Difference between revisions of "Beck"
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{{British companies}} | {{British companies}} | ||
'''R & J Beck''' was a renowned British optical company based in London.<ref>In 1867-80, 31 Cornhill; in 1881-1900, 68 Cornhill. Factory at Lister Works, Kentish Town, Holloway.</ref> It was founded in 1843 by the nephews of J.J. Lister, Richard Beck (1827-1866) and Joseph Beck (1828-1891) who were in partnership with a famous instrument maker, James Smith (d. 1870): the firm started as ''Smith and Beck''. In 1854 the company was renamed to ''Smith, Beck and Beck''. After Smith's retirement in 1865 the company became ''R & J Beck''. It produced a wide range of optical products: microscopes, telescopes, trench periscopes for army officers in the First World War, eye test glasses for opticians (optometer lenses), other optical equipment, and camera lenses and even some cameras. | '''R & J Beck''' was a renowned British optical company based in London.<ref>In 1867-80, 31 Cornhill; in 1881-1900, 68 Cornhill. Factory at Lister Works, Kentish Town, Holloway.</ref> It was founded in 1843 by the nephews of J.J. Lister, Richard Beck (1827-1866) and Joseph Beck (1828-1891) who were in partnership with a famous instrument maker, James Smith (d. 1870): the firm started as ''Smith and Beck''. In 1854 the company was renamed to ''Smith, Beck and Beck''. After Smith's retirement in 1865 the company became ''R & J Beck''. It produced a wide range of optical products: microscopes, telescopes, trench periscopes for army officers in the First World War, eye test glasses for opticians (optometer lenses), other optical equipment, and camera lenses and even some cameras. | ||
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+ | A Beck Symmetrical is quite a commonly-seen lens on British folding cameras. Some cameras of the [[Ensign]] brand have lenses branded as "Beck Ensign". [[Thornton-Pickard]] had lenses marked "Thornton Pickard - Beck Symmetrical Lens". T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935; 'Lawrence of Arabia') used a plate camera made by Beck.<ref>[http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/cameras/index.htm?lawrence T. E. Lawrence and his Cameras] at the [http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford]</ref> | ||
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Revision as of 05:37, 28 August 2015
British companies | ||
Adams & Co. | Agilux | Aldis | APeM | Aptus | Artima | Barnet Ensign | Beard | Beck | Benetfink | Billcliff | Boots | British Ferrotype | Butcher | Chapman | Cooke | Corfield | Coronet | Dallmeyer | Dekko | De Vere | Dixons | Dollond | Elliott | Gandolfi | Gnome | Griffiths | G. Hare | Houghtons | Houghton-Butcher | Hunter | Ilford | Jackson | Johnson | Kentmere | Kershaw-Soho | Kodak Ltd. | Lancaster | Lejeune and Perken | Lizars | London & Paris Optic & Clock Company | Marion | Marlow | Meagher | MPP | Neville | Newman & Guardia | Pearson and Denham | Perken, Son and Company | Perken, Son & Rayment | Photopia | Purma | Reid & Sigrist | Reynolds and Branson | Ross | Ross Ensign | Sanderson | Sands & Hunter | Shackman | Shew | Soho | Standard Cameras Ltd | Taylor-Hobson | Thornton-Pickard | Underwood | United | Watkins | Watson | Wynne's Infallible | Wray |
R & J Beck was a renowned British optical company based in London.[1] It was founded in 1843 by the nephews of J.J. Lister, Richard Beck (1827-1866) and Joseph Beck (1828-1891) who were in partnership with a famous instrument maker, James Smith (d. 1870): the firm started as Smith and Beck. In 1854 the company was renamed to Smith, Beck and Beck. After Smith's retirement in 1865 the company became R & J Beck. It produced a wide range of optical products: microscopes, telescopes, trench periscopes for army officers in the First World War, eye test glasses for opticians (optometer lenses), other optical equipment, and camera lenses and even some cameras.
