Soft Focus. Spencer Portland ~ Gundlach Hyperion Compared

[Jim Galli]

PortLand 2

Quickie comparison. Only 5 images so far. Click on the picture.

http://tonopahpictures.0catch.com/20..._Hyperion.html

Next time I'll scrub the bugs off the chrome first.

[Colin D]

The chrome on the Portland images looks as smooth as butter and it gives a rich lustre, not hard to see why you love it Jim.

[Louis Pacilla]

Nice shots brother Jim but you really don't do the Hyperion justice not being shot in the same light so no comparison here but you said that already. However given that your the "diffused lens guru" this could lead to bad internet information.

BTW-Hey Pal we all have " serious regrets" for selling for less then the today's value or more to the point for selling at all. How about that near mint 12" Struss . Right? Talk about serious regrets. I would LOVE to have that fish back in my basket.

[Jim Galli]

Louis, right on both counts. mea culpa.

I'll get the 12" Hyperion and try again. But hey, if prices went down on Hyperion's because of my rotten pictures, that might be a good thing! Hyperion's are almost as uncommon as Struss'

BTW, the Hyperion is a takeoff on Nicola Perscheid's modified Aplanat formula, but a most interesting variation. It's the only one of it's type that had non symmetrical groups. So it's a triple convertible soft focus lens.

Yeah, they suck.

But the PortLand is just a common achromatic meniscus. Also sucks.

[Hugo Zhang]

Jim,

I wish you had posted this tomorrow. I know what I mean.

[jp]

The headlight chrome looks pretty good on the Hyperion image 1. Don't judge only the radiator cap and ford badge.

[massimodec]

Very nice you did that Jim !
For me I think the Hyperion could render a more "creamy" volume on chromes... or on luminous parts.
While the PortLand could be some diffusing... could it be similar to Imagon ? (a timid guess...)

[Mark Sawyer]

I love these lens comparisons! Learn a little something about lenses while looking at some lovely images... Thanks, Jim!

While the PortLand could be some diffusing... could it be similar to Imagon ? (a timid guess...)

There are quite a few soft focus meniscus lenses, from uncorked French Landscape Lenses of the 1830's through the 1880's, to a whole generation of Pictorialist-age lenses like the Cooke RPV, Struss, Port-Land, P&S Single Achromats, Plasticca's, the early Imagons, and many more. Then came the later re-designed and coated Imagon's and the Kodak Portrait Lenses.

I suppose they all are similar, but they also have their own signatures, sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious...

[Amedeus]

Thanks for sharing Jim ... I love my Portlands and Hyperions ... Different designs, different signatures like you and others have suggested and shown.

The Portland is a very easy lens to take on the road though ...

[Smith469]

Nice Portlands and Hyperions ...Attractive designs