Beck Lenses, Biplanat

Does anyone have any trade photographic publications from around the turn of
the century, or up to the First World War from R&J Beck Opticians Ltd of 68
Cornhill London?
I need information on the covering power of their No3 Biplanat, of 6" focus.
The old catalogues often quoted the plate sizes that a lens covered.
This lens seems to be a Beck original design, and I know nothing of it apart
from the fact it has a max aperture of f5.8, is of 6" focus and is mounted
in a 'Unicum' shutter by Bausch & Lomb.

On Feb 2, 2:28 pm, "Neil Purling" wrote:
Does anyone have any trade photographic publications from around the turn of
the century, or up to the First World War from R&J Beck Opticians Ltd of 68
Cornhill London?
I need information on the covering power of their No3 Biplanat, of 6" focus.
The old catalogues often quoted the plate sizes that a lens covered.
This lens seems to be a Beck original design, and I know nothing of it apart
from the fact it has a max aperture of f5.8, is of 6" focus and is mounted
in a 'Unicum' shutter by Bausch & Lomb.

Searchhing google did not turn up much. A part of the explanation
for the paucity of information might be in this reference to an
article: "Martin, Thomas. The British Optical Industry in the War.
Journal of Scientific Instruments 23:2 (February 1946) 21-26. (War
production: 620,000 binoculars; 23,812 rangefinders; 394,463
telescopes. Tropicalization of binoculars. New design by R.G. Budden
of Admiralty Research Lab, 5x40 binocular, fixed focus or focus by
longitudinal movement of prisms. Total destruction of R. & J. Beck
factory at Clerkenwell, manufacture of artillery dial sights - aim to
the side or rear of a hidden target)"

A web site (http://www.fossackandfurkle.freeservers.com/scien/
scopes.htm) that seems to offer items for sale has a few leads:
Richard & Joseph Beck were Optical and Philosophical Instrument makers
working from 1867-94
1867-80 31 Cornhill
1881-1900+ 68 Cornhill
Factory at Lister Works, Kentish Town, Holloway.
Richard Beck, b.1827 d. 1866 was a member of the Microscopical Society
of London from 1855. He started work in 1847 as an Optical Instrument
and Microscope maker in partnership with James Smith as 'Smith and
Beck', and continued in that partnership until 1851 when it became
'Smith, Beck & Beck' with the introduction of his brother Joseph.
Joseph Beck, b.1829 d. 1891 was a member of the Microscopical Society
of London from 1859. He started work in 1851 as an Optician, going
straight into partnership with his brother and James Smith, and was a
member of the Guild of Goldsmiths from 1853. He had a son, Conrad, in
1879, who continued the name of 'R&J Beck Ltd' after the deaths of
both brothers.

Regrets, but I don't know any more.

I expect my lens to be from around the turn of the 19th century to around
WW1 outbreak in 1914.
It can't be of before 1891, as that was when the shutter was patented.
However from what I have dug up suggests the Unicum shutter wasn't produced
till several years after the patent was issued.
The lens focal length mentions a number: A No2 Biplanat is of 5" focus & my
No3 is 6". This suggests a series covering formats right up to the largest
plates.
The No2 Biplanat was on a ebay camera with the 68 Cornhill address engraved
on a plate.

When did the Unicum shutter fall out of favour?
B&L introduced the 'Volute in 1902 and if that was a improvement you'd
expect it to be soon taken up by camera and lens manufacturers.
I'm just trying to narrow down when my lens might have been produced.

On Feb 5, 9:58 am, "Neil Purling" wrote:
When did the Unicum shutter fall out of favour?
B&L introduced the 'Volute in 1902 and if that was a improvement you'd
expect it to be soon taken up by camera and lens manufacturers.
I'm just trying to narrow down when my lens might have been produced.

I don't have much to add on this. I've seen quite a few Unicum
shutters. The very simple design is vaguely similar to simple
shutters others used for cameras with a fairly slow shutter, somewhat
later.

http://licm.org.uk/livingImage/Shutters-Leaf.html
argues that it was the Compur (rim set) shutter around 1928 that
really replaced the Unicum. The argument is that the higher film
speeds needed a faster shutter.

http://website.lineone.net/~mauricef...hronology.html
Calls itself the Ilford History Site. It says that,
"The 1903 & 1904 BJPA gives the price of the camera as £5 with the
Bausch & Lomb Rapid Rectilinear f8 lens in Unicum Shutter (T,B,
1-1/100s; as in the NMSI collection) or £8.8s (£8.40p) for the Ross
Symmetric Anastigmat lens in Lopa Shutter."

This seems to mean that a new camera was introduced in 1903 with a
Unicum shutter. Perhaps that was sold for a while after that. My
guess is that the Unicum was around in some form for a good part of
the period of 1904 to 1928. I also think I've seen similar shutters
(but not air operated) made somewhat later than that, but under
another name.

Peter spake thus:

http://licm.org.uk/livingImage/Shutters-Leaf.html
argues that it was the Compur (rim set) shutter around 1928 that
really replaced the Unicum. The argument is that the higher film
speeds needed a faster shutter.

Small correction (not to your post but to what that website has to say):
they say "This design was perfected in the Compur rim set shutter of
1928", implying that it was the rimset shutter that finally replaced the
Unicum and other air-operated shutters, but it was really the earlier
dialset Compur that spelled the end to them. The dialset shutters were
(and are) very accurate and reliable.


--
Don't talk to me, those of you who must need to be slammed in the
forehead with a maul before you'll GET IT that Wikipedia is a
time-wasting, totality of CRAP...don't talk to me, don't keep bleating
like naifs, that we should somehow waste MORE of our lives writing a
variorum text that would be put up on that site.

It is a WASTE OF TIME.

- Harlan Ellison, writing on the "talk page" of his Wikipedia article
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Harlan_Ellison)

"Neil Purling" wrote in message
...
I expect my lens to be from around the turn of the 19th
century to around WW1 outbreak in 1914. It can't be of
before 1891, as that was when the shutter was patented.

Well, and I expect you've thought of this, it could be if the lens was
remounted in a later shutter.


Peter

From, "Photographic Lenses, A Simple Treatise", 6th Edition (No Date), by Conrad Beck and Herbert Andrews, Page 278:


Beck-Biplanat Series I, f/5.8

Mounted in Brass and Magnalium


No. 2

Focus: 5

Focus of Back Combination: 9

Plate Covered: 4 1/4 X 3 1/4

Plate Covered f/22: 5 X 4

Price: 2 15 0




Charley

Note: I will be out of town the rest of the week. If you have any follow-up questions, I won't get to them until Sunday at the earliest.

Not quite my lens but it suggests that the No2 6" focus version will cover
4x5 almost wide open.
I don't know where the best definition lies for a rapid rectilinear.
For a modern anastigmat like a Tessar or Plasmat the best definition is
around f16 or 22.

My apologies, Neil. Here's the correct entry:

No. 3
Focus: 6
Focus of Back Combination: 10 1/2
Plate Covered: 5 x 4
Plate Covered f/22: 6 1/2 x 4 1/4
Price: 2 17 6


I think I was mislead by another table in the book, Table of Studio Lengths (Page 151). In this table, the No. 2 Biplanat is listed as 6 inch FL, recommended for Carte-de-Visite and Full Length Portraits, with the Studio Length being 18-20 feet and the Distance of Lens from Object being 11-12 feet. The No 3 Biplanat is listed as 7 1/2 inches FL, recommended for Carte-de-Visite and Full Length Portraits, with the Studio Length being 22-25 feet and the Distance from Lens to Object being 14-15 feet.