wow - feeling stuipd....

JBrunner

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Galli could have coughed and someone may have thought it sounded something like that.
 

Barry S

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The downturn in the world's economy seems to have had no effect on the soaring prices of petzval lenses. I was thinking of bidding on that Dallmeyer 3B, but didn't want to pay the $900 or $1000 I thought it would sell for. The 3B is pretty rare as far as ebay goes, plus it was in good condition with a flange and waterhouse stop. As crazy as that sale was, there's still some justification based on the rarity of the lens. One auction that competely baffled me was this one-- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=290274192559

Yes, that's over $500 for a nameless magic lantern lens. Maybe it was the pretty photos and rambling, but uninformed text.
 

Nicholas Lindan

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gandolfi said:
Any good reason for this high price?
Click to expand...

Stupidity, greed and vanity: the usual prime movers for most human behavior.

It can't be hard to make a new one, the patent has certainly expired.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=1oEAAAAAEBAJ&dq=65729

Since the design is valued for it's aberations rather than their lack there is a great deal of design flexibility - making a lens out of surplus elements should yield something that gives the desired result.
 

df cardwell

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I'm glad my Petzval Fever cleared up 20 years ago.

I guess you never really are cured,
but remission is good enough.
 

Larry Bullis

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gandolfi

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bowzart said:
That's the most beautiful lens fungus I've ever seen!
Click to expand...

indeed. However, it is so prominent that I don't think images can be taken with it... or at least images where I actually can see the motive :rolleyes:

Aah well. That's ok.
 

ath

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gandolfi, this picture of your lens with fungus was discussed quite extensively on a german forum a while ago.
Quite a few people metioned that in their opinion this is separation and not fungus.

But is looks interesting for sure.
 
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gandolfi

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ath said:
gandolfi, this picture of your lens with fungus was discussed quite extensively on a german forum a while ago.
Quite a few people metioned that in their opinion this is separation and not fungus.

But is looks interesting for sure.
Click to expand...

do you have a link to that discussion? could be fun to see...

and yes, I now know, that it proberly isn't fungus, but as Ole stated in another thread :

"That looks like cement failure to me, more than fungus. The cement has started to crystallise around small impurities in the cement, and from there separations have spread. The dendritic pattern is quite typical - but it takes a very thick cement layer to make this happen!"...

the question is; IF I wanted to fix it; could it be done?
 

Ole

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As I said before, it takes quite a thick cement layer for it to fail in that way. From the age of the lens we can safely assume that the cement is Canada Balsam, and thus that it can be fixed quite easily with heat. It looks like there is enough surplus balsam that it wouldn't be necessary to apply new balsam to it, either.
 

Larry Bullis

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It does look a lot like the patterns that can sometimes be seen in the "thousand year old eggs" that we find in Asian grocery stores - the dark brown ones - but I bet it is separation. If so, it would probably be a lot more economical to repair than fungus. I understand that the only way to really eliminate fungus is to resurface the glass.
 

Joe Grodis

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Beautiful piece... sad they separated it from the camera.
 

Radioiron

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As for the damaged lens, that is a very simple fix, if you are competent with camera repair it would be no trouble. It is a unique presentation, but is is a common degradation of the lens cement. The cement used is Canada balsam, a refined tree sap that like all organic material ages. After removing the front assembly the individual lenses would likely separate with light force with a fingernail in the gap or warming the whole thing in water. Be sure to draw a line across both lenses on the ground edge to reposition them. After removing the balsam using solvents it can easily be re cemented. Balsam could probably be bought from optics suppliers or maybe even an artists supply house.
After heating the Balsam to flow at a good consistency and the two lenses are warmed so it will not gel up, put a good amount on the lens surface that is concave. be sure there are no bubbles and care fully place the lens on to making sure the pencil marks line up. As you let it go down the Balsam will flow out and when it is firmly seated, tape the element to keep it in place to solidify.
clean up the excess and replace in the barrel and it will be as good as when it came out of the factory. With less yellowing it should also be faster then before.
 

Soeren

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gandolfi said:
:confused:
>snip<
allmost 1900$!!
>snip<
Any good reason for this high price?

:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I was on a Weekend meeting on a Highschool here in Denmark this fall. The teacher there really praised those Dallmeyers and Dagors. He said something about lensnames starting with a D. So offcource now we all want one. If I had only set my ending bid 100$ higher :rolleyes:
Kind regards
 

jimgalli

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Ole

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But the Dallmeyer was on an "ordinary" auction, the Nicola Perscheid on a Westlicht Live auction. It seems to make a difference?

I might have bid on that if I hadn't spent my budget on a prototype Steinheil Periskop from Breker (another Live auction).
 
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gandolfi

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jimgalli said:
No. None what-so-ever. While this rather ordinary Dallmeyer was going to the moon a truly rare Dead Link Removed went for $800 !!?? :confused: :confused:
Click to expand...

yes. and no.
firstly it was 800€ - not dollars.. (approx 1000$) - then there is a premium attached to the price, which was, as I remember it, the price + 27%..

so the actual price for the Perscheid was about 1300$....

whether that i sa bargin, I don't know.

I'd LOVE to have one, but I am to poor, I'm afraid....:rolleyes:
 
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