A clutch of dirty Antique Shop Lenses - what are they?

[Tim Meisburger]

I was wandering though an antique store recently and came across some beat-up brass lenses (which I bought). When the owner knew my interest, he went upstairs and came down with a variety of other LF-related items. I don't know much about them, but happily bought them (for too much money), seduced by gleaming brass. When I dragged the lenses home and started looking at them closely I realized I might have wasted my money, as the glass on most seem to have problems, and one is missing an element. Here they are.


J.H. Dallmeyer
London
No. 17036
Patent
I
About 90mm f4 and 180 f8 with the front element removed. Seems to cover 5x7, no diaphragm or provision for stops. What is it? Is it a camera lens or something else? Any idea of age?


Unmarked Petzval. I checked to see if the elements would unscrew, but was in a dark shop and bought it without really checking it out. Big mistake, as when I got it home I realized it would not create an image. I pulled it apart and then realized it was missing the rear air-spaced element. Not sure what I can do with it now, unless I can find someone with an extra 2 5/8 in diameter rear element. I can get an image with the front element alone, so at least I could make a meniscus lens.





Fujinar-SC 1:4.7 25cm 132277 in a well-functioning Copal 3. The lens elements have numerous cleaning wisps and the internal elements look dirty, but I cannot figure out how to disassemble those (if its even possible).

more in the next post.

[Tim Meisburger]

5x7 Bausch and Lomb Tessar Series 1c Pat. Feb. 24, 1903 No. 2448129 f4.5, 7 ½”
It has haze on internal elements and a couple chips out of the front element. Not sure if it is possible to disassemble further?, or if it is even worth trying to shoot as is.



Ross London Patent, 15in Homocentric 1:6.3, No. 115659
Again, this lens has haze on internal elements. I took a test shot of my son, and it has great bokeh wide open, but looks soft (probably from the haze?)



Dallmeyer 3b, London, f3, No. 118902, rear flange focus about 7”

This one is in good shape, although the soft-focus ring does not turn. Weirdly, this and the petzval were the only ones not polished. This cost me a lot of money, but I'm pretty happy with it, and plan to rig up a special lens board so I can mount it on my 5x7 B&J and give it a try.

[Tim Meisburger]

One more. These are not lenses, but lens-related.


This is an unused or almost unused flash powder holder. You load the powder in the box, wind it up and pull the trigger and the steel wheel spins over a lighter flint making the spark to ignite the powder. Just like a Zippo (for you older gents) powered by clockwork. I wish I could get flash powder here to give it a try. Not sure how old it is, but I would guess the 1940s.



I also bought these front mounted roller-blind shutters. The smaller one works well, while the larger on is a bit temperamental, and needs the blind replaced (I painted over some holes in the cloth so I could give it a try). I had never seen these before, but they are an elegant solution for all those shutterless lenses I have lying around. For smaller lenses I have been able to cut wooden tuits to adapt them to the larger hole. Any idea where I could get these repaired?

[vinny]

eddie could sell these for 3x what you paid

[Wojtekred]

Regarding the roller-blind shutter this might be of some help to You.

[Tim Meisburger]

Thanks Wojtekred. That helps a lot with understanding how they work. Although mine are Japanese, and designed to slide on to the end of a lens, rather than be mounted behind it, they appear to be mechanically identical.

[drew.saunders]

Fujinar-SC 1:4.7 25cm 132277 in a well-functioning Copal 3. The lens elements have numerous cleaning wisps and the internal elements look dirty, but I cannot figure out how to disassemble those (if its even possible).

I have a Fujinar 25cm f4.7 in a Copal 3S shutter. If you don't have the retaining ring, it's important to know it's a 3S, not a regular 3. It's a Tessar design, so the rear elements are cemented together, and the front two are air spaced, so you may not have to worry too much about the dirt. It's single coated, which might explain the cleaning marks. If you use a hood on it (it's threaded for a normal modern filter, I think 67mm, but mine's at home), you should be able to mitigate any flare problems from the cleaning wisps and the single coating. I've been quite happy with mine. In good shape, they go for $180-200 or so, yours would go for a bit less with the cleaning marks.

[Tim Meisburger]

Thanks Drew. Is it possible to separate the two air-spaced elements?

I do have the retaining ring. The shutter is nice, and probably worth more alone than the lens. When I was in Myanmar recently I saw the same lens in barrel for $60. I recall it as being in fairly good shape, so if I go back sometime I might take the shutter and see if the elements from that one would fit. According to the internet it covers 10x12, so is perhaps overkill for 5x7...

[Joe Smigiel]

A Dallmeyer 3B just sold on Ebay for $1,711 (auction # 120932572104) so unless you regularly walk around with that sort of chump change in your pocket, I'd guess you got a pretty good deal.

[davehyams]

yeah that 3b was very similar, too rich for my blood, but they are wonderful lenses. good find, interesting to see what lenses traveled where.