Dallmeyer 3B 290 F3 Lens

If I ever considered donating a kidney to an earthly possession, this lens would be at the top of my list. It is the single best copy of the Dallmeyer 3B lens I have ever seen. It is a work of art.

Based on the serial number, my lens was made between 1865 and 1866, making this lens over 150+ years old.

My particular copy is rare because it has the internal aperture, as shown in the first photo, and it is still 100% operational. This means that I don’t have to carry around Waterhouse stops! As you can glean from the photos of my lens, it is in incredibly great condition. I feel inspired when using this lens and thinking about the history and photographers who used this lens before me.

I custom-mounted the lens on my Chamonix 8×10 view camera and had a handmade black leather lens cap made by an artisan in the Ukraine.

Dallmeyer 3B Petzval Lens

J. H. Dallmeyer was a British company founded in 1860. Its main business was manufacturing lenses, but it also sold cameras. Dallmeyer themselves manufactured some, and some were made elsewhere, equipped with Dallmeyer lenses, and sold under that name.

Dallmeyer was born in Prussia, and when he came to London, he worked for optician Andrew Ross and later married Ross’ daughter. Dallmeyer went into business for himself after Ross died in 1859; Ross’ son Thomas continued the Ross business. Dallmeyer designed photographic lenses and telescopes and was on the Royal Photographic and Astronomical Societies council. He passed on the business to his son, Thomas R. Dallmeyer, before his death late in 1883.

I love the way the people in the mid-19th century described things. The 3B was described as a “quick-acting portrait lens”, meaning it had a fast aperture of F3.

The Dallmeyer 3B Petzval Lens is a remarkable piece of photographic history, emblematic of the technological and artistic advancements of the 19th century. To enrich our understanding, let’s dive deeper into its characteristics and the context of its creation.

Joseph Petzval’s 1840 design of the Petzval lens revolutionized photography by substantially reducing exposure times. Its fast aperture was pivotal for portrait photography.

John Henry Dallmeyer, an apprentice and later successor to Andrew Ross (a renowned optical instrument maker), introduced improvements to this design. The ‘3B’ model, part of Dallmeyer’s series, stands out for its refinement and quality.

The Dallmeyer 3B, a brass lens, features the classic Petzval design comprising four elements in three groups. Its fast aperture (often f/3 or wider) allowed for shorter exposure times, crucial in the era of slow photographic materials. The lens is renowned for its sharp focus in the center while producing a unique, swirly bokeh effect towards the edges. This characteristic made it a favorite among portrait photographers.

John Henry Dallmeyer’s adaptation of the Petzval lens involved a creative re-engineering of its original structure. In his design, Dallmeyer ingeniously modified the rear element group of Petzval’s lens by flipping it, followed by additional refinements.

The original Petzval design is shown in the illustration below. You will notice the air gap between the elements between the crown and flint elements on the right side of the illustration, and the crown and flint on the left side are paired together.

The left side of the diagram is confusing because it represents the front of the lens. These two elements were an optical doublet cemented together. The illustration attempts to show how light and the image travel through the front crown element facing towards the scene or subject and then travels through the flint and then ultimately through the rear flint and crown elements.

The rear flint and crown were air-spaced, typically accomplished by placing a metal ring between the elements. Some lens makers encased the flint and crown elements in the rear barrel, and the optics could not be removed.

You can watch this video by Denis of WetPlateDreams to see him disassemble a classic Petzval lens. You can see the flint and crown elements as I described above.

Dallmeyer modified the design by flipping the flint and crown in the rear. 

This reconfiguration was marketed as offering several advantages over Petzval’s initial model. Dallmeyer’s version was acclaimed for its enhanced sharpness, reduced lens flare and vignetting, and diminished optical distortion. But continue reading because a little-known fact is particularly interesting to soft-focus Pictorial photographers like myself.

Furthermore, Dallmeyer highlighted a unique feature of his lens: the ability to unscrew the posterior cell. This adjustment was claimed to increase the ‘depth of definition,’ a desirable attribute for photographers of that era.

However, in practical terms, this action inadvertently introduced a higher degree of spherical aberration. While this aberration created a perceived increase in the depth of field, it simultaneously resulted in a general ‘diffusion’ or reduction in the sharpness across the entire image.

This effect, often seen as a flaw from a purely technical perspective, contributed to the distinctive aesthetic now valued in vintage photography and has influenced the style of modern portrait lenses. I use this adjustment on my lens to help create the dreamy, ethereal quality of my personal fine art images.

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Over time, I have figured out the degree to which I unscrew the rear element for the desired degree of spherical aberration (soft focus) effect. I would never part with my Dallmeyer 3B lens because it has it all. I get the classic Petzval swirly bokeh at portrait distances, or I can introduce my desired soft focus (spherical aberration) by unscrewing the rear objective to the desired degree.

The introduction of the Dallmeyer 3B marked a significant evolution in portrait photography. Its ability to capture detailed images with a distinct aesthetic contributed to the popularization of photographic studios in the Victorian era. The lens was not just a tool for documentation but also an instrument of art, influencing the style and presentation of portraits during that period.

Today, the Dallmeyer 3B Petzval Lens is highly sought after by collectors and photographers who appreciate its historical significance and unique optical qualities. Its influence extends to modern lens manufacturers who have recreated the Petzval design, merging classic optical characteristics with contemporary technology.

The Dallmeyer 3B represents a fusion of scientific advancement and artistic expression. Its contribution to photography is immeasurable, laying the groundwork for future innovations and forever changing the landscape of portrait photography. As a historical artifact, it offers a window into the technological and artistic sensibilities of the 19th century, making it an invaluable piece of photographic history.

The photos below show the classic Petzal swirly bokeh and its amazing ability to eliminate the background when focusing close up.

We had a heck of a time custom mounting this lens on my Chamonix 8×10 camera, as shown in the photos below. To make the mounting work with my camera, we had to cut a custom rubber spacing grommet and mount it between the lens flange and the lensboard.

The time and effort were worth it to see the lens mounted on my camera. I use a lens support brace, as shown in the photo below, because this lens is very heavy, and I don’t want to risk it falling off of the front standard.