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Please help with information UNGER & HOFFMANN 9cm brass
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PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2017 3:29 pm    Post subject: Please help with information UNGER & HOFFMANN 9cm brass Reply with quote
Hello to manual lens lovers! Does anyone know any information about this intriguing brass lens? On the lens body engraved UNGER & HOFFMANN A.G (I assume its "G" letter?) 9 c/m.
What makes this lens very interesting for me - its the size and the focal length. Is looks like vintage brass large format lens, but it has 9cm (90mm) focal length (as I understand) and size of regular 35mm/MF lens (please refer to the photo of the lens, next to the 35mm film roll)!
Back focal flange distance of the lens is about 90mm (almost the same as its FL). With help of macro/close up rings, I was able to make some metering and test shots with this lens and my Sony A7II. The light meter test gave me the result, that says that this lens has about 2.8-4.0 aperture value.
Will be appreciated for any opinion and information!

Here is the photos of the lens itself

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Here is the test shots with A7II after quick post processing (contrast, WB and exposure fixing)




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PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2017 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Given its age I love those images. Info wise I have no personal input to give.All I could find on t'internet was this wiki which I suspect you have already seen.
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Unger_%26_Hoffmann


PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2017 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I know nothing of this particular lens but those old brass lenses are usually easy to disassemble and clean. Judging from the images I would say you have enough haze built up to degrade contrast. Even if it is not apparent viewing through the lens. I likely has no coating to worry about. Very interesting bokeh from that ol thing I must say.


PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2017 6:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Eddie46 wrote:
Given its age I love those images. Info wise I have no personal input to give.All I could find on t'internet was this wiki which I suspect you have already seen.
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Unger_%26_Hoffmann


Thank you for your reply. Yep, I checked already an internet regarding this lens, but didn't find any exact information. Hopefully someone from here can say more)


PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2017 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
jamaeolus wrote:
I know nothing of this particular lens but those old brass lenses are usually easy to disassemble and clean. Judging from the images I would say you have enough haze built up to degrade contrast. Even if it is not apparent viewing through the lens. I likely has no coating to worry about. Very interesting bokeh from that ol thing I must say.


You're right, its very easy to disassemble the lens - simply unscrewing it's front and rare lend group.
I already did it and cleaned as much as I can with spirit, lens cleaning liquid and lenspen. Also did some brass polishing)
However​ the contrast of this lens is still super low, which is not strange at all do to its age and fact that there is absolutely no coating, as you previously mentioned.
I'm not counting this as an issue - I guess this is exactly why we are all in love in vintage manual lenses)

p.s: I'm also impressed with charming rendering of this unit and it's "dream" glowing!


PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2017 11:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Judging by the fact that it doesn't have a Waterhouse slot or any sort of a diaphragm it is, most probably, a Magic Lantern projection lens. Almost all of them were classical Petzvas and the rendering of your lens indicates a classical Petzval as well.

The low contrast is normal for such an old lens and could be easily enhanced in PP, if desired, but I expected the sharpness to be a bit better.
It could make a nice soft focus lens with a touch of swirly bokeh.
Have fun with it, it can be very rewarding!


PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2017 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
dan_ wrote:
Judging by the fact that it doesn't have a Waterhouse slot or any sort of a diaphragm it is, most probably, a Magic Lantern projection lens. Almost all of them were classical Petzvas and the rendering of your lens indicates a classical Petzval as well.

The low contrast is normal for such an old lens and could be easily enhanced in PP, if desired, but I expected the sharpness to be a bit better.
It could make a nice soft focus lens with a touch of swirly bokeh.
Have fun with it, it can be very rewarding!


Thank you for your reply!
My researches also brought me to this conclusion. It seems to be early projection lens with Petzval optical scheme. So, the main question solved) One more thing, that I would be interested in - is what is the approximate market value for such a lens? If price will be higher then my expectations - I might consider of selling this thing. Otherwise I'll maybe try to adapt it for portrait shooting.


PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 5:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Dear Olesia! Maybe you disavow your wishes at the cost of the lens? The lens is very interesting and under certain circumstances can interest collectors. I unfortunately do not have enough money to buy this thing, even if its cost is half the average.


PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 9:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
sergtum wrote:
Dear Olesia! Maybe you disavow your wishes at the cost of the lens? The lens is very interesting and under certain circumstances can interest collectors. I unfortunately do not have enough money to buy this thing, even if its cost is half the average.


I bought this lens, cause I was super curious - what is it and what kind of images it producing. The result wad more then impressing as for me, so I will be happy to keep this lens for bokeh/portrait shooting.
Hovewer the thing that there is absolutely no information about it in Internet, makes me think that it might be some expensive thing. In this case (if the market value of the lens could be high enough) I'll rather sell it, then keep.
The question is - how much it could cost?...


PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 9:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
olesia2015 wrote:
I bought this lens, cause I was super curious - what is it and what kind of images it producing. The result wad more then impressing as for me, so I will be happy to keep this lens for bokeh/portrait shooting.
Hovewer the thing that there is absolutely no information about it in Internet, makes me think that it might be some expensive thing. In this case (if the market value of the lens could be high enough) I'll rather sell it, then keep.
The question is - how much it could cost?...


Actually there is no "market value" for such things. You'll get as much as any buyer is prepared to pay for it. As simple as that. Without an interested buyer the value is zero. Put it on Ebay and find out.


PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
tb_a wrote:
olesia2015 wrote:
I bought this lens, cause I was super curious - what is it and what kind of images it producing. The result wad more then impressing as for me, so I will be happy to keep this lens for bokeh/portrait shooting.
Hovewer the thing that there is absolutely no information about it in Internet, makes me think that it might be some expensive thing. In this case (if the market value of the lens could be high enough) I'll rather sell it, then keep.
The question is - how much it could cost?...


Actually there is no "market value" for such things. You'll get as much as any buyer is prepared to pay for it. As simple as that. Without an interested buyer the value is zero. Put it on Ebay and find out.


Just checked with one of the huge lens collector and he says that the value if this lens will be less then 1000$, so I'll better keep it for myself)
Thank again for everyone for kind help and information!


PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2017 10:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Unger & Hoffmann was a maker of photographic paper since 1878. From 1890 they started building projectors. And they started a a photographic wholesale enterprise.
Lenses were provided by an unknown lens maker.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 10:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quick update for this lens.
I gave it to the lens master, to customize it and mount in focusings helicoid - to be able to use it on my digital camera. He told me that this lens was has not 90mm FL and 9cm sign on the lens body, simply means, that the lens was made for projection of 9cm film slides. The true FL of the lens is about 160mm and it is autentific "true" Petzval, so it should be amazing portrait gear.
We'll see in next few weeks, when the lens will be finally ready.


PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 10:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Be sure to post samples!


PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just receive the lens from the lens master. What can I say...there is NO REASON to compare how the lens looks before and after professional CLA, restoration and conversion. Here is a few bad quality pictures (made on my cell phone in bad light conditions)

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The lens were cleaned, polished, all the inner parts were coated with black varnish and covered with black suede paper + the lens unit was mounted in focusing helicoid with M42 screw mount - as a final result overall contrast of the lens increased DRAMATICALLY! On my earlier test shots, what you may find in this topic, you can see the contrast result, what I reach with pulling the "contrast" button all the way to the right in Lightroom! But even after image looks like it lacks of contrast. Originally all of the pictures were in complete fog.
Now that's how the test shots looks now, right out "from the box" - with ZERO contrast editing!

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Also the lens master found, that some of the lens elements were turned upside down, so he changed it in a right way - to make it looks and works, according to the original Petzval optical scheme. As a result rendering and the bokeh of the lens also changed a lot.

In the end, I'm very happy, that I got such a unique product from the past, what I can use with a big joy for close-up portrait shooting, with my modern digital camera)


PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Congrats
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