Why we shoot Large Format

[Ian Grant]

One reason is the lenses. Those that know me know I have far too many, I will be selling quite a few this year.

These are my Dallmeyer lenses:



Middle is an 1864 Dallmeyer 2B Quick Acting Portrait Pettzval, f3 8¼", top right is a later 2D Petzval f6 9", with Soft focus adjustment 1866 & 1909 Patents.. Below that is a No 5 9" f6 Stigmatic Series II, a triple convertible lens.

On the left top is a 6" f3.5 Dallmeyer Press lens, this was only sold with Dallmeyer Press Reflex cameras, rebadged TP & Houghton cameras, sold more widely as the Series. XX11 Dalmac.

The two small lenses are Dallmeyer Wide Angle lenses, they have a focus aperture of f6.5, but the first marked aperture on stopping down is f11. The smallest is a 4¼" (approx 106mm) lens that was sold with the Kodak Specialist II outfit, at f11 it covers half plate. But there was no shutter and the Specialist II instruction books give no details of how to use the lens, very odd. The second is a similar 5¼" WA.

I also have an unnamed 17" f5.6 Military Telephoto which is almost certainly made by Dallmeyer.

The fun is in trying and using the lenses.

Ian

 

[Alan Clark]

I remember when John Blakemore was interviewed by the editor of Black & White photography magazine, and the editor told him she had just bought a second lens for her Mamiya 6 camera. Blakemore's reply was "That's one lens too many".

 

[MartyNL]

Now, you're speaking my language!
I've found a machinist nearby who's fitting this lens to a Sinar lensboard. Fingers crossed...

 

[Ian Grant]

What focal length ? The lens was probably introduced in 1909, that advert in my 1910 & 11 BJP Almanacs.

I have a few T.T & H Cooke Triplets, most are for TP reflex cameras, only one a 6" f6.8 Luxor is in a shutter, my others are f4.5.

Many companies made Triplets based on the Cooke design, including Zeiss, I have a 135mm f4.5 Triplets, a Lack Rathenow Pololyt in an Ibsor shutter. The last LF triplets were the Multi Coated Rodenstock Geronar lenses sold as Portrait/Budget lenses, like all Triplets softer wide open but very sharp stopped down to f22.

I'm just deciding which lenses to keep, and what to sell, there will be two 10x8 cameras one with the 300mm Nikkor M, and film holders.

Ian

 

[MartyNL]

It's a 30cm lens and although quite big it's not very heavy being made of aluminium, I believe.

Fortunately, I was able to open it up and get to all of the glass. It was just like in the picture.
And since I didn't have any way to mount the lens, I thought it would be worthwhile having something made. The machinist thought it looked fairly straightforward and that it should be ready by the middle of January.
If all goes well, I may have a few more to mount.

 

[MartyNL]

I'm just deciding which lenses to keep, and what to sell, there will be two 10x8 cameras one with the 300mm Nikkor M, and film holders.

Ian

That's a nice collection of Dallmeyer's!
What criteria are you using to thin the herd?

 

[Ian Grant]

It's a 30cm lens and although quite big it's not very heavy being made of aluminium, I believe.

Fortunately, I was able to open it up and get to all of the glass. It was just like in the picture.
And since I didn't have any way to mount the lens, I thought it would be worthwhile having something made. The machinist thought it looked fairly straightforward and that it should be ready by the middle of January.
If all goes well, I may have a few more to mount.

Dallmeyer also made a Triplar around the same era, it was also f3.8 and were using Aluminium barrel options. Yours is designed to cover 13x18cm (7x5).

What criteria are you using to thin the herd?

I'm keeping lenses I really like, or want to try. Also, lenses that I can pair with cameras I'm selling, or are the most valuable (and easy to sell). I'll get more ruthless later in the year, many will be more modern.

