Looking for lenses from bygone eras

[Daniel Jackson]

I'm thinking about a historiographically-oriented architectural project for next summer, and I'd like to have some lovely old lenses to shoot with.

I can live with softness, CA, and so forth so long as the lens will give an image that's a good representation of the era for which it was popular. I've got a few press lenses (Raptar, Ektar) from the middle of the last century, and I'm looking for an early Symmar or a Cooke XV to fill out that collection. I can get Nikkor or something like that to cover the more recent periods without too much trouble.

The period I need advice for is pre-WWII and pre-WWI. This is, I would imagine, where I'll start to see differences in lens designs. It's also the most difficult to find recommendations for these periods--most people posting about lenses want something that looks newer, not something that looks older...

So what's good from the 1890s to the 1930s? Any stand-out "looks"? I suppose portrait photography would have had more distinct lens designs, but anything notable would be great to hear about. I would imagine that barrel lenses are going to be

The other area I need to research is technique--preferred FOV, perspective, film emulsions for photography from those eras. I don't imagine that I'll be able to duplicate the look of a 1910 photograph, but I can probably make something distinctively "close"...

 

[Ian Grant]

Remember that much of the feel of the original images made with older lenses was also due to the film & paper emulsions of the same era. It really is the combination that produced the look.

To match the early images try using ortho films. Look at the work of Atget and early Kertesz to get an idea of the feel, try and see original rather than modern prints.

Ian

 

[Jeff Dyck]

So what's good from the 1890s to the 1930s? Any stand-out "looks"? I suppose portrait photography would have had more distinct lens designs, but anything notable would be great to hear about. I would imagine that barrel lenses are going to be

I am not sure from an architectural standpoint what kind of look I would distinctly identify with that period, but for portraiture those George Hurrell 1930's Hollywood glamour portaits certainly have a very distinct look to them (large foramt camera, stopped down Verito lens) that screams 1930s.

 

[Jim Noel]

Goerz Double Anastigmats, Kodak Anastigmats, Rapid Rectilinears are among the hundreds of lens designs of the WWI -WWII era. Wollensak was also a gig manufacturer of this era, and before. Only a very few lenses were coated prior o WWII.
19th century lenses are numerous and made by a large number of manufacturers.
I agree with Ian, use Ortho film for a similar look. Ilford makes a long scale one.
Also papers were different. Brighteners were not present. I don't know of any modern paper which really looks like th old papers.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

For antique wide-angle lenses to do architecture, look for "globe" lenses- they are very wide-angle, oftentimes with surprising image circles, but they will be VERY slow (f16 maximums or thereabouts), and oftentimes they have only a few if any aperture choices. Also, the early historic globe lenses are highly sought after now, and cost a fortune.

 

[Ian Grant]

Ross were pioneers of early wide angle lenses, the early EWA's and then Zeiss Protars were based on Ross designs. Zeiss licensed designs from Ross, then in turn licensed the derivative designs.

Ian

 

[phfitz]

Daniel,

"So what's good from the 1890s to the 1930s? Any stand-out "looks"? I suppose portrait photography would have had more distinct lens designs, but anything notable would be great to hear about. I would imagine that barrel lenses are going to be "

that would be the most prolific period in lens designs, most if not all modern lenses stem from there. Different looks:

Petzval
RR, aplanat, lynkeioskop
protar, dagor, collinear
Unar
Heliar, tessar
Dogmar
Portrait lenses are too numerous to list

You could try http://www.shorpy.com for an entire site of antique photos.

have fun with the hunt