Help request - Darlot lens

[JGrunwaldt]

Hello everybody,
I inherited an old brass lens signed Darlot Paris. Being a complete dummy on photography I am curious to learn as many details as possible about this piece. It looks like it has a single lens, in apparent good condition. The rack and pinion works fine and has a screw "lid" with a smaller hole. Can anyone enlight me?
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Anticipated thanks,

[Steven Tribe]

This is a “pill box” version of the single lens landscape achromat lens - made at various times in Darlot’s lifetime (which ended around 1900!).
Originally there would have been a set of different sized washers which fitted into the “pill box” to adjust F values in order to control depth of field and exposure times.

Your lens is currently assembled incorrectly! The remaining 3 screws should be removed and the barrel reversed in the brass sleeve. The thread on the sleeve which connects to the mounting flange on the camera is now at the same end as the lens - it is the pill box opening which points towards the landscape being photographed!

Darlot lenses are often without serial numbers and this is an absolutely genuine article even though it is one of the more budget items from Darlot.

[JGrunwaldt]

Thanks! I hope is correctly mounted now.
Indeed no serial number but an "11" engraved in the barrel next to the rack.
Can this be mounted to a modern camera? Does it need an adaptor?
I would like to have some b&w photos taken as a memento.201859201860

[Steven Tribe]

The 11 relates to the pitch/size of the focusing drive track. There was probably another “11” stamped on the underside of the brass cap housing the drive gear.

By modern, I suppose you mean digital - or do you mean recent medium format (120 film types) ?
It does depend on focal length. I would guess your lens has a focal Length of around 4/6 inches, which would be OK for a lot of medium format cameras. Mounting systems is very different for different camera types. I have done this sort of mounting with a Rollei SL66 using similar landscape types.

[Jim Andrada]

I have a nice Dagor in a Volute shutter mounted on my RB67 with an adapter that accepts a Technika-type lensboard so it's perfectly feasible to use older lenses on "more modern" cameras. If the Flange Focal Length of the lens is longer than that of the "modern" camera an adapter is fairly easy. I use Mamiya 645 lenses on my Canon 5D fairly often.

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[JGrunwaldt]

Thanks! Now that I've got the info will look for an adapter!