British Lenses

[Ian Greenhalgh]

I've just finished reading Arne Croell's excellent series of articles on German LF lens makers and I started to wonder, are there any articles out there on the British makers? Of course, there is the Vade Mecum, but I'm wondering if ayone has any other articles?

[brandon13]

This invaluable site has a bit about Dallmeyer and other petzval type lenses. http://antiquecameras.net/petzvallens.html

[Dan Fromm]

No. If you want to read it you'll have to write it.

[Mark Sawyer]

Also some good information here:

http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/companies.html

[Leonard Robertson]

A member on the Yahoo Microscope Group posted a link to this 1945 film on lens making:

http://film.britishcouncil.org/lets-see

At about 2 minutes into the film, a couple of Cooke brass knucklers make an appearance, so it seems likely it was mostly filmed at Cooke plants.

Len

[goamules]

Rudolf Kingslake, A History of the Photographic Lens

Is a good book from an expert. It covers all countries makers.

[Ian Greenhalgh]

Thanks guys, I was hoping some old BJP publications or some obscure info might turn up.

[Pete Watkins]

Leonard,
That's fantastic! It looks to me that it was filmed partly at TT&H in Leicester and partly in Dallmeyers works in North London.
Thanks,
Pete.

[IanG]

Thanks guys, I was hoping some old BJP publications or some obscure info might turn up.

I have quite a large collection of BJP Almanacs and Annuals but don't remember specific articles on British lenses, usually it's just manufacturers press releases etc and adverts almost all of which are in the Vade Mecum

As it happens I'm selling off some spare copies of the BJPA's if you're interested.

Ian

[goamules]

I forgot I had scanned a few of my 1930s Commercial Photographer magazine "Lenses, their Whys and Wherefores" articles 4 years ago (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?49120-Feb-1930-Dallmeyer-Article-where-to-post). I had Math (a member here) host them for us here:
http://www.eenportfolio.nl/lenses.html

There are articles on Dallmeyer, Ross, and Taylor Hobson among others. Enjoy.

[Ian Greenhalgh]

Fantastic! I've got some reading to do!

I might be interested Ian, although financies are rather tight atm.

[goamules]

A member on the Yahoo Microscope Group posted a link to this 1945 film on lens making:

http://film.britishcouncil.org/lets-see

At about 2 minutes into the film, a couple of Cooke brass knucklers make an appearance, so it seems likely it was mostly filmed at Cooke plants.

Len

Wow Thanks! That is the most interesting film I've seen in a LONG time! I learned a lot about lens making, testing, flange cutting, every topic I'm interested in. And the film, shot in Technicolor, is an amazing archive of precision manufacturing of long ago. Imagine, many of these techniques were invented 100 years before, but companies like Ross. The clothes and hairstyles are beautiful too! A must see, much better than the How It's Made shows of today.

[Mark Sawyer]

Here are a couple of articles on Cooke cine lenses and two movies made with them, Midnight in Paris and Hugo:

http://www.musitelli.com/site/files/Cooke_Histoy_Book_by_FDTimes.pdf

Scroll down to page 15, and it notes, "With a CNC machine, you can grind one element at a time in about 15 minutes. It’s been compared to a microwave that can heat up your dinner one plate at a time. When they invite more cinematographers to dinner and need more dinner plates, they use D-type polishers, designed and built in 1913 and still capable of precisely polishing 120 elements on 6 spindles in 8 hours."

100-year-old lens polishers still being used on state-of-the-art lenses. :)

[Ian Greenhalgh]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. :)