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Dallmeyer (J.H.) Long Focus

The J.H. Dallmeyer Long Focus is a British-made wood-and-brass field camera from the firm founded in London by John Henry Dallmeyer, a maker active in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a large-format plate camera built around an extended bellows draw to accommodate longer focal-length lenses, of the type used by professional and serious amateur photographers of the period.

With only two recorded UK auction results to draw on — £115 in 1999 and £211 in 2002 — hammer prices for a Dallmeyer Long Focus at saleroom level have historically sat in the £120–£210 bracket, though this is wholesale auction data and excludes commission. Today in 2026 the value of any individual example is highly condition-sensitive, with bellows integrity, completeness of the original lens and brass fittings, and woodwork condition the main factors determining what one sells for. Buyers searching for what a Dallmeyer Long Focus is worth should treat the historic range as indicative only, given how thin the comparable sales record is.

Sales History

Prices shown are UK auction hammer results — the wholesale level achieved in the saleroom. Neither buyer’s nor seller’s commission is included. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher.

Date Price Source
Dec 2002 £211 Christie's
Jul 1999 £115 Christie's