I'll probably regret this, but I am going to sell my half-plate Darlot portrait lens and my 4x5 Dallmeyer 1A Patent Portrait lens (S/N 90606). They are both Petzval lenses. They have been my most frequently used lenses as I have explored wetplate collodion photography. Ive decided to move to the whole-plate format for awhile and so am selling these intermediate focal length Petzvals.
I'm asking $650 for the Darlot and $1,300 for the Dallmeyer, plus actual insured shipping costs. $1,900 plus insured shipping buys both.
Both lenses have very nice glass and no optical defects that I can see that would affect their performance. Both come with flanges. (Deardorff lensboards not included.)
The Darlot does have numerous silver nitrate stains on the barrel. Ive used it a lot for wetplate. I've left the stains on the barrel but I suspect a brass polish would remove them if one was so inclined. The rack-and-pinion focusing has a tendency to hang up slightly near the very furthest extension but otherwise has smooth travel along the rest of the focusing range.
Rack and pinion assembly appears to be original and intact.
The front lens cemented doublet.
The rear lens group.
The Darlot signature on rear group elements.
The Darlot lens comes with one waterhouse stop that has a unique shape I've only seen on this particular lens. The tab is bent over so that it sits in a milled recess in the camera barrel and allows the outer tube to travel over the stop slot with a stop inserted. (It is slightly beyond this point where the gear has a tendency to not engage.) This recessed waterhouse stop is a very nice feature that allows for extended focus range compared to other lenses with waterhouse slots. It's a rare bird methinks. See the photograph below. The lens hood looks to be original but only goes on about 1/4 turn. The focal lengths of the Darlot and Dallmeyer 1A differ only by about 1/2" (rear focus) so I assume the Darlot is about a 10" f/4 lens as well.
Unique Waterhouse stop fits into recess in the inner barrel.
The Darlot has been my most used Petzval lens and Ive had Dallmeyers, other Darlots, Voigtlander, Vitaxes and Vesta clones as well as projection Petzvals.
This Dallmeyer 1A Patent Portrait Petzval lens has black enamel over brass and aluminum barrels. The enamel exhibits many cosmetic chips and scratches. An integral iris diaphragm from f/4 to f/32 forms a very round aperture. Flange included.
The Dallmeyer 1A mounted on a small 4.5" square Deardorff lensboard.
Serial # 90606 dates the lens to post-1900. My guess would be around WW I or slightly before.
The glass is very, very good with no fungus, chips, scratches, or separation though as a disclaimer Ill state that very slight cleaning marks are visible at certain angles. Really inconsequential. Ive never seen or owned a Petzval with better glass. The only other issue with the lens is a dented retractable integral lens hood that is out-of-round in one area. With the correct expansion tool, Im sure it could easily be returned to its original shape.
The front lens element and extended dented lens shade. The glass is unaffected.
The rear glass group with soft focus indices on the retaining ring. The mechanism works as it should. Many vintage Dallmeyer Patent Portrait lenses have these mechanisms seized. This one moves smoothly.
I've taken some of my favorite earlier wetplate images with this Dallmeyer lens. But, I haven't used it much since I acquired the Darlot. I purchased the Dallmeyer 1A when I first assembled my wetplate gear though now I seem to grab the Darlot lens when I shoot smaller plates. That choice is purely for cosmetic reasons. The Dallmeyer is the better performer. The all brass and glass Darlot just looks prettier on my Deardorff 4x5 Special when I'm in the field and it is more of a period lens than the more modern post-1900 Dallmeyer. I also bought the Darlot to have a smaller, fast Petzval lens with a rack-and-pinion focus adjustment to put on a simple, experimental, homemade 8x10 box camera.
Consequently, the Dallmeyer 1A mainly resides on the shelf now and it really should be used. With Dallmeyer Petzval lenses commanding very strong prices the past few years (and for good reason), this seems like the time to sell. (I also just purchased a professional pool table, carpet, furniture, darkroom sink, hazardous area ventilation blower and an air conditioner for my new photo studio space and need to pay for all that stuff.)
Larger whole-plate Dallmeyer 3A lenses somewhat frequently show up for sale or auction on ebay, but Ive only seen a couple 1A lenses offered in the past 5 years or so. The latest ebay auction (#350423880429 from Poland) had one listed Buy-It-Now for $1,600 but it seems the seller accepted an offer for $1,000 for the lens. That example apparently lacked a flange and appears to be a later 20th-century model than mine. Assuming European VAT of $220 and $60 shipping plus the cost of a replacement flange at ~$75 or more, that lens probably cost the buyer about $1,355. Another was recently listed for $1,300 IIRC.
Im also offering mine for $1,300 plus actual insured shipping costs. Payment for either lens to be in the form of USPS money orders (or by personal or business check if we have had previous smooth transactions between us). A cleared bank wire transfer would also be a possibility for anyone interested overseas.
This Dallmeyer 1A is an ideal and very sought after Petzval lens for some of the more common smaller view camera formats. It was originally intended for 4x5 but should vignette and swirl nicely on larger plates. It is fast at f/4, fits nicely on a 4 ½ lensboard, and so will be adaptable to a variety of smaller view cameras where larger, heavier Petzvals would require 6 or larger lensboards and very sturdy front standards on bigger cameras. Ive used this lens primarily in the studio with full-plate (6.5 x 8.5). An example (nude) image taken with this lens can be found in my online wetplate article (linked in my signature below) and via the following direct link:
Black Widow
Many of the wetplate collodion images in my APUG gallery were taken with these two Petzval lenses.
