I got my Carl Vandyk brass petzval 1865 lens today! And it is a real real BEAUTY!. I did not realize that it had an adjustable shutter/diaphragm set up but it does. I assumed it used the old style waterhouse stops. The kind you take in and out and are hard to find. My lens has a little lever which adjusts the inner lens diaphragm to change the f- stop from F4 to F22 (4-6-8-11-16-22).
I am not sure of the coverage of the lens, I think it should probably work with 8x10 which is good. I doubt it has 11x14 coverage. I need to get a lens board made for it, probably use my eBay contacts for that. It takes a larger hole size then a standard Copal 3. I expect to use this with dads 8x10 Deardorf so I will probably get a Deardorf board made with the right hole size, then screw the mounting plate on the the board. This lens will be brought back to life. When was it last used, who knows? Now thou it will become a living lens again, breathing once more, making photos yet again, fulfilling its destiny. That thought is simply beautiful!
I wonder who Carl Vandyk photographed with this lens? Queen Victoria? King George V? King of Siam? Now I can use it to photograph the kings and queens of Canada, everyday ordinary folks that deserve to have their stories told and remembered. :)))
Update* Gosh just did the math, I will be using a lens approximately 150 years old, WOW!!!!!!!!
Update ** Just thought of an interesting coincidence. The lens was made around 1865, Canada became a country in 1867. Using this lens for the "Oh! Canada!" project just seems so right, they have basically the same birthdays, they were born at the same time. Now they can speak to each other.
Update*** Wrote of this before but thought I would mention it again. My 8x10 Deardorf was made/first sold in early 1964, I was born in early 1964. The lens and Canada are connected, me and dads gift Deardorf are connected. :))) Let's make beautiful photos together.
Here is the beauty lens!
I am not sure of the coverage of the lens, I think it should probably work with 8x10 which is good. I doubt it has 11x14 coverage. I need to get a lens board made for it, probably use my eBay contacts for that. It takes a larger hole size then a standard Copal 3. I expect to use this with dads 8x10 Deardorf so I will probably get a Deardorf board made with the right hole size, then screw the mounting plate on the the board. This lens will be brought back to life. When was it last used, who knows? Now thou it will become a living lens again, breathing once more, making photos yet again, fulfilling its destiny. That thought is simply beautiful!
I wonder who Carl Vandyk photographed with this lens? Queen Victoria? King George V? King of Siam? Now I can use it to photograph the kings and queens of Canada, everyday ordinary folks that deserve to have their stories told and remembered. :)))
Update* Gosh just did the math, I will be using a lens approximately 150 years old, WOW!!!!!!!!
Update ** Just thought of an interesting coincidence. The lens was made around 1865, Canada became a country in 1867. Using this lens for the "Oh! Canada!" project just seems so right, they have basically the same birthdays, they were born at the same time. Now they can speak to each other.
Update*** Wrote of this before but thought I would mention it again. My 8x10 Deardorf was made/first sold in early 1964, I was born in early 1964. The lens and Canada are connected, me and dads gift Deardorf are connected. :))) Let's make beautiful photos together.
Here is the beauty lens!
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| My new 1865 brass pretzval lens, once owned by Carl Vandyk |
