Posted 12 years ago
luther566
(1 item)
Hello,
I'm looking for help identifying lens quality and year manufactured. It measures about 3 1/2 inches long. It is mounted on a black painted block of wood. Seems like it is all brass with non-coated glass. Not much information available on the internet other than a quick mention of the company.
Thanks for your help.
The lens would be mounted on a studio view camera. Think of the 'Rapid Rectilinear' formula as something for 'all around' use such as portraits, landscapes, architecture, and so forth. I see wooden blocks like this on occasion, and yours has screws on the backside probably to mount to a regular style lens board.
The lens itself more than likely dates to the early 1900s. Earlier lenses tended to have water-house stops as opposed to an adjustable iris diaphragm. The 8x10 designation indicates that it would cover a neg format of 8 x 10 inches. The designation of 'Series 3D' is not unusual and more than likely indicative of being manufactured by Dallmeyer - but I'm unsure without doing some research.
I should add that this lens is small enough to use in the field as well.
Thanks very much for the helpful information. I have seen similar lenses polished to a high gloss. Will polishing this lens diminish its value or desirability ?
Polishing a lens will definitely reduce value. All-in-all, your lens isn't all that bad. They're bad when the brass is nearly black. My recommendation is leave alone.
I will leave the finish as it is. Thanks again for the help.