Im also advertising these lenses elsewhere. So, if you are interested in either (or both) lenses, please email me at smieglitz@gmail.com rather than by personal message so I can track who responded first. Thanks.
More items to come so stay tuned...
I'm asking $650 for the Darlot and $1,300 for the Dallmeyer, plus actual insured shipping costs. $1,900 plus insured shipping buys both.
Both lenses have very nice glass and no optical defects that I can see that would affect their performance. Both come with flanges. (Deardorff lensboards not included.)
The Darlot does have numerous silver nitrate stains on the barrel. Ive used it a lot for wetplate. I've left the stains on the barrel but I suspect a brass polish would remove them if one was so inclined. The rack-and-pinion focusing has a tendency to hang up slightly near the very furthest extension but otherwise has smooth travel along the rest of the focusing range.
Rack and pinion assembly appears to be original and intact.
The front lens cemented doublet.
The rear lens group.
The Darlot signature on rear group elements.
The Darlot lens comes with one waterhouse stop that has a unique shape I've only seen on this particular lens. The tab is bent over so that it sits in a milled recess in the camera barrel and allows the outer tube to travel over the stop slot with a stop inserted. (It is slightly beyond this point where the gear has a tendency to not engage.) This recessed waterhouse stop is a very nice feature that allows for extended focus range compared to other lenses with waterhouse slots. It's a rare bird methinks. See the photograph below. The lens hood looks to be original but only goes on about 1/4 turn. The focal lengths of the Darlot and Dallmeyer 1A differ only by about 1/2" (rear focus) so I assume the Darlot is about a 10" f/4 lens as well.
Unique Waterhouse stop fits into recess in the inner barrel.
The Darlot has been my most used Petzval lens and Ive had Dallmeyers, other Darlots, Voigtlander, Vitaxes and Vesta clones as well as projection Petzvals.
This Dallmeyer 1A Patent Portrait Petzval lens has black enamel over brass and aluminum barrels. The enamel exhibits many cosmetic chips and scratches. An integral iris diaphragm from f/4 to f/32 forms a very round aperture. Flange included.
The Dallmeyer 1A mounted on a small 4.5" square Deardorff lensboard.
Serial # 90606 dates the lens to post-1900. My guess would be around WW I or slightly before.
The glass is very, very good with no fungus, chips, scratches, or separation though as a disclaimer Ill state that very slight cleaning marks are visible at certain angles. Really inconsequential. Ive never seen or owned a Petzval with better glass. The only other issue with the lens is a dented retractable integral lens hood that is out-of-round in one area. With the correct expansion tool, Im sure it could easily be returned to its original shape.
The front lens element and extended dented lens shade. The glass is unaffected.
The rear glass group with soft focus indices on the retaining ring. The mechanism works as it should. Many vintage Dallmeyer Patent Portrait lenses have these mechanisms seized. This one moves smoothly.
I've taken some of my favorite earlier wetplate images with this Dallmeyer lens. But, I haven't used it much since I acquired the Darlot. I purchased the Dallmeyer 1A when I first assembled my wetplate gear though now I seem to grab the Darlot lens when I shoot smaller plates. That choice is purely for cosmetic reasons. The Dallmeyer is the better performer. The all brass and glass Darlot just looks prettier on my Deardorff 4x5 Special when I'm in the field and it is more of a period lens than the more modern post-1900 Dallmeyer. I also bought the Darlot to have a smaller, fast Petzval lens with a rack-and-pinion focus adjustment to put on a simple, experimental, homemade 8x10 box camera.
Consequently, the Dallmeyer 1A mainly resides on the shelf now and it really should be used. With Dallmeyer Petzval lenses commanding very strong prices the past few years (and for good reason), this seems like the time to sell. (I also just purchased a professional pool table, carpet, furniture, darkroom sink, hazardous area ventilation blower and an air conditioner for my new photo studio space and need to pay for all that stuff.)
Larger whole-plate Dallmeyer 3A lenses somewhat frequently show up for sale or auction on ebay, but Ive only seen a couple 1A lenses offered in the past 5 years or so. The latest ebay auction (#350423880429 from Poland) had one listed Buy-It-Now for $1,600 but it seems the seller accepted an offer for $1,000 for the lens. That example apparently lacked a flange and appears to be a later 20th-century model than mine. Assuming European VAT of $220 and $60 shipping plus the cost of a replacement flange at ~$75 or more, that lens probably cost the buyer about $1,355. Another was recently listed for $1,300 IIRC.
Im also offering mine for $1,300 plus actual insured shipping costs. Payment for either lens to be in the form of USPS money orders (or by personal or business check if we have had previous smooth transactions between us). A cleared bank wire transfer would also be a possibility for anyone interested overseas.
This Dallmeyer 1A is an ideal and very sought after Petzval lens for some of the more common smaller view camera formats. It was originally intended for 4x5 but should vignette and swirl nicely on larger plates. It is fast at f/4, fits nicely on a 4 ½ lensboard, and so will be adaptable to a variety of smaller view cameras where larger, heavier Petzvals would require 6 or larger lensboards and very sturdy front standards on bigger cameras. Ive used this lens primarily in the studio with full-plate (6.5 x 8.5). An example (nude) image taken with this lens can be found in my online wetplate article (linked in my signature below) and via the following direct link:
Black Widow
Many of the wetplate collodion images in my APUG gallery were taken with these two Petzval lenses.
Im also advertising these lenses elsewhere. So, if you are interested in either (or both) lenses, please email me at smieglitz@gmail.com rather than by personal message so I can track who responded first. Thanks.
More items to come so stay tuned...