Mystery Lens

[Shootar401]

Found this brass lens in the .50 cents box at an antique store. There are no markings on it except for the apertures. They read 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 & 512. Are those f-stops or something else entirely? The lens measures 2-1/4" x 1". The glass measures 1" is Diameter.

Like said, there are no markings on it at all, no numbers or stamps. So I have no clue. I looked through a few catalogs from the 1900's to 1920's I saw a few that came close, but nothing exact.

Would be interesting to use this somehow hoping it will cover 5x7, or at least 4x5.

 

[BMbikerider]

Obviously a very 9old lens indeed. Un-coated and still in surprisingly good condition. It's age is also give away with the 'waterhouse' stops instead of a variable iris. If there is no makers name on the lens this makes positive ID awkward to say the least but I would estimate it comes from around the 1880-1910 era, give or take a few years. It would probably cover the old half plate size 61./2 x 41/2 inches or even whole plate. I don't think there is any doubt about it, but you would probably find it rather 'soft. at anything except the smallest apperture.

 

[kirkmacatangay]

They are also known as WAR; wide angle rectalinear(?) lenses. Putting into shutter would be difficult but the f-stops put most exposures in the tophat shutter range. Good luck and have fun. I agree that it will likely cover more than 5x7, but put it on a camera and ask it [if you have one].

Kirk

 

[Two23]

I had an adapter made for an 1890s vintage TH Anthony lens like this one, and shoot it in a Copal 1. Mine covers 4x5 and is about a 100mm FL. It's very low constrast but is reasonably sharp. I like it.


Kent in SD

 

[bdial]

This video by our own Jason Brunner may help some in unraveling the lens's mysteries;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIFNdfjem18&feature=user

 

[Shootar401]

I ended up making a lens board out of cardboard and taped the lens down to it. Seems to cover 5x7 without vignetting, or at least very little. Works fine on my 4x5. Seems to be equal to a 150-180mm. I pointed it at my desklamp it it ghosted really bad.

BMbikerider: The glass is pristine, I'm surprised it is as good as it is since it was in the bottom of a box full of stuff.

 

[Shootar401]

This video by our own Jason Brunner may help some in unraveling the lens's mysteries;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIFNdfjem18&feature=user

After following the instruction on this video, seems that the lens is a 200mm with an aperture of f/15.3 I'll just say ƒ/16.

So I have f/16, f/22, f/28, f/40, f/66 and f/100

Seems about right I hope

 

[Dan Fromm]

Coupla points. Rotating disk stops aren't Waterhouse stops. Waterhouse stops are pieces of perforated something (usually metal) that slide into a slit in the lens barrel.

Waterhouse stops haven't been used in lenses for general photography for quite a while, were pretty much gone by 1900. However, process lenses made into the 1990s used them.

Rotating disk stops, also called wheel stops, were used until at least the early 1950s. I have a 60/14 Berthiot Ser. VIa Perigraphe made in 1951 or so that has rotating disk stops.

About the aperture scale. If 4 is the largest they're probably Uniform System stops. US 4 = f/8, US 8 = f/11, US 16 = f/16 and so on. US 512 = f/128

 

[Worker 11811]

After following the instruction on this video, seems that the lens is a 200mm with an aperture of f/15.3 I'll just say ƒ/16...

How many tortellini would that be? I only know how to measure in inches or tortellini.

 

[Shootar401]

So I built a lens board out of cardboard and tossed it on my Ansco studio camera. It covered 5x7 with limited movements, but switching the back to 4x5 made things a little better. I'm going to put it on the SG and take it out for a walk and see what it can do.

That reminds me I really need parts for my SG!