Bringing a 160 Year Old Giant Petzval Lens Back to Life
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
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Your best video so far !! and very well shot and edited ! bravo
and the lens is just amazing !
Thanks a lot Mathieu! The lens is indeed interesting - maybe worth for a different portrait of you ;)
@@mhaustria I'm currently modifying an a6000 for one I got from the Ukraine, they aren't very common in the US, they were made for European x-ray machines. The flange distance for focus is 3mm which means I have to buy a new hot mirror that is thinner to actually get an image on the sensor. That lens though that you have at 125mm is one I have never seen in person or on market. The 100mm f/.73 is about 9.9 kg, very heavy. I imagine the one in your video is larger. I love all your videos by the way, it great inspiration for my 2ft x 2ft tintype camera.
@@BAstudios5 A6000?
@@mhaustria Surely he doesn't mean a Sony? But maybe?
@@firesurfer a lot of people are mounting huge lenses on digital cameras, could be…
OMG! And what a beauty that lens is. Great shot of Albert Sobotka. Really well done
Thank you so much!
Crocodile Dundee: That’s not a lens...this is a lens!
Hahaha 🤣
Now I need to wear a similar hat in my upcoming video when showing my new lens. To be honest, love the results of this lens, but it needs lot of attention when I shoot with it. Sometimes bigger is not better ;)
Amazing job with the lens. And some amazing portraits as well. Huge fan of your work.
Diego Veríssimo thank you so much!!
BRAVO, !!!! I am still crying in what you have accomplished in the time, and effort in bringing back a craft in this Digital photo world, BRAVO!!! Thank You Markus Love the Video.. Pure Photography, THANK YOU....
Thanks you so much for your kind words. I am just working on a wonderful large format camera with a surprising fast and beautiful lens.
Der Moment als das Datum des Fotos aufgeschrieben wurde und es einfach mein Geburtstag war, war noch das tüpfchen auf dem i ! was für ein episches video, Bravo!!
Sehr cool - vielen Dank!
Wow you are multi talented my friend !
Thanks a lot, I enjoy bringing stuff back to life. It’s very rewarding for me :)
That was a great project with a really big lens. And the process of taking a picture is slightly different to what we are used to ... The result was also great, I like the portrait very much.
Thanks a lot! Yes that is one of my most favorite projects.
I am lost for words!
Simply amazing!
Tim Kuipers wow, thank you so much!
Wow....that is not a camera...it is a piece of artillery!!!!!. Seriously, amazing video, amazing lens and camera and an amazing picture. Long live analog photography!!!!! Thank you for shooting and posting this amazing video.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I enjoyed this one a lot as well
well that just blow my mind!! that picture turly is art
Thanks.a lot! I guess you find some more like that on my channel.
“Bringing back to life”??? More like “Building a lens, using some parts”😄 good job!
Thanks a lot - it’s always a puzzle to get these lenses back to work
Amazing work of art, science and craftsmanship. Thank you for reminding the world what a miracle photography can be in the right hands.
Thank you so much! Very welcome, I enjoy that kind of photography a lot
Very nice video, appreciate the details, and love the innovative use of the toaster!
Thank you. I exchanged the toaster already for something better :)
Dear Markus, my sincere respect! Bravo! With warm greetings from St. Petersburg.
David V. Kutaliya thank you so much David!
Wow, now that is photography 👍🏻
Thank you so much!
Damn ! .. That's a Big Hunk of Glass ... Beautiful
yes it is - thank you!
Great work. I am more of an optical engineer than a photographer. Your measurement of F is quite accurate, but The field stop of the lens is measured by looking through the lens at a bright flat background, and using the measuring scale that you have, measure the diameter of bright circle of light being seen through the lens (at maximum aperture). You could measure this at the film plane or further back. The F/D formula would then give you the actual f number.
wow, thanks so much for your explanation!! When I look through the lens on a flat background, how far should the lens be away from that background?
I really love animals, and I love cameras and lenses too. As an analogy, you are one of those wildlife experts saving endangered animals from humans and technology :)
Astral'o Pithecus I guess I saved lots of rare animals then. I had to a restoration once on the glass of an old lens. This would have been a great video too.
A thing of beauty and a wonder to behold!
Thanks a lot - I have to do a portrait with it sometimes
Very interesting story behind the lens and interesting process!!!!
