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: '23.675' looking through the Dallmeyer archives it can be dated to the early 1875.


Condition: The condition is overall really good. The brass shows some wear and also a fine patina.  The lens is overall complete: the soft focus adjustment in the rear works smoothly, also the rack & pinion is complete (though its rather jumpy). The glass is very clear and shows only minimal edge seperation in the front and some scratches in the rear element, both wont affect image quality of this beautifull lens. The image on the groundglass is outstanding, especially at 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 a fitting flange.



height: 18cm
width: 10cm
weight: 2300gr

Insured and tracked shipping cost:

Germany - 20 eur
EU* - 40 eur
Worldwide - 100 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.