History: The Dallmeyer 'Series B' was by then one of the most known and highly praised portrait petzval lenses back in the early days. This didnt change untill today, where the wet plate community holds the B series in high regards.

The serial number: '16.261' looking through the Dallmeyer archives it can be dated to the late 1860ies.


Condition: This specimen  shows a remarkable condition: brass is unpoloshed and shows an authentic patina. The rack&pinion mechanism works smoothly, the soft focus mechanism in the rear also. Glass is overall very clear, and shows only the usuall but very light cleaning marks here and there. The image on the groundglass is outstanding, especially close range on the 8x10 format.

The lens features a waterhouse slot (no stops included).

The lens has a focal lenght of 290mm (11") at a speed of F3. It will cover 5x7 format but probably the best work it does on portraits with the 8x10 format.There it shows a fantastic petzval bokeh in the out of focus area. As all Dallmeyer petzval lenses this one is very very sharp in the center, considering the nice falloff its the perfect tool for portraits in those formats.

Lens comes with the original flange.



height: 20cm
width: 10cm
weight: 2200gr

Insured and tracked shipping cost:

Germany - 20 eur
EU* - 30 eur
Worldwide - 80 eur

*(the site offers only 2 shipping variations, DE and worldwide. buyers from EU please either contact me beforehand for a reduced EU cost, or after buying so i can send a refund over the difference)

Importent Note: This item comes from my private collection and is around 100 years old (antique). I try my best to describe all the faults and major damage which are relevant for the function of this item. But the actuall item can show signs of wear and also some cosmetic blemishes/damage which is not described in the auction text! When buying this item the buyer agrees to this terms.