Thank you! If you like these kind of stories, there is a new one available:
th-cam.com/video/lMRuFIXIy7s/w-d-xo.html
amazing work and portrait 👏🏼
Thank you so much!!!
remarkable video and work with this lens ... bringing it back to life is a honor to the memory of those ones which built it and all others which worked with all of these old lenses ... Congrats from São Paulo - BR.
Thank you so much!
Absolutely beautiful. The method, the print, the art.
Thank you so much Daniel!
wow, that idea of an electric grill to heat and varnish the plates is great!!!
Thinks a lot, I used a flame (alcohol burner) before, butt didn’t like the open fire. It’s also easier with the grill.
@@mhaustria I've only done some practice collodion plates, with a burner. And I'm collecting materials to start on my own. Alcohol burner already bought , but maybe in the future I will try your idea...
@@carbo73to work with a burner is totally fine - enjoy the process!
Breathtaking
Thank you so much!
Discovered your channel through this video and had to subscribe! I've been shooting 4x5 for about a year now, and you've inspired me to bite the bullet and give wet plate a try. I'm going to start with shooting J.Lane Dry plates and move to wet plate in the next couple of months! Thank you for the video, this was incredibly entertaining!!
Hey Joey, thanks a lot for your kind words. Happy to got you on the wet side of photography. Tomorrow will be another video with a huge lens :)
@@mhaustria I look forward to it! Loving your content so far, my friend!
Maskus I congratulate you on your high work and achieve your goal with great professionalism. A hug for you
Thanks so much Francisco! I send you one back!
To measure the diameter of a large barrel, wrap in paper tape, mark a pencil line across the overlap, unroll the tape, measure the distance between the marks, divide by pi.
Fascinating and instructive. Thankyou,
Very welcome and thanks for your kind words
Wonderful work that you do
Thank you so much - I just love what I do.
This was awesome! Thank you!
Thanks a lot and very welcome 🙏
Incredible video and beautiful photo. This mini-doc shows the quintessential passion of photography. No shortcuts; its a journey and an experience.
Thank you so much! I’m working on another video right now about my dream lens and a new project.
@@mhaustria you are an artist. And a dedicated gentleman
@@bryanotero123 thanks a lot!
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks a lot and very welcome 🙏
Very nice journey with that old lens, thanks for showing us .
My pleasure - I enjoy doing these things
Dear Markus, compliments for your work with this interesting Petzval.
Best regards
Hans
Thank a lot!
Great Video -- Thank You ...
Thanks a lot, my pleasure :)
superb shot
Thanks a lot
Great job 👏
Thanks a lot - a similar one should come soon :)
@@mhaustria let me know if you visit Morocco. We can take some great photos
Good work. Really good.
Thanks a lot!
Lo que había leído, hace unos... 48 años. Lo vi en tu video. Y el hombre, con la lengua afuera! jaja, muy divertido. Saludos desde Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego! Argentina
I tried to translate your comment with google translate, but somehow I couldn't understand it. Maybe you can try again ;)
I could just spend some hours looking at the development of the plates. Nice Video
Thanks so much - I know that feeling. I guess this is the favorite part for everybody at the workshop :)
thank you for the video
@@zundee4182 you are welcome - maybe you wanna checkout this video with a closeup of the process where you can see the crystals: th-cam.com/video/yMkPOzLdBlk/w-d-xo.html
When I was young I wish that I had met a friend, like you, that would have similar interests.
Thank you!
You are so cool to watch doing your skill with such mastery, of course the result was outstanding. I could tell it would be great while watching the way you poured chemicals perfectly across all of the plate and had almost none wasted at the end. Awesome stuff!
Thank you so much!
nice shirt ! love K7, belgian like me aha love recoding tapes :DD
Thank you for making this video and for keeping the technology alive.
Thanks for your kind words and very welcome. Just uploading another one.
So cool! Thanks to the TH-cam algorithm to recommend me this video
Thanks a lot, happy you found it. There are much more like that here :)
I think I just saw an event from history.. amazing as always..
Maneesh Thapa thank you so much!
This is so incredibly awesome!
Thanks a lot!
wonderful, just wonderful and the resulting portrait is mesmerising
SJOOT ME thank you so much - I‘m looking forward to the next shoot with it.
Great job and beautiful lens, greetings from Argentina
gabriela borrello thank you so much! Never have visited Argentina before - but I will some day.
@@mhaustria Argentina has beautiful and unique places, you must visit !
Beautiful!
James Lane thank you so much!
Brilliant!
Thanks a lot!
Beautiful work Markus! The quality of your work, and your videos is superb.