image by Geoff Harrisson (Image rights) |
A Beck Symmetrical is quite a commonly-seen lens on British folding cameras. Some cameras of the Ensign brand have lenses branded as "Beck Ensign". Thornton-Pickard had lenses marked "Thornton Pickard - Beck Symmetrical Lens". T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935; 'Lawrence of Arabia') used a plate camera made by Beck.[2]
Cameras
- Dai Cornex (1905)
- Folding camera for 123 rollfilm 4 x 5 inches. Fitted with a Beck-Steinheil Orthostigmat lens, Series I and a Bausch and Lomb Unicum shutter [3]
- Frena (1894)
- Hill Sky Camera (1924)
Beck Microstigmar macro lenses, date unknown image by Richard Kaye (Image rights) |
Lenses
- Asymmetrical[4]
- Autograph Wide Angle Lens (100°) (~1888)[5]
- Beck-Steinheil Orthostigmat
- Biplanat
- N° 2, 5"
- N° 3, 6"
- N° 5, 9" f/5.6-f/45
- N° 6, 11"[8]
- Convertible Double Apeanat 9" f/7.7[9]
Beck Ensign Anastigmat Series VIIn nº 0 image by Skink74 (Image rights) |
- Enlarging Anastigmat 2 1/4in f/4.5[10]
- Ensign Anastigmat Series VIIn nº 0
- Isostigmar
- Microstigmar
- Multiflex Lens f/8[13]
- Neostigmar Series IIIn No.3 5" [14]
- Rapid Rectilinear 11 inch f/8 (~1910)[15]
- Symmetrical Lens
Guided Weapons Lenses
R&J Beck designed G.W. Type 2 Mk.3 lens image by Dirk HR Spennemann (Image rights) |
The following lenses have been documented[18]
- GW Type 2 Mk 2 (on a Dekko GW 1 Mk1A)[19]
- GW Type 2 Mk 3 (on a Dekko GW 1 Mk1A [20] and a Beck GW 2)[21]
- GW Type 3 Mk 2 (on a Dekko GW 1 Mk1C)[22]
Links
- Spennemann, Dirk HR (2015) History, Description and Technical Details of the GW Target Aircraft Cameras designed for testing the performance of guided weapons during the Cold War era. CAMERA | TOPIA (Albury, NSW). 34pp, ISBN 978 1 921220 17 3; DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.3864.9449
• Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (2015) Photographic Walk-Around of the Target Aircraft Camera Dekko GW2 Mk 2 Model 2. [CAMERA | TOPIA] (Albury, NSW). 6 pp.
- R & J Beck NMSI - People
Notes
- ↑ In 1867-80, 31 Cornhill; in 1881-1900, 68 Cornhill. Factory at Lister Works, Kentish Town, Holloway.
- ↑ T. E. Lawrence and his Cameras at the Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford
- ↑ NMSI - Objects Cornex rollfilm camera
- ↑ See this image set
- ↑ Beck's Wide Angle "Autograph" Lens at Antique Wood Cameras
- ↑ NMSI - Objects Cornex rollfilm camera
- ↑ NMSI - Objects Beck-Steinheil Orthostigmat lens
- ↑ NMSI - Objects Biplanat N° 6
- ↑ Online auction Dec 2011
- ↑ Online auction Dec 2011
- ↑ NMSI - Objects Folding bellows hand camera
- ↑ British half plate camera , with Isostigmar 7.2" f/7.7 sn. #19042 Online auction Dec 2011
- ↑ NMSI - Objects Multiflex Lens
- ↑ NMSI - Objects Neostigmar Series
- ↑ NMSI - Objects Rapid rectilinear lens
- ↑ NMSI - Objects Symmetrical Lens
- ↑ Beck Symmetrical 12 Inch F8 from Markus Glück on Flickr
- ↑ Spennemann, Dirk HR (2015) History, Description and Technical Details of the GW Target Aircraft Cameras designed for testing the performance of guided weapons during the Cold War era. CAMERA | TOPIA (Albury, NSW). 34pp, ISBN 978 1 921220 17 3; DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.3864.9449
- ↑ Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (2015). Photographic Walk-Around of the Target Aircraft Camera Dekko GW1 Mk 1A. [CAMERA | TOPIA] (Albury NSW). 6 pp
- ↑ Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (2015). Photographic Walk-Around of the Target Aircraft Camera Dekko GW1 Mk 1A. [CAMERA | TOPIA] (Albury NSW). 6 pp
- ↑ Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (2015) Photographic Walk-Around of the Target Aircraft Camera Dekko GW2 Mk 2 Model 2. [CAMERA | TOPIA] (Albury, NSW). 6 pp.
- ↑ Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (2015). Photographic Walk-Around of the Target Aircraft Camera Dekko GW1 Mk 1C [CAMERA | TOPIA] (Albury NSW). 8 pp.