Help to identify a Carl Zeiss Jena Anastigmatlinse

[andrewch59]

I recently acquired a great old CZJ lens and cannot seem to put a date to it. Here are the details:
Barrel had DRP 84996, which seems to be the patent for the barrel with built in iris. It has the "Carl Zeiss Jena" scrolled engraving and the settings marked in what would seem to be millimetres. I am yet to do the math to work out F stops.

The two elements at each end are marked the same "Anastigmatlinse 1:12.5 F=590mm D.R.P 56109. One element has the serial number
"No27558, the other has "No27559.
The image formed is very sharp on paper and there is not a single mark on either element, crystal clear. Iris seems a bit stiff, a bit of alcohol should clean that up nicely.

I know it is early, does anyone have any reference material, the VM seems a bit unclear.
Thanks in advance

I have just checked and there is one strong and one faint (smaller) reflection on each end

[lucaas]

Hi Andrew,

You outbid me on this lens. :)
I believe it is a Series VII double protar (or Protarlinse) lens. It was called Anastigmat before 1900 and then Protar.
Two 590mm groups will form a 340/f6.3 lens and cover 8x10 with movement.

[andrewch59]

Yes, once I saw the serial number I was going to get it. The closest I can come is about 1890 when the anastigmat was first made by CZJ.
I had just looked up the british early photography site which state there was a series VII and a VIIa. One I believe was made by Ross.
Its a little gem of a lens. I'm hoping someone can nail the serial number to a year, CZJ seem to be all over the place prior to 1900s

quote "Rudolph alone produced a series of some 5 or more 'anastigmat' designs using Barium flint and
light crown glasses. (Jahrbuch fur Photographie, 1891, p225, also 1893; Patent DRP 56,109 03/04/1890" unquote

[Steven Tribe]

The "Protar" VII was the last Rudolph design introduced - in 1895. The 590mm alone covers 30x40cm. The combination of two series VII lens was called the VIIa was introduced a little later. There are plenty of VIIa lenses around that have a mixture of two VII lens from different dates!

[andrewch59]

Clear as mud, Zeiss Anastigmat prior to 1900, protar after with no design change. One group=VII, two symmetrical groups of the VII=one VIIa
Anyhow, looks like a good lens to try on the end of a camera!
Thanks for the help Steven..

[Steven Tribe]

Oh yes! The single cells are very good (4 glass). You can use various combinations of VII lens to find an appropriate focal length. Cameraeccentric has a table showing the various conbinations.

[David Lindquist]

From Hartmut Thiele's book Fabrikationsbuch Photooptik I Carl Zeiss Jena: Your "Anastigmatlinse" pair is from a batch of 10, serial numbers 27,557 through 27,566. Production of this batch of 590 mm lenses started 13 May 1898.

This book is in German. Again I want to thank Arne Croell for helping me translate some of Thiele's terms.
David

[andrewch59]

Thankyou Steven and David, I think when acquiring a new treasure half the enjoyment is finding the history, you have given me some great reference material.
Reading through the CZJ history is a remarkable journey.