Pat Doyle wow - thanks a lot. I always work as hard on it as possible for me.
January 10th is my Birthday! Is this plate a Birthday gift for me? Kidding aside, I find this video utterly mesmerizing! I work on the Education Services of Museu de Fotografia da Madeira (a Museum in Portugal, based on a XIX century Photographic Studio - founded in 1865) and one of my goals is to learn to photograph with wet plates collodium! Can't wait to put our old cameras to the test! Keep up the good work!
sounds great!! Thanks and let me know if I can help somehow.
@@mhaustria
145/5000
I appreciate your help. As soon as I begin to experiment the process I will reach out if I stomp into any blockage.
thanks again
Marco Gonçalves I strongly recommend to attend a workshop or get a good book
Exquisite. Thank you for sharing. Subscribed.
Thanks a lot!
Wow! That's beautiful... I love the way you are exploring rare lenses and passing on the knowledge... Keep it up!
Prathmesh Kharatmal thank you so much. I’ll do my best!
Outstanding video
Thanks a lot!
@@mhaustria bitte
@@mhaustria Ich freue mich, dich auf TH-cam zu sehen, weil ich alte Kameras liebe
@@philippemichelphotography dann bist du hier richtig - bald kommt mehr
As far as I know, the F number is focal length/aperture diameter (not the diameter of the front element). Also, I would polish the housing to give back the shine like when it was new. But it's just personal preferance.
Magnific lens!
I agree, It's a wonderful piece, but also needs a lot of attention.
Mind blowing
Thanks a lot!
Did Dr. Sobotka posed same as Einstein for the portrait picture. It looked cool. The video was awesome.
Thanks a lot. I was happy he did and liked it as much as myself.
Qué emoción ver un trabajo con esa lente. Gracias.
Thank you so much!
Love you man , so much love for classic stuff
Ajay Manoj I always feel that this old lenses could tell so much stories about what they have captured. If only somebody could make a device that makes this visible - until then I have to stick to books I guess ;)
Fantastic! Great results
Thank you so much!
Bravo!
Thanks a lot!
Truly magnificent !!!!
Thank you!
nice lens, but where is the rest of the gun crew?, looks like it weighs a ton.
but beutiful portrait out of it, one question, what was that solution you poored over it at the end?, was it an archeival wash?, or a toning solution.
Because the portrait is made of silver, it needs to be protected. And that's why I pour sandarac varnish over it. You can see how it is made here: th-cam.com/video/wj2nPTYyFQ4/w-d-xo.html
coolest thing i have seen this week. keep up the great work, very inspiring
thank you so much - I am working on it!
Great video. I Look forward to seeing more from your channel.
Thank you so much!!! Working already on something new!
Hey Markus, how do you meter for the strobe while using the lens cap as a shutter?
Great question! I am working here with iso 0.5 to iso 1 - depending on the age of the collodion. My emulsion is only blue sensitive. At f 4.5 and the bellow extension I get a good idea what I need. The rest experience and gut feeling. I also have a bit of room to get it right during development. That’s what I love about my work. I feel what I shoot.
I have a strobe calculator on my patreon page now. It’s pinned
@@mhaustria I saw, that's a huge help! thanks!
@@AveryDelMiller very welcome!
How much power does the strobe need to have for an exposure for plates? Is 1000 watts enough?
It depends what lens you use and what size your plate is. For example, I use about 3000w strobe power with a 85cm softbox and a F3 lens on a 13x18 plate. Here I used about 6kw. You can use a 1000w strobe with a std metal reflector and a 4.5 lens for 13x18cm plates. Maybe you need even less power with fresh collodion.
Fantastic Work! Subscribed!
Thanks a lot!
Amazing!!!!
Thank you so much!
Very impressive. Thank you for the great video
thank you and very welcome!
Excellent. I wonder if Markus has taken that lens outside.
Thank you so much. Actually I was talking with a Rock Band about a shoot outside of the Studio. But it didn’t happen. But who knows, maybe I shoot one time a portrait outside
This is beautiful! I would love to come to one of your workshops...
Sanele Ndlovu thank you so much - just send me a email and we find the right one for you
would like to see what you get with it stopped down
Great request - there is a lot of light needed for that. Maybe an outside project
Hola, me sorprendió mucho que todavía sé pueda usar una bella camara clásica.Hermosa Cámara.
muchas gracias
Very interesting video. Great job!
Scott Waldron thank you so much!
