Historical lens manufacturers from Europe, + lesser known/smaller ones from Germany, France and the UK

Dan Fromm said:

Recherche de fichiers Schneider

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I understand that the link of interest is this: https://web.archive.org/web/20100922053809/http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/archiv/archiv.htm
Anyone with a desire to maintain a personal archive could download the pdf's.

There's an issue because many UK camera manufacturers bought in their cheaper lenses from companies like Aldis, Beck, etc. Butcher used Aldis, Thornton Pickard Beck


UK
Aldis
Beck
Burr (Charles)
Chadwick unknown
(Cooke) - formerly Taylor, Taylor, & Hobson
Corfield
Coronet - cheap camera manufacturer bought in optics
(Dallmeyer )
Dollond retail chain
Ensign Houghton trade name, later used by Ross Ensign
Grubb
Hailer Adam Unknown
Halina Hong Kong
Hall
Houghton Butcher, Houghton & Brutcher bought un 3rd party lebses
Hora
Kershaw early cameras used lenses from major manufacturers, later cheap camera bought in optics
Kodak Ltd.
Lancaster
Leech Optics
Optomax
Perken Son and Rayment
Pullin Optical
Rochester Optical US
(Ross)
Sands & Hunter Retailer & Wholesale
Squire
Staley
Sutton
Swift and Son
(Taylor,Taylor, & Hobson) Cooke Optics
Watson
(Wray)
Zeiss (London - Mill Hill)

In the German section ICA were a camera manufacturer, they did not make lenses Carl Zeiss was a partner in the company. It's also unlikely Contessa-Nettel made lenses.

Ian

koraks said:

I understand that the link of interest is this: https://web.archive.org/web/20100922053809/http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/archiv/archiv.htm
Anyone with a desire to maintain a personal archive could download the pdf's.

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I think you missed the point. Schneider literature that is important for photographers interested in learning about their LF lenses is hard to find.

Keeping a personal archive is fine, but personal archives are invisible to search engines and they die with their owners, if not sooner.

If you want to bring a point across, state it explicitly. Also, if you want to have a meta-level discussion about the utility of assembling information in a forum thread, this is not the place. Feel free to open a thread in e.g. the Lounge.

This ends the diversion started in #41; discussion can now go back to the original question asked.

Ian Grant said:

...

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Thank you very much for the corrections - tried to implement them. Unless I know who made the lenses I'll keep Houghton & Butcher on though... because these early cameras have lenses with unknown manufacturer as far as I can see... if someone knows more about that, I'm happy to change things though. Also Kershaw: I feel like I've read that they made projection optics... or has someone else been behind those as well?

Added some more lens manufacturers I found a long the way as well as Mark's suggestion

16:9 said:

With great knowledge comes great curmudgeonliness.

From a list of optics with names that sound sus in English, you're welcome to add 'Bender Optical Works' of Newcastle, UK. See also 'Nooky' (Leitz) and 'Veginar' (Pluscanar of Yugoslavia). Perhaps others know others . . . ?

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Thank you! The Pluscanar and Veginar were made by "Vega" if my information is correct. Listed them under Slovenia.


AUSTRIA
Eumig
Carl Dietzler
Gerstendörfer
Goerz Wien (seem to have designed their own lenses)
Karl Kahles
K. Fritsch & Prokesch
Reichert Wien
Schwarzbauer
(Voigtlaender) (early)
Weingartshofer

CZECH REPUBLIC
Druopta
Eta Praha
Kolar
Meopta

FRANCE
AFR
(Angenieux)
(Benoist Berthiot)
(Boyer)
Cindo
Clement et Gilmer
Darlot
Demaria-Lapierre
Derogy
Dupluich
D. Degen
E. Français
F. Faliez
Gallus
(Hermagis)
Huet
Itier
Kengott
Krauss
Lumiere
OIP
(Optique & Précision de Levallois = Foca)
Pathe Freres
Pulligny et Puyo
Roussel
(Som Berthiot)
Zion

