Periscop - rejected soft focus lens?

[goamules]

Check out the Rodenstock Bistigmat Weitwinkel too. It is not color corrected, and has an unusual mechanism to move the outer element in and out to adjust for that or something. There are some writings that it may be soft focus. I haven't tried mine.

[renes]

Some great info, thanks.

Have you made or seen any photo made with periscop?

[CCHarrison]

Dann, I believe the Gray line of lenses called "periscopes" are in name only, and these lenses are not a direct development from the original double meniscus periscopic lenses. Most Gray lenses are 4 element rectilinear types and I believe are a development from the Globe and Morrison wide angles, utilizing the latest Jena Glass (1888/1889). .....see http://www.pce.net/id moreag/Gray%20...ses%201896.JPG and see http://www.pce.net/idag/Gray%20Peris...ses%201896.JPG

Dan

[goamules]

Here is my 24x30 Rodenstock Bistigmat Weitwinkel. Notice the lens slides in and out between the Bildaufn. and Mattsch. settings, short for Bildaufnahme &
Mattscheibe ("Picture taking" and "Ground glass"). You would focus at Mattsch, optimized for our eyes, then push it in to Bildaufn to take, optimized for blue light.

In other words, it wasn't an achromat. I can't tell anything in the ground glass, other than one or the other setting looks out of focus, so if someone wants to try the lens, PM me to take if off my hands.

[CCHarrison]

c. 1899 ad attached

[Steven Tribe]

The bistigmats were the absolute cheapest objectives available - almost the same price as no-name similars in the catalogues. They are quite often available on e**y germany. There was a simple casket set "Bistigmat orthochromatic" with pairs of clear and yellow colored lenses.

[CCHarrison]

Attached is an image of the original Periskop from Milan Z ebay ad.

Dan

[Łukasz Owsianka]

Could you give an examples of famous persicop lenses (consisted of two menisci)? I know about Steinheil one, but were there others?

Periscop is a soft focus lens? why it did not attract photographers serious attention? Anyone shooted with it?

Most famous persicop lens is Görtz Hypergon!!!

[Geoffrey_5995]

The only true 20th century Periscop that comes to mind in the Steinheil sense of Periscop of a symmetrical doublet with two single glasses is the Voigtlander W.Z. Objektiv which is considered a soft focus lens. This is a direct descendant of the original Steinheil Periscop that was also manufactured by Voigtlander some 60 years earlier. The glass of the W.Z. is shaped much like the original Steinheil Periscop in that is not greatly curved. The Zentmeyer and Goerz Hypergon have very curved Globe like glass. I think that Zentmeyer was able to defend himself against a lawsuit from Steinheil because of the difference in the shape of the glass. W.Z. seems to have two meanings as is indicated in the Vade Mecum: "

W.Z. Enlarging Lens f8 This was a soft focus lens of periscopic 2 glass layout (roughly Ste 002) supplied in
the 1920's @ £3.25 (a modest price), and listed by Frerk and others. It was made only in f8/7in(=18cm) and is
fairly small at 2.25in dia and 1.25in long. (B.J.A. 1926, p337, 706) Note that this use at the enlarging stage is
technically the wrong point to introduce softness and does raise a point. Possibly it was just that it was low
priced and sold. Thus an auction list has a 18cm W.Z. taking lens listed at No230,23x on a Miral Reflex
camera for 5.5x3.5in which itself looks older than this but it may be a retrofit of the above type of lens. And
this is in line with the entry in Afalter's book which shows it as a black finished lens with iris and easy to useon a camera. This Miral was by Talbot & Eamer who Channing and Dunn date as flourishing 1884-1923, but
perhaps making Mirals mainly about 1900-1914. So there is a possibility that the W.Z. may have been initially
a camera lens and then continued for enlarging? or just swapped over? Well, Afalter also says it was for
enlarging- so that was what Voigtlaender intended.)
Two points do occur here.
One is why W.Z? The German seems to be Weichzeichner for soft focus, but the capitalization seems
unneeded. An option just might be that a local photographer Walter Zilly played a part in the development. See
photo credit in Frerk, 'Lichtbildkunde', Tafel (Fig) 2 p443 approx. to Walter Zilly-Braunschweig for pictures
taken with a 'Tele-Dynar f6.3'.
Secondly, it is a periscopic layout, and there is a hint that Voigtlaender made a few in cooperation with
Steinheil about 1870, and it seems possible that it existed as a continuing product but one supplied on
request rather than being advertised untill this new use was found."

It is interesting to think that Voigtlander resurrected the Steinheil design some 60 years after first producing it. I have not shot my W.Z.'s yet but plan to soon. I have two. One with mm aperture indicator and one with standard aperture marks starting with f8 down to f25. Makes sense that it would be soft wide open at f8 when the original Periscop had only one stop at approx. f32, this small stop necessary to achieve sharpness. I'm certain the the W.Z. will get sharper when stopped down.

[Steven Tribe]

The WZ does means Weichzeicher - I have a catalogue where the full name is given. Walter Zilly cannot claim any connection! They don't even bother to mention the F values values which are given for every other lens in the catalogue.
I have seen the WZ listed as a taking lens in many auction lists - which adds to the confusion.
The WZ was never sold as a taking lens and was only sold in one size 18cm for enlargement. Periscope with adjustable softness through iris selection. Low cost - about the same as aplanat for 18x24 (Busch series D).