This lens in my parent's closet

**Ramiro Elena** · 26-Jan-2010, 08:21

Correct configuration:
Over-exposed, I was attemping a 1/30.

Under-exposed, this lens is very sharp... or much sharper than what I expected.

**Steven Tribe** · 26-Jan-2010, 10:12

Of course, interpreting lens ink marks is speculative - but great fun!

Goamules: Is the period 1889 -1914 wrong for this objective in relation to William Hume - he made/sold a lot of Petzvals in connection with his enlarger speciality with just Waterhouse stops. And Hugo Meyer did make Petzvals - Studio "Fast Worker". Sources: contemporary adverts and VM.

I am afraid ink marks on Petzvals front achromats will eventually become a source of salesmanship - to put it nicely! The temptation to bolster an anon. lens will be too great.

**Ramiro Elena** · 2-Apr-2010, 03:04

Re-floating the thread for some advice/opinion. I have been putting the Petzval to test in diferent situations. So far I am very happy with it.
There is although an issue that troubles me and I haven't been able to figure its origin.
The lens seems to perform great when used in studio with strobes.

(Never mind the fuziness, I reversed the lens on purpouse.)

In my first field attempt I got back with what it seemed light leaks.

Notice the dark shape in the middle of the frame.

I thought it was a matter of masking the lens. A closer inspection at home revealed the lensboard was leaking, black taped the hell out of it. There's also a minimum gap between the two barrels that form the lens that lets some light in aswell and the waterhouse stop opening. Is this common in brass lenses?
...anyway I endep up black-tapeing the whole lens and went out for another test.

Lighter, but still there.

Finally, I am left with the doubt. If it were light leaks, the shapes would have to be light, not dark. Unless the dark is the correctly exposed part and the two lighter shapes to its sides are light leaks.
This seems to happens only in long exposures (1 to 8 secs.)
The film holders are okay, I have used them for years. The bellows are new and already checked for closely and extensively at home with a flash light.

It only happens with this lens. Next thing I will do is put a piece of tubular black foam around the whole lens but the questions still remains. Why is it dark and not light?
Any ideas?

Thank you.

**goamules** · 2-Apr-2010, 06:31

I've never seen the gap between the actual lens barrel and the focusing barrel to be a problem. Yet, in the day they were filled with felt. Perhaps it's not the lens, but maybe a reflection from inside the camera. Is there anything shiny or white inside, on the lensboard rear perhaps? I've heard of that. How are your screwholes? I had a pinhole once beside my flange. Is the inside of the lens barrel blackened?

**Louis Pacilla** · 2-Apr-2010, 06:39

Originally Posted by goamules

Glad you got it assembled right.

Trying to find the maker based on these scant pencil marks is not reasonable. Sometimes the actual glass grinder put his initials, so WH could be "Willy Henry" or whatever. If we were going to play a guessing game, and I'm not saying we should, it should be based on facts. For example, I don't believe Hugo Meyer even made petzvals. And the features of this lens are way too late to be Hume.

Whatever it is, it will shoot fine pics for you. Have fun.

Hugo Meyers most Certainly DID make Portrait Petzval lenses In fact one of the finest & fastest at a true f3 at 16" . It was never officially imported into the states but a few made it in through B&J.
Here's my prized Hugo Meyers Portrait 16"f3 . The second photo has a 16 1/2 Dagor in Compound. I would sell my Dallmeyers before this one. The last photo is my Century Penny camera w/ 8" f3 Hugo Meyers Petzval Portrait

I have a thing for Hugo Meyers lenses so when I reading a professional photog mag from 1928 & ran across a article on Hugo Meyers lenses. At the end of the article they made short mention of three lenses never officially offered here in the USA(for the European market only the f3 Petzval Portrait). Well I thought I sure would like one. I now own two. 16"f3 & 8" f3 both almost unused.

**David McNiven** · 2-Apr-2010, 06:41

Is it possible you had a double (partial) aperture?
I've seen similar results from damaged diaphragms causing more than one oddly-shaped aperture.

**Ramiro Elena** · 2-Apr-2010, 07:56

It is feasible I had leaks from the lensboard/flange part in the first photos. Then I added black tape to the back of the lensboard and around the lens since I don't have a mounting flange... a lot of tape. I then took the back of the Toyo off and looked into the bellows with a black cloth for a while. I saw some light coming in from the waterhouse slot aswell as from the barrel. I covered that with duck tape.

The inner side of the lensboard is painted black with black tape over it, absolutelly no shinning parts there. The only thing I can think of is the flange; mainly because, if you look at the shapes in the photos, they all seem to have a )( shape. So it has to come from a rounded part of the lens/flange/board.

What puzzles me is the fact that it is a dark shape instead of light. Or is there such a thing as dark light leaks? I mean living in Spain with such screwed economy maybe the leaks cannot afford to even be light?