Bunch of lenses, who knows more?

[stehei]

Hello,

I'm still waiting for the specs, but is there
anybody who can tell me more about these
lenses ?

regards

stefan

[lenser]

Hi Stefan.

You need to take a close look around the front element of each lens for any info that might be printed there. And, you also need to carefully examine the brass for any engravings. I've got a few old brass beauties and thats where I found the identifying marks.

The inserts are called Waterhouse stops and were the standard way of setting stops before diaphragms came into the picture.

There are many other members with FAR more knowledge about these than I have. Hopefully some of them will chime in, plus, once you have some identification; take a look at www.cameraeccentric.com and look in his info section. It has catalogs for many pieces of old equipment, including lenses, that open into the whole document when you click on the cover.

Good luck.

Tim

[Gordon Moat]

More detailed images showing the lens barrel, optics mount, and any writing, engraving, or script would definitely help. In case you have one that states Holmes, Booth & Haydens followed by New York on the barrel, I am collecting serial numbers for an attempt at re-creating a history and lens database for this company:

http://hbh.gordonmoat.com

Also, there is another resource at http://dioptrique.info/sommaire/sommaire.htm in French, though simple enough to look up various companies. This is not complete, though it has some of the more common lenses. I would think most of what you have in that photo dates prior to 1900.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[stehei]

Hi,

thanks!
I will post the engravings as soon as I have them,
This bunch is from a seller who is asking little money,
but since I don't want to collect, but use these old
monsters, I thought it wise to ask some advice of
what I'm dealing with

stefan

[Jim Galli]

Buy 'em. If those boards they go on are 9X9" or 10X10" that's all you need to know. The 2 big ones and 2 mid sized ones look proportionally like typical petzval's. Pretty stuff. Good thing I didn't find them this week. I'm broke.

[stehei]

ok, I bought the lot,
let's start with the biggest,
its a hermagis opt fab bte sgadig (tha't;s what I can make of it)
paris, ser number 24588
It's a HUGE lens with all the waterhouse stops included,
front element is 10cm, length 15cm
the rear element can be unscrewed,
glass a bit dusty, but no scratches
will describe the rest later, hope someone
can help me identify these, (Petzval, rectalinear etc?)

[stehei]

second from right is a
meyer & co goerlitz f: 3 135mm
atelier-schnellarbeiter
serial 74628
iris diapraghm

[stehei]

second from left is a
p.h. dallmeyer london
ser 7694
rear element can be unscrewed,
complete with waterhouse diapraghm
missing focus wheel

[Jim Galli]

The first 3 you describe are almost certainly petzval type. When you say the rear element unscrews do you mean there are 2 glasses that unscrew from each other? or that the rear group comes out of the tube? A Petzval will have 2 cemented elements in front. With lenses this age it's common for there to be a tiny bit of yellow crazing out at the very edge. With a pen light you'll see 2 bright reflections and a single dim one on the front lens. At the rear you should see 4 bright reflections from 2 glass elements with an air space between. If you take them apart to wash the glass make yourself good diagrams to get them back together the way the were. Exciting. The Hermagis should be superb, as are the rest. An f3 Meyer is very hard to find. I'll guess the 2 in the center may be Rapid Rectilinear with the shorter one perhaps even a wide angle RR. Sweet buy! Wish it was me :o :rolleyes:

[stehei]

Hi Jim,

I think I identified the Big boy in the scene, take a look at this

http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~clenssic/lens-hermagis.html

that would make it a 210mm, covers 8*10 EASY, more glass than movement
will alow :) I dismantled the rear element (can be screwed off), and there is 2 air spaced elements. Put them back together very carefully. I'll have to find a penn light to give full details on reflections (I'm new to this, so be gentle on dumm remarks)

The meyer f3 needs some cleaning, but nothing serious, iris diapraghm works fine, it is that rare? Exciting. Covers 4*5 inch,

The other big guy, looking similar to the hermagis is a mystery. I had it on my 8*10, and it uses almost all of my bellows to get a usable focus. Must be somewhere between 500-600 mm, I presume? Lovely look on the groundglass, even though there is some sort of fungus or distortion in the lower end of the front element. From what I've seen I also think it is a Petzval, 2 rear air spaced elements, can't get the top element open.

