R. Morrison lens

[SergeiR]

So.. Preface: I got old 8x10 studio camera for parts/restoration/hacking.
It came with wee petzval, attached to one of them 9x9 lens boards, which looked really funny, but hey. Who am i to question?
I looked around forum and internet in general and looks like R.Morrison was tech who went off to make his own line of labeled landscape lenses.
It measured around 18-20inches focal, and about f8 open. So i figured - yes, that sounds right (in old days it was recommended to shoot landscapes with longest lens you got, unlike today, when we are all after super-wides for those).

Anyhow, i remounted it on 6x6 board i had laying around.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8564/16258100125_7df7353ac6_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qLF1K8)R Morrison Lens (https://flic.kr/p/qLF1K8) by Sergei Rodionov (https://www.flickr.com/people/24930737@N05/), on Flickr

Doesn't give much of swirl on 8x10 (none in fact), which is spiffy for landscape. Has interesting very slight aberrations (even when in focus, still see some surrounding hazing in fine details like far away branches) or may be its just my eyes, that do give up.

So today i decided to test it at last, as it a bit nippy in Dallas to go and shoot landscapes with collodion :(

So here it is on film.

[SergeiR]

2 LED flashlights as light source just to make it fun.


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7569/16071736579_037d7365f7_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qucRmx)Pipe (https://flic.kr/p/qucRmx) by Sergei Rodionov (https://www.flickr.com/people/24930737@N05/), on Flickr

[SergeiR]

and wee painting with light

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8668/16070509788_9aed4c7ce4_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qu6yEY)Italian bottle (https://flic.kr/p/qu6yEY) by Sergei Rodionov (https://www.flickr.com/people/24930737@N05/), on Flickr

It looks like perfect companion to X-ray film that i normally shoot b/c it balances out contrast just the way i like it

[SergeiR]

and third (seeing as i shoot in series of 3, as this is how i process film)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7507/16070510018_e85526b7b8_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qu6yJW)Eggshells (https://flic.kr/p/qu6yJW) by Sergei Rodionov (https://www.flickr.com/people/24930737@N05/), on Flickr

[SergeiR]

And of course some transion peeping crop between "focus to out of focus". Painterly aberrations, as you would expect them with X-ray playing with painterly aberrations of lens.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7583/16070850640_30d5d9b84b_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qu8iZJ)Scan-150111-0001sss (https://flic.kr/p/qu8iZJ) by Sergei Rodionov (https://www.flickr.com/people/24930737@N05/), on Flickr

Overall looks like fun find. I originally thought i'd sell it right away or give up. Now i am holding onto it :P At least till i had my fun with it.

Now i am dying to try it for portrait :)

[goamules]

I'm a big fan of his lenses, I have about 5 of them! Great lighting, you really make any lens shine. No pun intended!

[SergeiR]

I'm a big fan of his lenses, I have about 5 of them! Great lighting, you really make any lens shine. No pun intended!

:) Thank you, Garrett. That is very kind of you to say. It was fun to play with 30$ worth of light again. I sometime forget how much fun could be had with simple devices like flashlights.

Which lenses you got? I am now curious if its worth scavenge for more of his lenses (bar wide angles... i think i have enough of brass wides for now :)) and would appreciate any examples.

[JeRuFo]

That's very interesting. I've been looking around lately for a not too heavy lens from that period, that would give landscape photos a bit of extra interest. I've been a bit fed up with the perfect rendering of modern lenses in b&w lately but am not looking to get too much swirls or get a true soft focus lens. So I'm interested to see what it can do in the open field.

[SergeiR]

That's very interesting. I've been looking around lately for a not too heavy lens from that period, that would give landscape photos a bit of extra interest. I've been a bit fed up with the perfect rendering of modern lenses in b&w lately but am not looking to get too much swirls or get a true soft focus lens. So I'm interested to see what it can do in the open field.

Oh wide ones in brass of non swirly kind are actually plentiful - i have 3-4 of those all around 150-160mm. They are a little bit less clinical in rendering than your usual modern Nikkors, Schneiders and such. Still sharp though. Getting long ones to work in field without much of them lateral aberrations (those ones that can be made with about any of petzval's front elements) is different task apparently :(

Anyway - hopefully this weekend i will take it (Morrison's) out for a spin in park, and will post results here ;) They promise warmer weather, so will it be film or collodion remains to be seen.