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Thread: Soft focus lenses

  1. #1

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    Soft focus lenses

    With the arrival of winter, the weather is restricting me somewhat from photographing my usual subject matter. So I'm starting a series of still-lifes (still-lives?) in my living room instead. For this project, I think I would like some soft, diffused effects. I've made a few negatives with my 180mm lens wide open, but I'm interested in what the images might look like with a soft focus lens, as well. Does anybody out there have any links to images shot with modern soft focus designs? Or do you have any images you could post here or even email to me? In particular, I know that Fuji still makes a couple of these lenses, so if anyone has any information or examples of pictures from these lenses, that would be most helpful. Thanks a lot.

    Mike

  2. #2
    Jon Shiu's Avatar
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    Soft focus lenses

    Was wondering what would happen if you take the front lens element off and just shoot with the back one?
    my black and white photos of the Mendocino Coast: jonshiu.zenfolio.com

  3. #3

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    Soft focus lenses

    Cooke has a new soft focus lens.It isconsidered a little pricey but if you want to see an article about it go to

    www.viewcamera.com and then to the Free Articles section.

    steve simmons

  4. #4

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    Soft focus lenses

    From the vast sums of money I've spent on equipment over the years I cannot really be called cheap. But; Vaseline smeared on the cheapest off-brand UV filter you can find works. So does white nylon, black nylon, window screen and anything else you can think of. Given that, why spend $2,900. on a Cooke lens? Or for that matter the rather high asking prices for the older soft lenses going on e-bay now?

    If you could find an old Kodak or Wollensak portrait lens going for what they are really worth I could understand. The price on these lenses have skyrocketed since Cooke came out with their lens.

    There, now you can call me cheap.

  5. #5
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    Soft focus lenses

    Hi Mike,

    I use Tiffen Soft-FX filters and the results are excellent. Unfortunately, I do not own a scanner, so I cannot send any images your way. Tiffen makes this type of filter in five strengths. From mildly soft, to extremely soft. Some sizes and strengths are also available with warming for color film. They are relatively inexpensive. IMHO, they work better than most other diffusing filters or methods of softening images.

  6. #6
    Resident Heretic Bruce Watson's Avatar
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    Soft focus lenses

    Jim,

    I'm sure that I can't explain it, but from what I've seen, the Cooke lens offers something I've not seen with other techniques. That is, the image is still sharply focused, but somehow rounded and smoothed. I don't know what it is or how it's done, but it looks distinctly different than a diffusion filter of some sort. And that would be why people pay the money I suppose.

    Bruce Watson

  7. #7

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    Soft focus lenses

    The simple explanation for the function of most soft-focus lenses is that they are built with intentional spherical aberration. This means that the focal length effectively varies as a function of position from the center of the lens outward to the edge.

    When the lens is focused, the center region of the lens forms an image that is sharp over the whole field of coverage; depth-of-field plays the same role that it usually does, depending on f/stop, distance, and so on. But any region that is away from the center of the lens also forms an image that covers the whole field, just defocused to some degree because the lens/film distance is set by the focal length of the lens center.

    The actual exposure can be though of as the addition of an infinite number of images, all (except for one!) defocused to an extent that depends on where the light passed through the lens. Stopping down the lens eliminates the contributions from outer areas of the lens, and lets a true soft-focus design (an Imagon, Veritar, or , probably, Cooke) function as a "normal" (if slow) lens. This is why the odd-looking aperture rings with the arrays of holes are used with the Imagon: the same exposure can be made with most of the light coming through the center, or with some of the center contribution replaced by light admitted by the peripheral holes. The more light that comes through the periphery, of course, the softer the image, which in all cases still has a fully sharp component as well.

    Diffusing the image by means of gauze, grease, or a scratched filter does not create quite the same effect, probably because of parallax: with a sof-focus lens, the light that formed the sharpest "base" image is on-axis, while the light that is most defocused passed through the lens some distance from the center and represents a slightly different viewpoint and perspective.

    With respect to the original subject of this thread: soft-focus lenses can indeed make lovely still-lifes, just as they can make very appealing portraits. You should expect something of a learning curve, since they require adjustments in composition technique, focusing and processing, but in my opinion at least it is worth the effort.

  8. #8
    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    Soft focus lenses

    Good soft focus lenses are unlike diffusion screens, vaseline, and the like. The closest thing that I've seen in a lens attachment that resembles a real soft focus lens is a Softar #1.

    Modern alternatives would be the Imagon, Cooke, and there was a Fujinon SF lens recently in production, but why limit yourself to modern alternatives? Each soft focus lens has its own distinctive look, and there are many more older ones than new ones. For the price of the Cooke, I'd take a 14-1/2 inch Verito and an 8x10" camera and still have plenty of cash left over for film.

  9. #9

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    Soft focus lenses

    Hogarth,
    I am happy to accept the fact that the Cooke gives the most wonderful soft image in the world. If someone has a deep base of portrait or fine art still-life customers and have the write off, they should own one.

    I do see a number of lens snobs of this forum that believe that only a Super Cosmic XLCH is able to make a sharp photograph. They have this Leica mindset that if you don't own the latest cutting edge lens you are a second class citizen and low rent photographer.

    I would never claim to be a great or even a good photographer. But I will show you my prints. The guys with $10,000. of lenses in their bag only show their lenses.

  10. #10
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    Soft focus lenses

    David,

    If you like the results that the Heliopan Zeiss Softar #1 gives, you would love the Tiffen Soft FX series of softening filters. Not only is their effect very similar to the Softars, but they are available in a wider range of softening effects, and they sell for a fraction of the cost of the Heliopans.

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