

By the way, I bought the lens to mount on a beautiful and complete 7x11 Eastman View No. 2 that I found on Craigslist a few days ago in what had to be the worldwide deal of the week, but I will post about that next week on another thread after I've snapped some pictures of her.

Good day to you all!

Cameron Cornell
Washington State

[goamules]

You'll have a fine Petzval lens. Wollensak bought the Rochester Lens Company that made the "Royal" as it was first called, in 1905. It's also hard to say what year they went to black lacquer. I don't think that year is represented on the catalogs at the Camera Eccentric sight. At some point a catalog will probably say "new Lacquer finish!" But I've always thought black started post WWI.

I've got one of those 7x11 No. 2 cameras, it's a beauty. But the lensboard is pretty small, if you get the one I had. You may need to stack some pillows under your lens, if you can fit it on the board! You can get an 8x10 back for them too. Does it have this board?

[Chauncey Walden]

I had one of those 7x11 D2s which cost me $75. The lens board was, of course, designed to center the lens over each half of the 7x11 in conjunction with a sliding panel in the back to produce 2 5x7 portraits. I used 8x10 holders in mine by taking a little slice off each long side of all wooden 8x10 holders and fitting a one inch board stop in the far end of the film holder channel. Wish I still had it and would go for 7x11.

[Cameron Cornell]

I forgot to mention that the lot also included four original 7x11 wooden film holders, 14 modern 8x10 film holders, four original wooden 8x10 film holders, and eight modern 5x7 film holders, all but three of the 8x10 modern film holders in good, useable condition.

[Cameron Cornell]

But back to the Vitax, if anyone has specific information on the date span of the unprinted brass version, that would be great.

I was going to post this question next week, but I might as well ask it now: Does anyone have recommendations for how to make a support for a heavy lens? I think it will be warranted with this setup.

[Cameron Cornell]

Ok well here is what I've found so far:

1906-7 Wollensak Catalogue has the Royal Portrait 3.8 that preceded the Vitax and was offered in lacquered brass.

1912-13 Wollensak Catalogue shows a brass Vitax and states, "The Vitax is handsomely finished in lacquered brass with black enamel trimmings..."

1916-17 Wollensak Catalogue shows a Vitax that is fully coated in black enamel with no mention of the finish in the text.

So perhaps I can safely assume that this brass Vitax No. 2 was manufactured between 1908 and 1915.

[Cameron Cornell]

"But the lensboard is pretty small, if you get the one I had. You may need to stack some pillows under your lens, if you can fit it on the board!"

I think the Vitax No. 2 should mount just fine as long as I make a support for the weight. The outer dimension of the flange is 6.25 inches, which is 1/16 of an inch less than the width of the board. The hole is a little over five inches in diameter. The Studio Shutter has been serviced recently and is functioning correctly, so that is what I plan to use for exposures.

[Chauncey Walden]

Cameron, with all of that, you got a good deal!

[goamules]

You may be able to fit the lens on that board, barely. But it's really a studio camera lens. Also, there are different No.2 Vitax diameters, they changed over the years. Here is a no. 2 I had, on a 9 inch studio board. Just to give you an idea, if you haven't actually handled one...they are massive.

[Cameron Cornell]

You may be able to fit the lens on that board, barely. But it's really a studio camera lens. Also, there are different No.2 Vitax diameters, they changed over the years. Here is a no. 2 I had, on a 9 inch studio board. Just to give you an idea, if you haven't actually handled one...they are massive.

I have a 16" Vitax that I use on my Ansco Studio No. 5, which uses 9" lens boards. The measurements for this No. 2 that's on its way our actual measurements that came from the seller. I do know from some old threads that Jim Galli has a 7x11 Eastman View No. 2 with an 18" Verito (!) mounted on it. I don't know, but I would assume that he uses a support. Do people use something standard for these supports, or just knock something together?