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View Full Version : Big Darlot question?



Jim Fitzgerald
25-Jun-2008, 10:50
I just got this lens last night and I need the lens guru's to chime in if you please.The lens is 7 inches long and the front glass is 3 inches and the rear glass is 3 1/8 inches. The lens hood on the front come in at 4 1/2 inches. There is an aperture that reads 1,2,4,8,16 and 32. The iris is nice and round and in good shape. The ring is a little stiff and I think I just need to take it off with the small set screw and clean under it so it works more smoothly. The writing says Darlot Optician Paris #36366 with the BF&Co on it also. It looks to be a 14" lens or there abouts. The glass cleaned up great. There was a big spot on the rear elements that cleaned up like new! Now for the best part I got it off of e-bay for $90.00! I think it was a great find and I'm very happy. The ring is just under 6" and it will fit the board for my 8x10. If someone can give me more info on this lens it would be great. Also any tips on how to get the iris ring to move more smoothly would be great. When I cleaned the lenses there was one big thick lens up front signed Darlot and two air spaced lenses in the rear one thick and the other thin. The thick one was signed Darlot also. Any info would be nice thanks.

Jim

Brian Bullen
25-Jun-2008, 11:27
Jim, you got yourself a pretty nice petzval there. I saw that one on the bay too, couldn't tell if that spot was mold/fungus or just some dirt. Glad it cleaned up for you. 14" should cover 8x10 at inf. and 10x12(maybe 11x14) at portrait distance. Around f/4.7(at least by your measurements.) Although your stops are US and 1 is equivalent to f/4, 2=f/5.6, 4=f/8, 8=f/11, 16=f/16. Great find and it will be an excellent portrait lens.

Jim Fitzgerald
25-Jun-2008, 11:32
Jim, you got yourself a pretty nice petzval there. I saw that one on the bay too, couldn't tell if that spot was mold/fungus or just some dirt. Glad it cleaned up for you. 14" should cover 8x10 at inf. and 10x12(maybe 11x14) at portrait distance. Around f/4.7(at least by your measurements.) Although your stops are US and 1 is equivalent to f/4, 2=f/5.6, 4=f/8, 8=f/11, 16=f/16. Great find and it will be an excellent portrait lens.

Brian, awesome! Thanks for the info. I couldn't believe I got this lens. I took a chance on it and because of the spot I think that is why I got it so cheap. I am going to try it on the 11x14 also. Here is the shot of the rear element group so you can see how it cleaned up. Sorry about the reflections in this shot but the glass is perfectly clean! Thanks for the info on the US stops.


Jim

Gustavo
25-Jun-2008, 11:53
Thank you Jim glad to help
LOL

Jim Fitzgerald
25-Jun-2008, 11:58
Gustavo, thanks for that crap you let me use. It worked great. The lenses cleaned up like new and the area that we thought was a scratch cleaned up completely. No marks on the glass at all. A few cleaning wisp's that's all.

Jim

Stephanie Brim
25-Jun-2008, 12:00
Now...can we see photos from it? :D

Jim Fitzgerald
25-Jun-2008, 12:25
Stephanie, I'm working out of my home office today. If my phone would stop ringing I could get this beast mounted. It only weights 4 pounds and should sit nice on my 8x10. I'll try to do some paper negs at least.


Jim

Jim Galli
25-Jun-2008, 14:30
....you got some crap from Gustavo? ....and it cleaned the glass???

That is a sweet lens. Good thing I was asleep at the mouse or it'd gone for double. :D

Jim Fitzgerald
25-Jun-2008, 15:08
....you got some crap from Gustavo? ....and it cleaned the glass???

That is a sweet lens. Good thing I was asleep at the mouse or it'd gone for double. :D

Jim, you should have seen it! What can I say! Gustavo is a big guy!!! Seriously, the glass cleaned up great. A few wisp's on it. Making the board for it as we speak. I certainly got a steal on this one! I'll post some pictures of what it can do soon.

Jim

Hollis
25-Jun-2008, 16:40
let me know if it covers 11x14, im in the market for something in that range.

Jim Fitzgerald
25-Jun-2008, 16:53
I'm going to try to do some stuff with the 8x10 tonight. I think it will cover the 1x14 at portrait distances. I'll see how it does at infinity and let you know.

Jim

Mark Sawyer
26-Jun-2008, 16:48
My guess is that it will barely cover 11x14 at head-and-torso distance, but with those crazy Petzval corner effects. Bet it could make some lovely images either that way or just on an 8x10 or 5x7. Definitely a steal and a keeper! (The best part about using an old French lens is holding each still-wet negative up to the light for the first time and saying "oooh-la-la!")

Jim Galli
26-Jun-2008, 17:04
My guess is that it will barely cover 11x14 at head-and-torso distance, but with those crazy Petzval corner effects. Bet it could make some lovely images either that way or just on an 8x10 or 5x7. Definitely a steal and a keeper! (The best part about using an old French lens is holding each still-wet negative up to the light for the first time and saying "oooh-la-la!")

What do you say when you hold a dripping neg from a British lens up to the light?? Need to get this right. And a German??

Mark Sawyer
26-Jun-2008, 18:02
Sorry, Jim, it's just a French thing. "Oooh-la-la!" just doesn't translate. And everybody secretly wants to say it. I think it's going to drive up the price of those Darlots...

Jim Fitzgerald
26-Jun-2008, 18:41
Well, I think I know what they say but I can't spell it! I think this lens will spend most of its life on the Seneca Improved 8x10. The front standard is a little beefier than the 11x14. I will try it on the 11x14 to see what I get. And let's not forget, I have the Voigtlander Portrait Euroscop Hybrid and the Walnut barreled 14" Commercial Ektar with stops to F-90 and 64 respectively! Too many lenses, so little time!! I know several of us can relate!!

Jim

Mark Sawyer
26-Jun-2008, 19:10
I have way too many lenses and find it's not nearly enough...

Jim Fitzgerald
26-Jun-2008, 19:31
Mark, I hear ya! I just have to learn to stop looking. You know the drill..... " that's just to good to pass up!" I think I need to line them up and take a photo of them. I know I don't have as many as you and Jim Galli but somehow they seem to reproduce on their own!! If I ever get to Tuscon I'd love to see your collection.
Jim

Mark Sawyer
26-Jun-2008, 23:47
Yeah, I told myself a couple of years ago that I had enough and I'd restrict myself to one new lens per year. I think I'm good through 2042...

Jim Galli
27-Jun-2008, 00:05
Yeah, I told myself a couple of years ago that I had enough and I'd restrict myself to one new lens per year. I think I'm good through 2042...

one new lens per year!!!!

ROFL :cool:

Jim Fitzgerald
27-Jun-2008, 05:38
Jim, you have enough lenses to get you to 2424!!! Why I picked that year is beyond me?? But so are many things. Going to try and use this lens at a portrait workshop on Sunday. If I get the release from the model I'll post the results.

Jim

Mark Sawyer
27-Jun-2008, 11:21
I'm looking forward to seeing what that old Darlot will do, Jim! You've got a nice three-some of lenses to take with you.

You know, that walnut Ektar is a tessar, just like the adjustable-diffusion Velostigmsts. If you could find a way to vary the spacing on just the front element, you'd have the only adjustable-diffusion Ektar in the world!

Jim Fitzgerald
27-Jun-2008, 17:28
Mark, thanks for the idea. I like the fact that I could have the only adjustable diffusion Ektar in the world! I'm going to have to work on that. If I can't do it at least I'll still have the only walnut barreled Ektar in the world!!

Jim