Some more info on the other guys, I have a small lens engraved luter (or guter), Basel,
aplanat B, No 3, 13*18. Can't open up the thing for cleanig, dust inside. What is it about these lenses, you don't want to get away from the groundglass

The smalles one is a Lancaster & son, patent birmM (I think birmingham), this a lens with one group of elements at the rear end, the front is just a diapgragh, no glass there. Tiny thing, very fine glass!

Did I do well to buy this stuff? And not that I'm selling any of these for now, do you think there is some value at stake here? Maybe I can trade some stuff once for some decent 8*10 cassettes :)

As soon as I've done some shooting (have to make lensboards) I'll post some results,
especiaaly the mystery 500mm is a joy to look at!!

regards

stefan

[stehei]

BTW, they seem to have belonged to a former portrait studio photograhper. Just fascinating tho think about who stood before these pieces of glass!

[stehei]

I think I made an ID on the dallmeyer
it looks VERY similar to this baby:

http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/dallmeyercat/seriesb.html

Flange size 63mm is correct, looks VERY similar, except that this one is brass, on the info page seems to be black,

stefan

[Jim Galli]

Well I suck at reading Japanese but yours is no 210mm. I will guess your Hermagis at about 16" 420mm plus or minus and yes, f4. The Lancaster was an 1870's Landscape lens. It is just a single achromatic meniscus. They have a lovely soft look when you use with no restrictions via aperture. The Suter Aplanat is a fine lens, mostly sharp with just the corners getting soft.

[Brian Bullen]

Stefan, excellent find! They look like keepers to me. One thing you might try to loosen up the elements from the "tube" is to pour a little rubbing alcohol into the threads and give it a little time to work its way through the dirt and threads. I like to tilt the lens and slowly spin it until it soaks in well. Then grab something like a latex glove or something that really grips well, grit your teeth give a nice grunt and turn. So far this has worked every time for me. Hope it helps.

Stefan, there is a guy named sean on this website http://www.cwreenactors.com/phorum/list.php?1,page=1 who can give you a date for the dallmeyer. I think they were painted black after the start of the 20th century, but don't quote me on that.

[Ole Tjugen]

Some more info on the other guys, I have a small lens engraved luter (or guter), Basel,
aplanat B, No 3, 13*18. Can't open up the thing for cleanig, dust inside.

Suter, Basel. Aplanat Ser. B No 3 - should be about 210mm f:7.2. I have a Ser. B No.6 which is a 640mm. Really good lens, Suter's are among the best of all Aplanats (in my experience).


The smalles one is a Lancaster & son, patent birmM (I think birmingham), this a lens with one group of elements at the rear end, the front is just a diapgragh, no glass there. Tiny thing, very fine glass!

That's a "Landscape Lens", probably achromatic. F:10, if I remember correctly. The Lancaster patent isn't for the lens, it's the iris aperture! :)

[stehei]

Hi Jim,

I really think the big petzval is not a 16 inch,
since I can put it on my graflex 4*5 inch,
and I can manage a sharp groundglass without
extra bellows. I have a 12 inch process lens
that won't allow that,

any method of determing the lens mm?

s

[Wimpler]

Stehei: focus at infinity on your camera, then measure the distance between lens and groundglass. This length is more or less equal to teh focal length.

[Ole Tjugen]

Stehei: focus at infinity on your camera, then measure the distance between lens and groundglass. This length is more or less equal to teh focal length.

"The distance between the lens and groundglass" should be measured from the rear node of the lens, not the flange. For Petzvals, there's a very big difference. Try measuring from the stop slot.