Kershaw Projection Lenses

Like its close rival Ross, the Kershaw brand dates to the latter half of the 19th Century, and was therefore among the first generation of makers to design lenses for projection. The story of A. Kershaw & Sons is briefly recapped in this article, explaining its intertwining with the Gaumont and Kalee brands en-route to temporary digestion by the Rank combine, followed by its expulsion and demise. All ‘Gaumont-Kalee’ branded projection lenses were made by Kershaw in Leeds during the Rank period (1947-1958).

In the minds of many photographers and enthusiasts the history of camera optics is dominated by German and Japanese makers – at least the mid-century ‘glory days’ within reach of living memory that seem more appealing that the post-1980s reality of American and Chinese dominance. But before either period, and viewed by many as the real golden age, fin-de-siecle Britain and France, in the waning years of Empire, had industries and engines of optical innovation at least equal to Germany.

Sadly, one A. Kershaw’s core specialisms – the production of cine and cine projection lenses – placed it in direct competition with Schneider, Bausch & Lomb and Taylor Hobson, which inevitably doomed its efforts to that of ‘also-ran’. Few of their lenses command high valuations: they are currently cheap and plentiful on the used market. Some of their product ranges track the offerings of Ross so closely, you might wonder whether they were the result of pooled production. We leave this question for another article: here we identify and differentiate the lenses themselves and provide a chronological outline tied to serial numbers.

In 1933 it was recorded that 76% of cinemas in the UK were equipped with Kalee 35mm projection systems. That year saw the launch of their first Kalee N.P.3. 16mm projector by the company’s Soho Ltd subsidiary. However the glass didn’t come from Leeds: the N.P.3 was initally fitted with a Dallmeyer Superlite 2″ lens.

Series A

Lens Designation	Aperture	Elements	Production	Notes
4 inch				3881
5¼ inch				4754
6 inch				5007

Series B

Lens Designation	Aperture	Elements	Production	Notes
6 inch				11997 12064

Series C (35mm?)

Lens Designation	mm	Elements	Production	Notes
Super Projection 4 inch
Super Projection 4¼ inch
Super Projection 4½ inch	102mm			40768
Super Projection 4¾ inch ‘Kalee’ 4¾ inch	120mm			40697 40133
Super Projection 5 inch
Super Projection 5¼ inch
Super Projection 5½ inch
Super Projection 5¾ inch
Super Projection 6 inch	152mm			41323
Super Projection 6¼ inch
Super Projection 6½ inch
Super Projection 6¾ inch	171mm			40808

Series H

Lens Designation	Aperture	Elements	Production	Notes

Series K

Lens Designation	Aperture	Elements	Production	Notes
4½ inch				1613

Series S

Lens Designation	Aperture	Elements	Production	Notes
s

Series T

Lens Designation	Aperture	Elements	Production	Notes
s

Shooting with Kershaw Projection Lenses

TBA