Taylor, Taylor, & Hobson Ortal · 127mm f/2.8

{"overview":"The Taylor, Taylor & Hobson 5 Inch f\/2.8 (T3.1) Ortal 127mm is a British-made television broadcast lens, a fixed-focal-length optic rated with both an aperture (f\/2.8) and a transmission stop (T3.1) as was standard practice for cine and TV glass. Built by the Leicester maker better known to collectors as Cooke, the Ortal series was designed for mid-century studio and outside-broadcast cameras rather than still photography.","market_narrative":"At recent UK auction, hammer prices for this Ortal have sat in a wide band: four copies sold together in late 2025 at £100 each, a single example reached £190 in January 2026, while back in 2019 three lenses from the same sale fetched £624 to £720. That gives a long-run range of £100 to £720 and a recent median of around £100, so today a clean standalone example typically sells for the lower end of that spread at saleroom level, with the older cluster showing what buoyant demand and better provenance can do to the value. Buyers tracking what a 127mm Ortal is worth should note that condition and presentation drive as much of the price as the optics themselves.","buying_guide":"Inspect the front and rear elements for fungus, haze and cleaning marks, as these early coatings scratch easily and internal haze is common on lenses of this vintage. Work the iris through its full range to check for oil on the aperture blades and sticky or stiff movement, and rotate the focus mount end-to-end feeling for grinding or dry grease. Look for signs of element separation (edge discoloration or rainbow fringing between cemented groups) and confirm the mount flange is true, since these were fitted to a range of broadcast camera systems and adaptation affects usability.","specs":"Key specifications: a 5 inch (127mm) focal length, maximum aperture of f\/2.8 with a T-stop of T3.1, branded as an Ortal in Taylor, Taylor & Hobson's TV line.","faq":[{"q":"What is a Taylor, Taylor & Hobson 5 Inch f\/2.8 Ortal 127mm TV lens worth today?","a":"Recent UK auction hammer prices have clustered around £100, with a stronger example reaching £190 in January 2026, so a clean copy is typically worth £100 to £190 at saleroom level."},{"q":"How much does a 127mm Ortal sell for at auction?","a":"Across the logged sales the price range runs from £100 to £720, with four lenses in a November 2025 sale all hammering at £100 and three 2019 examples fetching £624 to £720."},{"q":"Why is this lens marked both f\/2.8 and T3.1?","a":"The f\/2.8 figure is the geometric aperture while T3.1 is the measured light transmission, a dual marking standard on TV and cine lenses so operators can set accurate exposure regardless of element count or coating losses."},{"q":"Is the Ortal usable on modern cameras?","a":"It was designed for period broadcast cameras rather than a stills mount, so usability on modern bodies depends entirely on whether an adapter exists for the specific flange on your copy; this should be confirmed before bidding."}],"confidence":45,"reasoning":"SPECS are empty and no variants or facts were supplied, so the description leans on the model name and the eight sales records; confidence is capped at the rule-8 threshold."}