Searching Namias AESCULIN Double Anacromatich lens owners

[gtoffoli]

Hi to all,

I'm working on publication about italian Professor Rodolfo Namias. He developed in 1920 a double anacromatich lens (double meniscus symmetric).

I have fount 5 of this lens:

one in Museum of Science and Technology in Milan Italy, three owners in Italy and one owner in USA. I'd like to found more owner over the world and I'd like to some of their photographs taken with the Namias lens.

In January 2018, we will present a study day dedicated to Prof Namias and to all his numerous photographic technique books. The event will be in Venice Italy, in a museum near Piazza San Marco.

Sarete tutti invitati.

I thank those who will help me in this particular search

Best regards

Giuseppe Toffoli
giuseppe@toffoli.net

Italy

[Steven Tribe]

Giuseppe, I have never heard of this BUT!

The name anachromatic and the separated simple meniscus, as well as the date 1920, suggest a strong relationship with the product made by Puyo & de Pulligny in Paris who made a similar item with various French lens makers ( mostly with Darlot ). There is a booklet , published by the Photo Club de Paris, which is available to view.

The design has always been attractive for "Pictorialist" photgraphers and was comparitively easy to make.

If you post some of the images of the surviving lens here, perhaps someone could contribute more.

[anachromatic]

I have one of that lenses in my collection and I think also some bibliography about this lens

[gtoffoli]

Good!!!!

I was sure to find someone! Thank you very much (What is your name anachromaique?)

I know two focal length about this lens 300 1:5 and 400/5... I had both of these lenses for a few weeks to study them.

This lens is from Museum in Milan, Italy:
http://www.museoscienza.org/dipartim...Namias%20e%20C.





and this is from my friend:




I have another no in brass, but in aluminium black painted 400/5.....

Giuseppe

[gtoffoli]

ANACHROMATIQUE, have your lens the Aesculine glass filter?

The filter is a particular feature of this lens.

Namias, from an idea of biologists who makes a UV filter for his research with microscope, make a sandwich of two glass and aesculin solution, a coumarin glucoside that naturally occurs in the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum). This natural molecule has the characteristic to filter the UV light ...

[gtoffoli]

Steven,

Thank you very much, I know well the similitude of this lens with the French lens... the new idea of Prof. R. Namias was using the UV filter in the lens to reduce more the chromatic aberration and reduce a little bit the fluo.

Giuseppe

[anachromatic]

Yes, my nik is "Anachromatique", from when I was a soft-focus lenses "tifoso".... ;-)
Unfortunately, no filter with this lens.
I will check because I'm pretty sure I have also some nice pictures made with a Trousse Anachromatique et d'Atelier de C. Puyó.