A big old lens - Information?

[John_4185]

Another big lens finally cleaned up a mite. Yes, I've done the Googling, but there is nothing on this one.

Markings, top-down

7.
Portrait Euryscop
No. 33###
Voigtlander and Sohn,
Braunschweig.

I've found 5's, etc, but not the 7 model. The "c" in Braunschweig is perfectly malformed so that it is an "o", a clear error.

Info?

Oh - picts. Forgive quality. It's been a dark and rainey day.
Other camera is for scale. Please see both.

elearning.winona.edu/staff_o/jjs/1.jpg (http://elearning.winona.edu/staff_o/jjs/1.jpg)

elearning.winona.edu/staff_o/jjs/2.jpg (http://elearning.winona.edu/staff_o/jjs/2.jpg)

[John_4185]

One more thing. Again, for scale, the lensboard is 8" square. (It fits the big Century studio camera.)

[Richard Rankin]

If it is 17.66 inch focus and f4.4, it could be one of the 'new in 1886' lenses. See page 309 of the Lens Vademecum. There were several series and if you could determine the f.l. and max aperture, you can probably figure it out from the LV. But the serial number puts it around 1887 or so.

Cheers,
Richard

[Dan Fromm]

John, the Vade Mecum is full of info on Euryscops. Too full for me to want to cut and paste for you. Of interest, your lens dates from 1887. You really should buy a copy of the VM. The last I noticed 'em on eBay, the delivered price was down to $13.

Turns out the things were made in a variety of maximum apertures. Which is yours?

Good luck, have fun,

Dan

[John_4185]

John, the Vade Mecum is full of info

WTF is this Vade Mecum and where can I get one?

[John_4185]

oops! Thanks, Dan. I just ordered one off the autcion site. I'm such a maroon sometimes.

And thanks to Richard, too.

[Ole Tjugen]

Voigtländer Porträt-Euryskop Serie III, f:4.5 was made in 17, 20, 22, 28, 35, 40, 51 and 66cm focal length. Since yours is marked wiht a "7", it is likely to be the 51cm one - roughly 20".

Full open it is acceptbly sharp in about 20°, increasing to 50° with stopping down.

All information from "Photographisches Hilfsbuch für ernste Arbeit", Hans Schmidt, Berlin 1910.

BTW, it's an Aplanat (also known as Rapid Rectilinear).

[John_4185]

Very helpfull, Ole. Thanks.

Full open it is acceptbly sharp in about 20°, increasing to 50° with stopping down.

Do you wonder as I do what acceptable sharpness meant in 1887?

All information from "Photographisches Hilfsbuch für ernste Arbeit", Hans Schmidt, Berlin 1910.

I envy you for your resources. You might like to see the book of pre-ww1 architectural photos of Berlin I have. Amazing stuff. If I come across it again I'll do some scans.

[Ole Tjugen]

John, the 20° are Hans Schmidt's figure, not Voigtländers. In my experience Herr Scmidt had very strong opinions on just about everything, particularly "acceptable sharpness". If he called it "sharp", I know it will be sharp enough for me!

When I started getting interested in old lenses, I decided to see if I could find a few books of about the same are just to see what I could expect. This one came from a local secondhand book dealer...

I've also got a nice little stack of ca. 1890 albumen prints, some of them made with Aplanat taking lenses. I would be very pleased if my prints were half as good (and half as sharp).