Cooke 10.5 inch SERIES II f4.5 built in lens shade mystery?

[Robert Oliver]

I have a fairly early Cooke Portrait... 10.5 inch Series II f 4.5. serial # 103xxx

Trying to trade my Cooke for something a bit longer.. and an interested party came up with a good question about my lens.

"Shouldn't it have a built in lens hood?"

Does anybody have one they can take a picture of and post? most interested in the inside view of the front element that would show if there is a hood.

Had a great conversation about it on the phone with Eddie Gunks, (thanks for the phone call) but no definitive answer on this lens.

Here are pics of mine for info... and one taken from the Cooke Optics website (History: 1910's)

100973100974100975

[Emil Schildt]

Hi Robert
I don't know whether this will help, but I have two series II cookes - but one is a 12" F3.5 and the other one 14" F4.5 - so not exactely like yours..

Both have built in hoods..

See images.

[Robert Oliver]

Don't think that helps much. They look way different than my lens. but thanks so much for posting those.

I think that 14 1/2 inch Cooke would look really nice on my camera!!! I didn't realize they made a 12" Series II (a)

Thanks
Hi Robert
I don't know whether this will help, but I have two series II cookes - but one is a 12" F3.5 and the other one 14" F4.5 - so not exactely like yours..

Both have built in hoods..

See images.

[IanG]

I can look through a multitude of TTH Cooke adverts, it may well be some FL's had one and others didn't, what year was the lens made approx.

Ian

[Steven Tribe]

I think the answer lies in the fact that this lens was a good part of someones's working life everyday for, perhaps, decades in a commercial studio.
He or she decided they didn't like the fall damage on the short brass lens hood (very obvious to customers!) and had it sawn or turned off. Alternatively, a more impressive hood had been installed - I think I see signs of brass having been solded?

I have a Dallmeyer 3B which has been converted to Magic Lantern (double wheel) adjustment - perhaps because there were users who were left and right-handed. And another 3B where the sleeve has been shortened and soldered directly to the barrel - the user was tired of slipping barrels in a loose sleeve with busted tangential drive.

They didn't care about keeping the original condition - just having a "tool" that suited their studio routines.

[Robert Oliver]

My best guess would put it somewhere around 1919 or 1920... but before 1924.


I can look through a multitude of TTH Cooke adverts, it may well be some FL's had one and others didn't, what year was the lens made approx.

Ian

[Robert Oliver]

I don't think it was cut... the distance between the end of the brass to the raised lip seems consistant with other lenses I have seen from the period. The front element is usually just recessed a little deeper to allow for a slight hood like the attached photo (above) from the Cooke website... but I'm not a cooke expert.


I think the answer lies in the fact that this lens was a good part of someones's working life everyday for, perhaps, decades in a commercial studio.
He or she decided they didn't like the fall damage on the short brass lens hood (very obvious to customers!) and had it sawn or turned off. Alternatively, a more impressive hood had been installed - I think I see signs of brass having been solded?

I have a Dallmeyer 3B which has been converted to Magic Lantern (double wheel) adjustment - perhaps because there were users who were left and right-handed. And another 3B where the sleeve has been shortened and soldered directly to the barrel - the user was tired of slipping barrels in a loose sleeve with busted tangential drive.

They didn't care about keeping the original condition - just having a "tool" that suited their studio routines.

[goamules]

I have other lenses (Darlots and early American) that have lost that part of the hood. It was pressed in and somehow "glued" but could come loose. Then It's just a brass ring, and was sometimes set aside to fix later, and lost. But yours doesn't have the step that mine do, for it to sit on.

[Robert Oliver]

After a bit more digging, I did happen upon a photo of the exact same lens that I have on a russian site... except marked in mm instead of inches and written in French.

This helps confirm to me that my lens is original...

http://www.penta-club.ru/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=81014
http://www.penta-club.ru/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=81012
http://www.penta-club.ru/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=81013


here is the entire page in russian (scroll down to see) - http://www.penta-club.ru/forum/topic/18946-%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D0%B0%D1%85%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B-%D0%
B8-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%8F-%D1%8D%D0%BA%D0%B7%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0/page__st__2220

[Steven Tribe]

There are a number of the french labelled Cookes around. Does the serial match with yours?

[Robert Oliver]

Mine seems to be a bit later based on serial number... 103,690 not too far off if they are sequential.

Barrel sure looks identical to mine... Seems they made a few of these without a built in hood (at least two)

[Robert Oliver]

just to dig up my own old, dead thread...

Andrew Plume sold a 10.5" Cooke Portrait with the same barrel as mine... with no hood.

mystery solved?

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?112848-FS-10-1-2-quot-f4-5-Cooke-Series-11-(soft-focus)-Anastigmat&highlight=cooke+10.5

[8x10 user]

The original Cooke Series II, before soft focus was sold without a hood. This lens was also more compact and had good coverage (7" version covers 5x7 nicely).

127699127700

Earlier specimens of the soft focus (portrait) version were often sold without much of a lens hood. This generation of the cooke soft focus lenses are more compact and lighter then later cooke soft focus lenses.

127698127697

Both of these are 10.5" in focal length.

[Steven Tribe]

And since this thread "ended" I have acquired the same 10.4" with identical lens rim engraving as Andrew's.

Mine is somewhat strange as there is no sign of a serial number and there is an extra cut exterior thread there where the front cell screws into the barrel. Development department reject, built-up from stolen parts?

Note the "soft" movement is completely different from later series II - the front/middle lens distance is fixed and the rear lens is brought nearer these two to create softness.

[8x10 user]

The later (and heavier) Cooke "knucklers" have a bit more of a lenshood.

127701127702