Edward Weston's lens?

[dsphotog]

What lens (it looks massive) is on his camera in the 1928 portrait of Edward by Tina Modetti?

[William Whitaker]

If you're referring to this image (http://i12bent.tumblr.com/image/4070213988), it's a Graf Anastigmat.

[dsphotog]

Thanks Will.... That's the one !

[blueribbontea]

And according to his Daybooks, it gave him a lot of flare trouble, so he found a Rapid Rectillinear in a Mexican shop that he used instead.

[Wayne]

No matter what lens you get, it will always be smaller than Edward's.

[paulr]

In that portrait he looks more than a little like Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein.

http://www.movieactors.com/freezeframes5/youngfrank6.jpeg

[Andrew O'Neill]

paulr, I think you're right!

[paulr]

Ha!

[Kevin Crisp]

My father's contact prints were doo doo!

[William Whitaker]

16"-18" Graf Anastigmat on an 8x10 Ansco camera. That's a 7 1/2" lensboard for scale. Lens looks almost like a locomotive headlight. Reinhold Schable did a wonderful job making me a front-mount adapter for a large (5" aperture) Packard shutter. He provided the second pair of photos (the sharp ones, not taken with an iPhone.)

This lens is a sharp 18" ƒ/3.8 anastigmat. Unscrewing the soft focus adjustment fully to the stop turns it into a soft-focus 16" FL ƒ/4.5 lens. Cameraeccentric has a brochure on the operation of the Graf (http://cameraeccentric.com/html/info/graf_1.html).

http://wfwhitaker.com/tech/ansco_graf_1.jpg

http://wfwhitaker.com./tech/ansco_graf_2.jpg

http://wfwhitaker.com/tech/Graf_Packard_1.jpg

http://wfwhitaker.com/tech/Graf_Packard_2.jpg

[Louis Pacilla]

"This lens is a sharp 18" ƒ/3.8 anastigmat. Unscrewing the soft focus adjustment fully to the stop turns it into a soft-focus 16" FL ƒ/4.5 lens. Cameraeccentric has a brochure on the operation of the Graf."

Hey Will I think you have it backwards On FL 16 " f3.8 sharp and 18" f4.5 when soft. I just sold my series A 16-18 and I also have the Series A 18-20.5 so this is the way they go shorter is sharp longer is soft.

[William Whitaker]

Wouldn't surprise me if I did have it backwards. I was referring to the Graf booklet I linked, but did not read it correctly. So, yes, it's 18" f/4.5 at the soft setting wide open and 16" f/3.8 at the sharp setting.

Thanks for setting me straight. ~W

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Yep, I have one of those as well! Great lens and the front Packard is the way to go!

[Will Frostmill]

Phenomenal! What kind of shutter speed do you get on a Packard that big?

Will

[Jim Fitzgerald]

BTW, thanks Louis for the beautiful Graf Variable 16-18. Getting my head around this amazing lens. Big Packards? 1/25 or so and develop by inspection and you are there!

[Steven Tribe]

Jim, thanks for introducing the correct name, Graf Variable - the graf anastigmatic has the same basic structure without the front cell movements.


I am not worried about stability as I have tailboard field cameras, but shutter choice is still an issue!

[William Whitaker]

Sorry I was misleading. It was all there in the link.

[bigdog]

No matter what lens you get, it will always be smaller than Edward's.

:D