Voigtlander und Sohn in Wien No. 3611 brass barrel lens

[2F/2F]

Hello,

Yes, Tab. It is one of our jokes at work. We use a can of Tab to show scale.

My boss feels, after researching and talking to some folks, that he could get $600 to $800 for the lens. He has offered it to me for $400. I can pay him outright, or just not log 34 hours of work (of which I already have about 20 logged and unpaid).

I really am in love with the sucker on principle, but without a flange or pinion, I think even $400 is a bit much.

Maybe I need to do some test shots on my 5x7 to see how much I really love it in practice. It could end up being nothing great.

Also, having disassembled this lens, I can say that it was originally built with the slot for the stops. There is internal hardware integral to the barrel that could not have been added later, and nothing looks to be added or modified at all.

I misspoke earlier. There are three groups, not three elements. The two front elements are glued together into one group. Additionally, from what I can gather, the two rear groups are flipped compared to Petzval's original design. Apparently, this is a modification that Voigtlander made, according to someone on the Wiki-thingy...whatever that is worth.

[luvcameras]

I'd love to see a photo of the aperture slot.

Dan

[eddie gunks]

it is a famous name lens for sure. $400? hhmmm? he is not doing you a big favor. on e bay it may go about that high IMO but i woulod guess less. it is not as big as i thought at 1st. there was a similar dallmeyer that went recently on e bay for $504. but it was real real nice with the flange and focus knob. it also covered 8x10.

work him a bit and see if you can get down into the 200 range....that would be better (obviously).
have you been watching on the bay for them to go by.....there are plenty out there.

good luck. keep us posted.

[df cardwell]

It is a first generation Petzval, before Voigtander and Petzval parted brass rags
(before the Voigtlander factory was built in Braunschweig,
over the border in Germany, to get away from petzval's control)

There is no flange, and there should be a focus wheel to move the lens within the brass collar,
as you've noted. And the picture shows the barrel should be rotated 180˚ within the collar.

$100 ~ $400, depending on condition. This looks like $200.

It IS as historical a lens as you can get, but for those who think swirls are dumb (sorry)
there isn't any reason to go beyond $400. No focus AND no flange cuts the value in half.

A complete kit, with stops, would be different !

The last one I sold was complete (2008), and made about $400.
It was originally on a stereo camera, see the flat ground on the flange and collar.

[jonw]

Hey df, do you recall the dimensions on your lens? I have a newer Voightlander & Sohn lens, i.e., No. 5, sn25028, which I calculate to be a 24 inch f1.6 lens. I think I am calculating the estimated aperture given it is about 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. I am still trying to figure out information on my lens. Jon

[Ole]

Jon, if the focal length of the lens is 24" and the width only 3in, it can be no faster than 24/3 - or f:8. Petzvals are typically about as long as the focal length.

The serial number list in Thiele starts with 27450 as 1884, so it has to be a little before that. Does it say "in Wien" or "Wien & Braunschweig"? Anyway it has to be something made before 1884, which means Petzval Portrait, Petzval Orthoskop, Landscape lens, or Aplanat (Euryskop).

At that time there was only one Euryskop, the f:7.2 - which only went to 1070mm focal length. So that's out.

Landscape lenses are an achromatic meniscus behind the aperture, and came in f:33 only (the f:15 started in 1888), so that's out too.

Petzval Portrait lenses are, as I said, about as long as the focal length and were no slower than f:6.8. So that's eliminated, too!

That leaves the Orthoskop, and Thiele lists a 3" lens of 615mm focal length, at f:11.7. That fits!

[jonw]

Jon, if the focal length of the lens is 24" and the width only 3in, it can be no faster than 24/3 - or f:8. Petzvals are typically about as long as the focal length.

The serial number list in Thiele starts with 27450 as 1884, so it has to be a little before that. Does it say "in Wien" or "Wien & Braunschweig"? Anyway it has to be something made before 1884, which means Petzval Portrait, Petzval Orthoskop, Landscape lens, or Aplanat (Euryskop).

At that time there was only one Euryskop, the f:7.2 - which only went to 1070mm focal length. So that's out.

Landscape lenses are an achromatic meniscus behind the aperture, and came in f:33 only (the f:15 started in 1888), so that's out too.

Petzval Portrait lenses are, as I said, about as long as the focal length and were no slower than f:6.8. So that's eliminated, too!

That leaves the Orthoskop, and Thiele lists a 3" lens of 615mm focal length, at f:11.7. That fits!

Thanks Ole. My lens states " in wein" and I appreciate being corrected for it is an f8 lens when came with an waterhouse slot aperture which at some time I calucated to be f12 given the fact it appears to reduce the aperature from about 3 inches to 2 inches.

Thank you again. Jon

[2F/2F]

Well, I finally got the lens. Will get around to taking some pix with it one of these days. I have only peered through it on the ground glass of my 8x10 while someone held it for me. Looks like it will cover 4x5 no problem, and does not look all that swirly, if at all. Gotta rig it up to a lens board for my Sinar or Kodak No. 2 somehow first. I don't think my Sinar Copal DB shutter is wide enough to use with this lens.

[eddie gunks]

good work....long hard battle....