Taylor Hobson Cooke portrait Anastigmat lens 12 3/4

[kmp]

I recently bought a 10a studio camera with a sliding carriage and a 5x7 back. It came with a studio stand. It has a Taylor-Hobson Cooke portrait anastigmat f4.5 lens 12 3/4 no 185099. The shutter is separate and in good condition. There is no shutter speed.

Does anyone know what the coverage is for this lens? 7x9? Could I use it for an 8X10 camera?

How do you figure out the shutter speed?

I am new to this forum so forgive me if this has been posted before.

[cdholden]

Congratulations on the new-to-you camera purchase. I hope you have the space for it.
There is no shutter speed on the lens because there is no shutter. You could use a hat or lens cap, or something similar for slower exposures. You can count off thousands, Mississippis, alligators, boom-shaka-lakas or even coconuts. Without knowing exactly what series your lens is from (f4.5, probably Series II), it's hard to give exact details. If you can post a photo of the front bezel and one of the side, it may be of help. If it has the black "knuckler" two finger interface, it was made after 1924 IIRC.
Here's a good place to start for other data:
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/cooke_1.html

[Louis Pacilla]

Welcome!


Here's another link to a Eastman Professional catalog 1930. You'll find your 10a just about page 1.

Loads of catalogs on this site ranging from 1876-1945.The owner has spent a great deal of time making quality scans of 50 or more Photographic catalogs. Then he's offering them up to the general public for viewing. Just like Seth & Dan Bravo fellows. Bravo!

http://piercevaubel.com/cam/catalogs...cproflp554.htm

[Jim Galli]

That's a wonderful outfit. I use my Cooke 12 3/4" on 8X10. I think it covers fine at infinity, but normally I'm moved in closer than that. The Packard shutter, if that's what you have, is pretty consistent at about 1/20th second on instant speed.

[kmp]

Thank you all for your replies and sorry for the delay...life you know. Yes it is a 4.5 series 11B.

I feel like a dunce but 1/20th a sec at instant speed? what would instant speed be?

Thank you for letting me know it would work with 8x10 most of what I had heard said 7x9.

I would like to take it in and have it cleaned looked over etc. Can anyone recommend a good shop near NYC? I have been unable to test it because the whole camera is in pieces at the moment. It has the sliding carriage 5x7 back.

I would like to get an 8x10 back for it. Any ideas?

Much Joy,
kelly

[Mark Sawyer]

Put up a WTB ad for the 8x10 back in the classified section of this forum, or watch ebay. It's a pretty common size back, and the right one will fit right into the sliding carriage where th 5x7 is now. Warning: there are also backs that have the same outside dimension, but with a thinner "step down" for the light trap where it mates with the carriage. The Century series had a 7/16" step, while the Kodak 2D and B&J 8x10's had about a 1/4" step. But it's easy to modify a back with the right tools, (a table saw or router). (I think I'm right on this; somebody else chime in if I'm off.)

"Instant" speed is the only quick speed you can get from a Packard shutter. You use aperture, film speed, lighting variations, or neutral density filters to get to the exposure appropriate to that shutter speed. If you're lucky, the Packard is synched for a flash, so you can use it with studio strobes.

[kmp]

Thank you for the info on the 8x10 back. Im pretty sure there is no space for a sync on the shutter, although there is a strange knob mounted on the board with 2 small screws that I cant figure out what it does. Again I am a novice to this...

Much Joy,
Kelly