Voigtlander & Sohn No. 9, ca. 1875

[Steven Tribe]

I'm not sure why you would make an assumption that this lens would be an optical piece of junk from the 19th century? And to say that many readers here would agree is also arrogant, if not completely assumptive.

Sorry, but you must be mixing my post with another post!

I did not call the lens a piece of junk. It is a fine and rare lens. Not for everyone, though - as the camera needs to be huge and everything else too.

[Jody_S]

Hi Jody,
I'm curious why you would say that this lens is just about useless for photography?

Because it's insanely impractical to try to use this lens for photography. Today, as it was in 1875 when it was made. Like trying to use a 50lb sledge hammer to hang a picture frame.

[jesse]

No.

But I can attach this reference with pictures and description to an old listing at Breker's auctions in Germany. If you contact Breker for more information, they will send better photographs. Quite quickly, probably, if you link them to this discussion or include a photo.

By the way, are you quite sure the wooden crate has always been with this lens?

Rare is not quite the right word! Although this size was in the published catalogues, it was not a stock item. They had the grinding/polishing tools at Braunschweig, perhaps even the optical glass - but they would have been made to order.

There has been more here about this lens here in August 2013 in the Soft Focus sales thread - including sales price. It is here:
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...mation/page194

Don't get too carried way with the eventual sale price! It didn't sell at an earlier auction so the market is very small.

There was a special serial number on one of these and the other one had provenance that it came from Voigtlandet's own collection.

Here is another link to a slightly smaller size from the same year as yours, sold at auction in 2006. This is about the maximum size actually used for normal photography

https://classic.liveauctioneers.com/...nd-sohn-vienna

This is the #10000 Voigtlander Petzval, the lens is in Yunnan China now.

[CCHarrison]

I guess size matters...

[Pere Casals]

Perhaps it's time to remember Lawrence, nothing like a "lightweight" field camera for hiking around...

"...the telephoto focal length was 10 feet." http://phototechmag.com/the-man-who-...iggest-camera/

[Mark Sawyer]

Because it's insanely impractical to try to use this lens for photography. Today, as it was in 1875 when it was made. Like trying to use a 50lb sledge hammer to hang a picture frame.

But what if it's a really, really, really big picture frame?

[Jim Galli]

Well, I've got a 10X10 lens board and 44 inches of bellows. I'd sure like to give it a go.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I’d like to give it a go too. I’ve got just as much bellows but I’ll have to be satisfied with my #7 Voigtlander Petzval.

[Jim Graves]

Well, I've got a 10X10 lens board and 44 inches of bellows. I'd sure like to give it a go.

OK ... we just to schedule another of the famous Tonapah/Goldfield workshops and get the OP and all the ULF Guys there ... would be phantasmagoric!!!!

[Jim Fitzgerald]

OK ... we just to schedule another of the famous Tonapah/Goldfield workshops and get the OP and all the ULF Guys there ... would be phantasmagoric!!!!

I'm in!