Some Soft Focus Lens Sales Information

[Steven Tribe]

Remember there are two lists.

Those that are mentioned here and those that eventually (In spite of current delay!) find their way into the CCHarrison "owned" categorised and chronological listing.

Imagons have been frequently mentioned in this thread.

[Two23]

Is it my imagination, or have the prices of really nice mid sized Petzvals been dropping over the past year or so? Some 1860s Voigtlanders aren't even bring $900 any more.


Kent in SD

[Mark Sawyer]

Is it my imagination, or have the prices of really nice mid sized Petzvals been dropping over the past year or so? Some 1860s Voigtlanders aren't even bring $900 any more.

I see the price of Petzvals rising a little, while the price of historically important ("really nice") Petzvals falls a little. There's a new Petzval/brass-buying crowd that doesn't care (or perhaps doesn't know) about such things...

[Petzval Paul]

There's a so-called Pinkham & Smith lens up on the auction site that I had a chance to check out in person this weekend. The owner had no knowledge of the lens whatsoever, even calling it an 'S&P' lens. Although I'm just the owner of a single P&S Semi Achromatic, I am convinced that it's not an original Smith lens for a variety of reasons. If anyone is interested, I'd be glad to itemize them.

Haven't been around the forum in ages due to births, deaths, and other upheavals in my family but wanted to mention this so that no one in this would be spending money unnecessarily.

[8x10 user]

Please do

Although I'm just the owner of a single P&S Semi Achromatic, I am convinced that it's not an original Smith lens for a variety of reasons. If anyone is interested, I'd be glad to itemize them.

[Petzval Paul]

Ok, there's quite a few concerns. Firstly, the engraving feels wrong. I've never seen a P&S with the "Co." or "Boston" engraved and the overall quality and font seems odd. The engraving is also kind of crudely applied. Now, there are a few very odd-ball P&S's out there, so anything's possible...just stating what I felt seeing it up close. Also, as far as I am aware, P&S only made a few prototype brass barrel lenses back around the turn of the century, when they first began producing camera lenses. At that time, they might have used a more primitive aperture system, such as waterhouse stops - easily seen on Dan's Soft Focus Page, where a very rare brass Smith lens is pictured. The model for sale has more modern aperture, not uncommon for such a lens, but not really what I'd expect from an original 1900 Smith. Most early models - those sans serial numbers, such as the one in my possession - had a very simple lever-type iris adjustment. Indeed, the overall sense I got from the lens was that it was closer to a Gundlach, or other American manufacture, landscape or maybe portrait lens from the teens or twenties. That's just a sense I got from it, nothing I could say for sure.

I seem to remember this particular model being up on Ebay (I'm pretty sure it was the same, in any case) a few years back and it had a number stamped along the rear of the barrel (I'd no time to inspect it more carefully as someone had knocked over the camera on which it was mounted and the owner needed to repair the diaphragm that had been bent pretty badly) that were very inconsistent with what I'd expect from P&S specifically, and from a 1900 lens in general. They just felt like a more modern stamp and the number, 77473 didn't seem like anything related to Pinkham and Smith's numbering system. Even the Synthetic series VI that I previously owned, with a very late serial number, didn't have such markings.

Here's link: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...nkham+gundlach

Anyway, these are personal opinions that are hard to qualify. I would be happy to hear any other perspectives from those knowledgable about P&S lenses. I should mention that I have no relation to the owner of the lens nor I am interested in sabotaging his sale. He was nice to me when we met and I bought a few film holders and such from him.

[Steven Tribe]

A tale of two Dallmeyers from the same period.

4B. 262620753759. Complete with flange - just a vintage edge delamination of the achromat. Minus the lens hood.
2226 usd.

2B. 232076908497. Minus flange. Looks OK, if a little neglected. 812 usd.

[goamules]

Good to see you Paul! Just when I think the Petzvals have gotten cheap, a small one goes for big bucks. I'd say the big ones, over 12", are consistently a high price. The little ones, under 8", are back where they should be, most of the time. The a bidding war hits, and you see an 8" HBH or Dallmeyer 2B go for $1800 or such....

[seven]

re: the currently auctioned Pinkham - imo it is a fake, old or new
re: Petzval lens sales - all i can say is, the market is strange and very elastic

from today - Dallmeyer 4B in sad condition (missing hood and rack, heavy separation) - 2226 USD (262620753759)

[Stephane]

No active auctions to be mentioned here. Mods please delete if necessary...

But you are dead wrong, it is not the same lens as the one you saw before (it is in my lens cabinet). So there is at least 2 specimen of this model, probably more.
So your expertise on P&S lenses can only be taken with a pinch of salt, especially since you cannot differentiate 2 different lenses...
To me, it seems you are trying to lower the end-price of this auction, maybe for your own benefit, which is why we are not allowed to mention active auctions.

Ok, there's quite a few concerns. Firstly, the engraving feels wrong. I've never seen a P&S with the "Co." or "Boston" engraved and the overall quality and font seems odd. The engraving is also kind of crudely applied. Now, there are a few very odd-ball P&S's out there, so anything's possible...just stating what I felt seeing it up close. Also, as far as I am aware, P&S only made a few prototype brass barrel lenses back around the turn of the century, when they first began producing camera lenses. At that time, they might have used a more primitive aperture system, such as waterhouse stops - easily seen on Dan's Soft Focus Page, where a very rare brass Smith lens is pictured. The model for sale has more modern aperture, not uncommon for such a lens, but not really what I'd expect from an original 1900 Smith. Most early models - those sans serial numbers, such as the one in my possession - had a very simple lever-type iris adjustment. Indeed, the overall sense I got from the lens was that it was closer to a Gundlach, or other American manufacture, landscape or maybe portrait lens from the teens or twenties. That's just a sense I got from it, nothing I could say for sure.

I seem to remember this particular model being up on Ebay (I'm pretty sure it was the same, in any case) a few years back and it had a number stamped along the rear of the barrel (I'd no time to inspect it more carefully as someone had knocked over the camera on which it was mounted and the owner needed to repair the diaphragm that had been bent pretty badly) that were very inconsistent with what I'd expect from P&S specifically, and from a 1900 lens in general. They just felt like a more modern stamp and the number, 77473 didn't seem like anything related to Pinkham and Smith's numbering system. Even the Synthetic series VI that I previously owned, with a very late serial number, didn't have such markings.

Here's link: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...nkham+gundlach

Anyway, these are personal opinions that are hard to qualify. I would be happy to hear any other perspectives from those knowledgable about P&S lenses. I should mention that I have no relation to the owner of the lens nor I am interested in sabotaging his sale. He was nice to me when we met and I bought a few film holders and such from him.