Is THIS the Holy Grail?

[Mark Sampson]

It's probably not even the Magic Bullet (although I believe Carleton Watkins used one).

[Richard K.]

It's probably not even the Magic Bullet (although I believe Carleton Watkins used one).

Hmm, Watkins' photographs seem OK to me...

[Brian Ellis]

What a disappointment. From the title I thought this was going to be a thread about a 40 gig digital back for under $5,000. : - )

[eddie]

a globe?

i have been lazy to get out and shoot with it.....maybe this week.

[Richard K.]

a globe?

i have been lazy to get out and shoot with it.....maybe this week.

Well, since you're not using it....

[rdenney]

Kingslake devotes about a paragraph to these, suggesting that the gimmick of having the outer spherical surfaces fall on the same sphere had no optical significance, and in fact the lens avoided the ghosting and flare much more effectively when the air space decreased.

He also said that Harrison made them in large numbers and they remained popular for quite a while.

Sounds like not rare enough to be a collector's Holy Grail.

Rick "zipping right along, too, at f/30" Denney

[Richard K.]

I'm often guilty of pursuing the wrong holy grail! Anyone want to buy an 8-track? Beta tapes?

[Steven Tribe]

Kingslake must have been using Trail Taylor's experiments before 1892.

"... it does not seem to have occured to C.C. Harrison, the maker, to have set aside the 'globe' idea in their construction, and mounted them a little closer together. This slight modification we found to exocise the ghost entirely.

The 'Globe' was subject to modifications by other makers of the period and country, but the same general feature pervaded them all."

[CCHarrison]

The Globe, by Harrison + Schnitzer, is a highly valued collectible, running from $ 700 to $ 1700 in cost depending on condition, size, and the auction...etc....

It is a bit of a "collectors" Holy Grail as it really represents a major step toward ultra-wide angle lens development ( and a wide angle lens with a flat field ), and was designed by America's "first" internationally recognized photographic optician, Charles C Harrison ( photo attached ).

While it is oft talked about as being a "popular lens" - that is relative to the times - I would hazard a guess ( and with some data from Milan Zahorcak ) that the total quantity of Harrsion Globes made were probably 5,000 or so, if not less... Fast forward 145 years, and finding one today in complete condition with a flange is no easy task....

Dan

[Wimpler]

To add to what CC Harrison posted on the historical importance, popularity, value etc:

1. I think the lens was marketed very well. People were really convinced by the point that a lens modelled like the human eye was the optimal design (which is a quite reasonable). Even though soon improved lenses became available, people continued to prefer the globe lens, and were not convinced by scientific measurements proving other designs to be superior.

2. It is symmetrical and free from distortion.

3. It made wide angle photography much more convenient (You could hardly call the Sutton Panoramic lens convenient as you had to use curved glass plates...)

4. I've seen much lower production numbers quoted. The company also changed owned quite a few times, soon after the release of the globe lens.


Just a few things that, in my opinion, and to the significance of this lens. Also, if you see how crazy collectors are about lenses such as the goerz hypergon, I'd say the globe lens deserves some attention as well.