I always have been fascinated by photography.
But with the introduction of the digital camera it all became too easy, too predictable …to me.
So I forced myself to go back to the roots of real analog photography.
Not just by making the photograph itself, but by controlling the entire photographic process.

This brought me back to the middle of the 19th century, to the amazing Collodion wet plate process.
And every single day I feel challenged to refine and improve myself.


For my website please visit : www.alextimmermans.com

Alex Timmermans
Holland


"You don't take a picture, it's given to you"

zondag 25 december 2011

I finally found "Her".......

After a long search i finally found a suitable lens for my 20x20”Donchev camera.
This is a 24” early Voigtlander petzval which was produced aprox in the year 1864.
This lens is massive. I thought my 20inch Hermagis was big. This one is huge.
The glass is in execptional good shape. No separation, fungus or what so ever.
It came with one original waterhouse stop.


Some specs:
Weight :                         8,3 kilo
Height:                           39 cm
Diameter lens hood:        19 cm
Flange diameter:             23 cm
Serial number:                12540

Focal lenght                    24"
F-stop                             aprox 5.2 (because of waterhouse slot)


If anyone can supply me the exact production date of this lens, please let me know.
Just to show how massive this lens is, the lens next to the Voigtlander is my Dallmeyer 3B





donderdag 8 december 2011

Beautiful rare Derogy lens

Recently i bought a very early beautiful Derogy petzval lens for my small collection.
Every time i say to myself, i have to stop collecting stuff, but this one i couldn't resist......

The lens is dated between 1850 - 1860 so more than 150 years old.
A beautiful example of perfect handcraft.

The bayonet system makes this a rapidly convertible portrait/landscape lens.
The lens has a focal length of about 8" and it's speed is about f 3.8
unfortunately it has no flange, so if somebody could help me finding one i would be more than grateful !
Thread diameter is 88,6 mm.

I made you some pictures to show how the ingenious lens works.

 Standard portrait situation



fast opening with bajonet

 It has a double lens cap which can be taken apart.
One for the portrait lens and a smaller one for the land scape lens


Here you can see the aparture rings which were used in very early lenses


Mounted as a landscape lens including the smaller lens cap mounted at the front