GERMANY
A. Schacht
(Agfa)
(Astro Berlin)
C. Friedrich München
Docter Optics
(Emil Busch)
(Enna)
(Ernemann)
Feinmess
Finetta
Gerlach
(Goerz)
Guthe & Thorsch
Guido Feiks Charlottenburg
Hess & Sattler Wiesbaden
Iloca
(ISCO Optik)
Koehler
Laack
Leidolf
Leitmeyr
(Leitz)
Liesegang
Ludwig
(Meyer Optik Goerlitz)
Meyer F.F. (Ferdinand Franz, not Hugo/Goerlitz)
Moeller J.D
Montanus
Muller & Wetzig
Noris (projection lenses only?)
Oehler J.
OMFA
Otto Graichen Chemnitz
Piesker
Plaubel
Potthoff & Abbenthern Hannover
Rietzschel
(Rodenstock)
Roeschlein Kreuznach
Ruo Optik
(Schneider Kreuznach)
Schulze & Billerbeck
Simon
(Staeble)
(Steinheil)
Steiner Optik
TeWe Berlin
Voigtlaender
Wachter
Will Wetzlar
Wirgin
Wittmann Dresden
(Zeiss)
Zwierzina

HUNGARY
Finommechanikai és Acélárugyár
Forte
Gamma
MOM (Magyar Optikai Művek)
Pontos Optikai Lencsegyár

ITALY
Ballerio
Capelli
Chinaglia Domenico
Comi
Durst (possibly 3rd party lenses only?)
Ducati
FAF
Filotecnica Salmoiraghi
Ganzini
GNM
Grilli
GPM
Industria Scientifica Ottica
Ligny
Korstika
Officine Galileo
OMI
PEB
Photoalpha
SCAT
SEDE
SIRIO
Torrani

LATVIA
Minox

THE NETHERLANDS
Nedinsco
Old Delft
Philips

NORWAY
(?)

PORTUGAL
Leica Portugal (any lens development?)

ROMANIA
IOR

SLOVENIA
Vega

SPAIN
Curz Optical (projection lenses only?)

SWEDEN
(?)

SWITZERLAND
Kern Aarau
(Kern) Paillard
Suter
Spyr (projection lenses only?)
Wild Heerbrugg

UK
Aldis
Beck
Bender Optical Works
Chadwick
(Cooke formerly Taylor, Taylor, & Hobson)
Corfield
(Dallmeyer)
Grubb
Hailer Adam
Hall
Houghton & Butcher
Kershaw
Kodak Ltd.
Lancaster
Leech Optics
Marion
Optomax
Perken Son and Rayment
Pullin Optical
(Ross)
Sutton
Swift and Son
(Taylor, Taylor & Hobson/Cooke Optics)
Watson
(Wray)
(Zeiss London - Mill Hill)

So I finally found a lens which was manufactured in Sweden:

It was an Uniprint Anastigmat 75 mm f/3.5 (enlarging lens) and apparently made by AB Fritz Weist & Co

There's a great overview of Swedish camera makers in the past here:
https://www.fotopaw.se/texter/svkam.htm

Will still have to look through with more care, when I have time, if any of the other Swedish camera manufacturers (there were quite a few) might have produced their own lenses. From a quick glance, it looks like most of the lenses were imported from Germany.

A lot of great info in the Lens Vademecum on many of these obscure lenses.

Rod Klukas said:

A lot of great info in the Lens Vademecum on many of these obscure lenses.

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You're right, of course... it's a great resource. But because of its scope also missing lots of smaller ones I've already included in the meantime.

Unfortunately (for this subject) this forum has a time limit on edits, so I continued the list on a forum where that's not the case:
https://forum.mflenses.com/historical-lens-manufacturers-from-europe-t85584.html

Still lots of additional ones missing. I feel like Germany, UK and France together might have more than a hundred smaller lens makers and optical workshops still and I've also been made aware of a good number from Italy. I realized that there are still vast areas where I knew next to nothing. I'm currently doing a lot of research on a different matter, but I'll make sure to continue the list when I have time and cross-check with the lens vademecum once more as well.