I love this
Thanks a lot 🙏
Hi your channel is so cool and informative thank you. Please could you explain
More regarding how you retouched your plate was it done in the fix or water bath?
Michael Bermingham Thanks so much!!I only do it after fixing - during the final wash. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
Just found your channel, love your content
Thanks a lot Mark! More is coming soon.
i can see you are doing collodion, right ? what is the final step your are making, putting that warm liquid from the test tube on the tintype, is it varnishing or something else ?
Hey Sebastian, thanks for asking! Yes I use the wet collodion process and as you guessed right, I varnish the finish plates. For that I use Sandarac varnish. Here you can see how I make the varnish: th-cam.com/video/wj2nPTYyFQ4/w-d-xo.html
@@mhaustria thanks you si much for your answer, ill look now this video :)
@@sebgac very welcome!
fantastic!
Thank you!
Respect!
Thanks a lot
Incredible.
Thanks a lot!!!
Amazing!! Bravo!! would love to see it in person (:
Gabriel Baharlia thanks a lot Gabriel. Just visit Vienna again sometimes and we figure something out ;)
beauuuutiful !!
Thank you!
That was fascinating
Cry of the Prophet thank you!
amazing results !
Thanks a lot!!
Wow, wie genial! Starkes Video!
@@fotokoeberl vielen Dank!
Wonderful job restoring and using the lens!
Question: how heavy is the lens and what size are those plates?
Sina Farhat thank you so much! The lens weights close to 6kg. These are 30x40cm plates.
the real wow stuff !
Thanks a lot! If you liked that one, get ready for my next video.
Auf welchem Flohmarkt warst du? Ich wohne in deiner Nähe aber habe noch nie sowas krasses gesehen xD
In der Berufsschule in der Längenfeldgasse gibt es 2x im Jahr einen Fotoflohmarkt - dort bin ich fündig geworden - nennt sich Fotobörse
hi Markus! For you, which is the best Flea Market to buy analog stuff in Vienna? Greetings!
There are lots of normal flea markets in Vienna. But for analog stuff there are some special ones. The Leica Shop has one once or twice a year. This is in Westbahnstraße. There are lots of other analog shops nearby who participate too. The one I bought the lens is called Wiener Fotobörse. It’s in the Berufsschule Längenfeldgasse 15 - 1120 Vienna. The next one is on the 10th of May and I’ll be there with to promote my portraits and workshops.
Hallo! Ist die alte Kamera noch da? Wie viel wiegt es? Wie hoch ist die Höhe in Zentimetern? Wie groß ist der Durchmesser des Glases?
Ich habe gerade angefangen, Fotos mit Nassfilm zu machen.
Ich verwende die Kamera immer noch, Die Kamera ist ausgelegt für 30x40cm Platten. In der Beschreibung von meinem Video ist ein Artikel für meinem Blog verlinkt, da gibt es mehr Fotos vom Objektiv. Ich denke dass es ca 350mm lang ist und ungefähr 120mm im Durchmesser.
@@mhaustria Where can I buy it now? It seems like there are very few in the market!
I haven’t seen any on the market. Mine is not for sale at this moment. But you can send me an email and I come back to you when I change my mind.
@@mhaustria I left you a message on TH-cam!
@@潘少先 I don't see messages on TH-cam anymore, I think they have disabled this feature some time ago. you can just visit my website an use the contact form.
Das ist unglaublich genial !
Vielen Dank, ich mag die alten Linsen einfach.
@@mhaustria Danke dass Du Borut Peterlin interviewed hast! Ich schaue mir das Video gerade an... und mir wird vieles bereits gelerntes vergessenes wieder bewusst. Ich bin sehr happy. Dank Dir! Voll genial ! Herzliche Grüße, Kubi
@@guentherkubiza Das freut mich sehr, dass dir meine Arbeiten und Interviews gefallen! Liebe Grüße, Markus
Very interesting video,... nice job. Can you estimate the total time it took you to shoot the portrait, including the preparation of the plate, the planning and setup of the equipment and the development?
alpha beta thanks a lot! I needed about four hours for two plates.Small maintenance of the chemicals is also done at the same day. Background and strobe setup I did a day before.
Creating the chemicals for the collodion wet plate process is not included. But this anyway is done only if needed. Silver nitrate needs bigger maintenance twice a year. I’m thinking of doing some videos about that too.
Portraits on smaller plates take about an hour. The big camera with this lens needs a lot of love.
Muito bom!! Parabéns pelo trabalho..
Thank you so much!!