Hello all largeformat freinds! i bought two old lenses from a auction on internet, one is brass lens Emil Busch Rathenow anastigmat Omnar lens F:5,5 F:190. The other lens is heavy Meyer Görlitz doppel anastigmat F=21cm 1:4.5 Helioplan. My quiston is are they good for large format photography? I like the soft touch on my photos!
Sincerely regards
John-Erik Hansson
Sweden
Well, both were made to be used on large format cameras. So, yes, they can be used on large format cameras. Meyer used the name Helioplan for taking and enlarging lenses, but it isn't clear that the two differed at all.
How well your lenses will shoot depends on their condition now. Try them, and tell us you well you like the results.
If you intend to pursue old lenses, you would do well to buy a copy of The Lens Collector's Vade Mecum. The VM is incoherent, incomplete, inconsistent, incorrect, infuriating, and invaluable. If you had a copy, you'd do less buying in haste, repenting at leisure.
Good luck, have fun,
Both lenses should be good - and sharp. Maybe not as sharp as the latest new lenses, but don't expect them to be soft!
I have to disagree with Dan Fromm about the Vade Mecum: I have a copy, And I buy more old lenses now than before! My latest aquisition was a ca. 1870 Steinheil Aplanat...
Yeah Dan. Now that I know what a Dallmeyer 6A or 5D is, I'm in twice as much hot water. Enjoyed and agreed with most of your superlatives though.
Ole, Jim, it is true that the VM can lead its readers into temptation. Thinking of which, I just got back trial shots from a 4.75"/7.7 Aldis Uno. Its ok. Surprisingly good for such a simple design.
As for the VM, it needs help from a good copy editor.
Cheers,
Where could I purchase a copy? Thanks
Beau, Dan Collucci (spelling?), who posts on photo.net's classic cameras forum sells it. So does M W Classic Cameras, a camera dealer in the UK.
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