Fun with baby Petzval lenses - even you can do it!

[Jay Decker]

For months I've been reading threads where guys like Jim Galli purchase an inexpensive Petzval lens on eBay, wash them them up in the sink, strap them to a lens board, and produce swirly images with that Petzval funk. So, I had to try it myself...

Purchased a 100 year old 6 inch (~f/3.5) Bausch & Lomb projector lens on eBay...





I disassembled it, cleaned the lenses in the sink with mild detergent, and cleaned the other parts with brass brush...





Reassembled the lens, mounted it to a lens board that I had laying around, and put on my 8x10 Kodak 2-D...





And, it produces nice bright image about 5 inches in diameter on the 5x7 ground glass...



I focused the camera on my wife with some trees behind her. The out of focus tree branches had plenty of Petzval swirly funk... I don't know if I'll keep this lens, but it was sure fun to take part and play with. If you ever wanted to do it, I'd encourage you to give it a try.

[Dirk Rösler]

Yes, they are fun. This is a 3.5in Gundlach Manhattan Petzval projection lens. It barely covers 4x5 and is not easy to manage with a Sinar shutter as it is a short lens and there is so little room left for the bellows.