Ian

 

[MartyNL]

Talking of Dallmeyer's, here's a no.2 lantern lens patent.
I found an advert for these lenses but I have a question...
The advert clearly states for optical lantern ONLY. However, in the advert from Darlot, they give the impression that their portrait, lantern and Stereopticos are the same.
I understand one is for taking and the other for projecting but...

What, if any, are the optical differences between Lantern and Portrait lenses?

 

[Ian Grant]

What, if any, are the optical differences between Lantern and Portrait lenses?

Not a lot, there use, except the Lantern lenses usually have no slot for Waterhouse stops.

I bought this Petzval for £20, some years ago





When J.H. Dallmeyer introduced the Rapid Rectilinear lens in 1866, it killed demand for Petzval lenses, even though they were typically slower.

Dallmeyer had redesigned the Pettzval in 1860, correcting the swirl issue, but they were not as well corrected as the RR lens, so the RR became the dominant design, although Petzvals were still preferred for Portraits.

Most RR lenses were f8, but Petzvals were typically f3 and that difference was important for projection, over 2 stops brighter. Most slide projectors used Petzval lenses

Many companies were left with unsold Petzvals, so sold them off as Projection lenses. These have the slot for Waterhouse slops.





These photos are of the same lens

Ian

 

[Nas]

Dallmeyer lenses are nice, especially ones which cover 5x4 and above. I thought you had a Dallmeyer 3D as well. Must've imagined it.

 

[Ian Grant]

Dallmeyer lenses are nice, especially ones which cover 5x4 and above. I thought you had a Dallmeyer 3D as well. Must've imagined it.

I bought the 3D at Wolverhampton Camera fair in September, but I did mention it here at the time. It is top right in the photo.

All my Dallmeyer lenses cover 5x4 or larger, except the Dallmeyer 6" f3.5 Press/Dalmac, which is really a Quarter Plate lens, and a bit soft at the corners on 5x4. I found a spare flange, so I have mounted it for use on my pre-Anniversary Speed Graphic.

Ian

 

[Nas]

Right on. I missed that. Didn’t realise they made the 3D with aperture control.

 

[Ian Grant]

Right on. I missed that. Didn’t realise they made the 3D with aperture control.

My mistake, my lens is a 2D not 3D

There can be 3 versions of some these Dallmeyer Portrait Petzvals, the original 860 lenses like our 2B's, 1866 Patent versions, and from 1909 C.F. Lan-Davis' Patent versions which add the soft focus adjustment.



The subsequent adverts show Dallmeyer offered the choice of Waterhouse Stops or Iris Diaphragm.



Ian

 

[Nas]

Thanks for the info. I didn't realise my 4D would cover 12x10 inch plates. I should try that out when we get some brighter weather. Cheers.

 

[MartyNL]

It's just about finished. The roundhead screws just need to be replaced with countersunk to aid the use of a Sinar shutter.

 

[Nas]

It's just about finished. The roundhead screws just need to be replaced with countersunk to aid the use of a Sinar shutter.

Did you machine the flange? Looks nice.

 

[MartyNL]

No, I wish! I've found a machinist nearby, about 20mins away. It's his profession, decades of experience and with an impressive workshop at home.
I'll be turning to him from now on for any of these kind of jobs and I've got quite a few.

 

[Marley's Ghost]

Looking forward to shooting this 470mm f4.0 ....

Leica IIIb purely for scale!

 

[MartyNL]

That's a beauty!
What is it?
I'm guessing some kind of projection lens?

 

[Marley's Ghost]

That's a beauty!
What is it?
I'm guessing some kind of projection lens?

It's made by Aldis ... 18.5 inch V66. Yep a projection lens ... which appears to cover a circle easily big enough for 10x8 or larger.

No shutter or aperture, but it looks like a simple matter to slot the barrel (aluminium and brass) for Waterhouse stops -
It needs stripping for a clean internally anyway ... no fungus or haze ... but plenty of muck. Weighs over 3 kilos - so I am going to have to make a front support to use it.