Carl Zeiss Lens

I picked up what I believe is a Carl Zeiss 1:4.5 F=15cm D.R.P. But what

makes this interesting to me On the lens it says Carl Zeiss London Nr.226559!

 

you must set one wheel on the left side to either [ T-B-I] then you set the

shutter speed from 1 sec to 1/200 sec :: the f-stops are F4.5 to F32

Now below the lens are the following D.R.P. no.258646 D.R.G.M ! the shutter

is a Compur !

 

any Ideas of what I got here :\\\Lauren

Well that there is a Dial-Set Compur. They only made those for a short time from 1912 to 1928 when the Rim-Set Compurs arrived, I beleive. The large aperature number of 32 and the lens-board indicate a large-format camera. 150mm is a standard lens for 4x5 cameras. The lens-board would also seem to indicate a sheet-film or plate-film camera specifically... I mention this because large-format roll-film cameras were also produced in this time period.

The odd thing is the "London". Perhaps Zeiss had its own branch there for importing and distributing? Those dial set Compur shuters are very well made and should last about forever. Lenses of that vintage are uncoated unless somebody went to the trouble of getting it coated later, something that was quite commonly done. Many old uncoated lenses developed a "bloom" on the surface of the glass over time that gave the effect of being coated. Coating cuts down on reflections off the elements and gives more contrast. Originally it was developed as sort of a "fake" bloom to give the same effect. You usually see those shutters mounted on a camera with the dial on top.

Um, Lauren, except for the "London" engraving it is a perfectly ordinary early f/4.5 Tessar. The patent number you gave is for the shutter, not the lens.

 

Don't be discouraged. One of my neighbors is a very serious collector of Zeiss lenses and ZI cameras. He got a Zeiss London lens, another Tessar I think, within the last year and was quite pleased with it. Also with himself for having snagged it. So if you don't want to use yours, offer it up on eBay and stress Zeiss and London.

 

But do try it out. In the Tessar scheme of things, early f/4.5s -- yours has to be pre-1915 -- aren't the best of all but even now they're not bad lenses.

I found this answer to a similar post, by auteur Dan Fromm:

 

http://www.galerie-photo.org/n-f-94392.html

 

(right at the bottom)

 

from which your lens number seems to be 1913, as Dan suggests above. Would Carl Zeiss London have ceased trading abruptly in 1914?

Guys: It is a mystery as to why it says London and not jena or germany as for the cost of the lens , lets put it this way the shipping cost more than the lens [VBG] the lens its self has a minor

scratch on the front lens and the rear element is good but can not be used below F8 because some one hit it or droped it, it has a fracture that would interfear with F5.6 and F4.5 so its F8 and up to F32 not to bad , If for some reason the rodenstock Sironar 150mm should need work I have the Zeiss Ikon tessar F4.5

 

Thanks for your information and help , If any one comes up with answer for the word London on the lens , I think we all would like to

know:

 

Lauren

Lauren, there's no mystery. CZ had a factory in London. WW1 started in 1914, and it disrupted operations of companies in one combattant nation having operations in the other combattant country.

 

The VM says: ?And there seems to have been an attempt to found a business in London in 1909 at Bittacy Hill, for the manufacture or assembly of lenses, perhaps to come within "Imperial Preference" on sales of Empire made goods- which must have ended with the outbreak of war.?

 

And also:

 

?Carl Zeiss, Bittacy Hill, London.

See above for the registration of a company at Bittacy Hill. Lenses are known marked Carl Zeiss, London of that date eg a Tessar f6.3/135mm in Compound shutter and marked Carl Zeiss, London No225,58x (=1913) and a f4.5/150mm in barrel at No226,02x, and a binocular book refers to UK Government attempts to buy Zeiss binoculars in WW1- which seems silly unless there was a UK plant. A theory is that a refusal, or strategic sense, made the Government sequester the firm and get a UK maker to run it for the War effort. There are known "Ross, Mill Hill, London 6in "Tessar Patent" lenses" thought to be from WW1 aerial and other cameras, with anomalous serial numbers, and they may have come from the same plant after take over. Mill Hill is some 16m NNW of London on the motorway M1 and Bittacy Hill is a road and area some 1m to the East- arguably in Mill Hill.?

 

My neighbor's 150/4.5 CZL Tessar is in barrel and is about 200 pieces older than yours.

Anyone know what size whole the lens board needs to mount one of these lenses?

Anyone know what size whole the lens board needs to mount one of these lenses?

Suggest you create a new post with your question including details of your lens, the camera you want to use it on , photos, etc. and in the Large Format forum. You will likely get a more useful outcome. Best of luck!