Help with Vintage Lenses

[Anthony Lewis]

I have just started to take an interest in vintage lenses. I have read the Petzval Picture thread, and other vintage lens threads, and love the 'look' of the shots with these old lenses. I particularly like those taken with Petzval lenses.

I am wanting to start buying some of these older lenses. However, I am confused about all the brand names, model no's and so forth, but I think I am starting to get an idea. I have Sinar cameras, both 4x5 and 8x10.

I have come across someone here in Australia who has the following lenses for sale. Can someone tell me if they are any good, or any other comments please? Prices are in Aus. dollars. I have spelt the names as best I could as there was a language barrier between the seller and myself (it was all done over the phone). The seller says the glass in all the lenses is very good!

1) Voitglander Braunfchweit APO Skoper 30cm f9 $395
2) Voitglander Braunfchweit APO Skoper 45cm f9 $495
2) Carl Zeiss APO Tessar 450mm f9 $99
3) Carl Zeiss Tessar 210mm f3.5 ( the letter 'T' is marked on the lens in red) $395
4) Staeble Ultraton 210mm f9 (looks new) $95
5) Som Berthiot 375mm f4.5
6) Trinast Anastitgmat 28cm f3.7 no aperture
7) Dallmeyer f3 7 1/4 inch 3B Special Anstigmat with soft focus $395
8) Cooke 460mm f4.5 in leather case, soft focus (lens looks gold) $895
9) Carl Zeiss Jena 43cm f3.5 Epiotar no aperture $395
10) Ross lens Xpies 5 3/8 inch f3.5 with shutter
11) Graflex Optar 135mm f4.7
12) Kodak Ektar Aero 178mm f2.5 on Sinar lens board

The Dallmeyer and the Cooke look interesting, but I would appreciate your help and comments.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Anthony,

If all are fine the prices look about correct except #9, a bit high, Epiotar would be a projector lens.

"The Dallmeyer and the Cooke look interesting" and the rest are modern lenses without the antique look.

"3) Carl Zeiss Tessar 210mm f3.5 ( the letter 'T' is marked on the lens in red)" should be a fine 'modern' portrait lens for 4x5.

Hope it's a help.

[Mark Sawyer]

Pretty much confirming what Paul said. The only two "vintage" lenses are the Dallmeyer and the Cooke. The Cooke is a triplet with a soft focus adjustment. The Dallmeyer is probably closer to what you want, though I'm not sure that the f/3 is a true Petzval. Their catalogue said of the f/3 Series B lenses: "Dallmeyer Patent Portrait lenses are constructed on a different principle from the old Petzval type of portrait lenses, and excel them in definition, fredom from distortion and flare and in equality of illumination, whilst in addition to this, they afford a means, by a single turn of the mount, of giving soft pictures in which there is evenness of definition without unpleasant out-of-focus effects."

If you go for the Dallmeyer, ask first whether the soft-focus adjustment will turn. Most are frozen, as Dallmeyer manufactured to very, very close tolerances.

[John Kasaian]

IMHO what you want is a lens off of an old magic lantern. Shop the flea markets and on-line auctions. Coverage can be dicey with the smaller lenses. In a darkened room point the lens towards a window and see how big of an image it will project on the wall behind it. Buy the cheap stuff

[Lachlan 717]

Anthony,

I bought a lens from the person that I think you're looking to deal with.

All things considered, it worked out okay. However, there were a couple of "areas for improvement".

First, the lens was described as being "brass". Parts of it definitely are. The main barrel, however, is stainless steel. It is not even plated brass. Nothing to worry about except for it being wrong.

Second, it was down as a 300mm focal length; however, it is only about 240mm. Doesn't worry me (in fact, much better length in hindsight), but it could have been as issue if I had wanted a specific f/length.

On the upside, glass is crystal clear!

Also, I am a bit bewildered by the continuing change of eBay name that this person uses. It seems to change every 3 months or so (I think it's Cameo_loves_ham or similar and cia_love_animal by the look of the listing). I cannot think of why this is (if it even is the same person, but, again, listings are bloody similar!!)...

Finally, let me wrap this up by saying that I would be more than happy to buy from the Love Animal again, just with some reservation as to what is going to arrive!

Lachlan,
Melbourne.

[Archphoto]

Not to worry you:

To put it mildly: there has been talk about this seller....
Either he does not know what he is talking about, or he knows, represents wrongly and plays deaf.

Having said that, if you get what you expect and you are happy with it every thing is OK.

Peter

[Toyon]

Anyone who says the "glass is all good" is lying. There are almost always some problems with glass and they should be found and noted by conscientious sellers. That gives the buyer a chance to weight the effects.

[Sevo]

Most of these lenses are process lenses from the fourties to sixties, hardly vintage, and to some not even quite a lens.

At least one (the Epiotar) is a low grade projection lens, another (the Staeble) was ripped from a instant offset plate copier. Quite a few of them are unusually expensive - the Epiotar and Staeble are both in the bargain bins of many surplus stores (and so may be other process lenses in other parts of the world). The 3.5/210 Tessar is quite a good lens, but as a GDR stock lens produced in considerable excess quantity these are easily procured for much less.

The APO Tessar for one is decently priced - but then, the quite similar APO Skopars are considerably overpriced. If it is the vendor everybody supposes, he/she/they have been touting these close-range-corrected Tessar types erroneously as Heliar types - possibly in the hope of somebody mistaking them for a (indeed pricey) APO Lanthar, which throws some doubt on either their honesty or their competence.

Sevo

[Mark Sawyer]

I believe the same seller inspired this thread:

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ht=ebay+seller

[Ole Tjugen]

Sevo is absolutely correct. An APO-Skopar is a rather common reproduction lens, and very different from the far less common APO-Lanthar. Both of those two for $200 might be a good deal.