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Thread: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

  1. #11

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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Salomon View Post
    Yours has the letters DRP on it so that would mean that it was made during the Third Reich.
    Deutsches Reichspatent (s) have been granted since 1877. Are you sure DRP was only during Third Reich? My 1902 Heliar has a DRP number

  2. #12

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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Salomon View Post
    Each disk gives a certain degree of softness as does the selected opening of the surrounding holes in the disks. Since the proper way to use the Imagon is to not use the aperture blades in the shutter itself as they block off the peripheral Rays that create the Imagong effect a ND filter was included to help the shooter maintain the desired disk setting under more then one range of lighting strength. Not a gimmick at all. It was very needed as changing the lamp to subject distance also changes the character of the light. Remember, the Imagon is best used with strong lighting ratios and with elliptical reflectors rather then with umbrellas and soft boxes as you need strong spectacle highlights fog the Imagon effect.
    Thanks Bob, that a nice explanation and insight on its effective use.

  3. #13
    William Whitaker's Avatar
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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Salomon View Post
    ...the Imagon is best used with strong lighting ratios and with elliptical reflectors rather then with umbrellas and soft boxes as you need strong spectacle highlights for the Imagon effect.
    I would venture to add that quality of light is a critical element to the successful application of any soft-focus lens.

    Contratulations on your acquisition Bernice! I, too, look forward to seeing your results from the Imagon!

  4. #14

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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    Over the years of using soft focus lenses, few things learned.

    *Focusing is no where near as easy as one might believe. Often focus using high contrast difference between lines helps and focus at the lens aperture use to create the image.

    *"Hard" lighting or higher lighting ratios matter. Soft focus lenses do not reveal their personalities with soft diffused light well at all.

    *Film formats smaller than 5x7 is a significant dis-advantage. Ideally, the film negatives are contact printed from an 8x10 film negative. This has to be done or experienced to get an appreciation for the difference in print quality.


    The history of this 6 disc Jmagon is rather interesting, It was originally purchased in Paris France 35 years ago according to the original owner who is an artist-photographer in Paris. He never had a proper camera for it, but purchased it due to it's rarity and collect-ability, during the time he owned it, this Jmagon never made an image. Previous owner has reached a point in his life where doing art and photography has become a challenge. He was happy to learn this Jmagon ended up in a good home and will be used to make images again. He did not want this lens to end up with a collector that will place it in a trophy case never to make an image again. His rarest cameras and lenses ended up at the French Museum of Photography. One of his request was to see some images made with this six disc Jmagon.

    That will now change as I'm going to have a flange made for it soon and mounted on a Sinar lens board to be used with the Sinar & Sinar shutter on the Sinar 5x7. This Imagon joins the 250mm & 360mm Imagon completing the set for 5x7. At some point, I'll post some images made with this six disc Jmagon after the mechanical over head is done.


    This portrait has been posted else where. It was done with a 360mm Imagon, H7.7 Disc, 5x7 Sinar and Sinar shutter, hot lighting-no diffusion.





    Bernice






    Quote Originally Posted by Will Whitaker View Post
    I would venture to add that quality of light is a critical element to the successful application of any soft-focus lens.

    Contratulations on your acquisition Bernice! I, too, look forward to seeing your results from the Imagon!

  5. #15

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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    Zeiss "SOFTAR"s do very much the same thing optically.
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

  6. #16

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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    No...
    Been there done that. The results are simply NOT the same.

    I'll even state, soft focus filters as a group simply do not have the image quality true soft focus lenses can produce.


    Bernice


    Quote Originally Posted by Bill_1856 View Post
    Zeiss "SOFTAR"s do very much the same thing optically.

  7. #17

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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    Quote Originally Posted by Bernice Loui View Post
    *"Hard" lighting or higher lighting ratios matter. Soft focus lenses do not reveal their personalities with soft diffused light well at all.

    *Film formats smaller than 5x7 is a significant dis-advantage. Ideally, the film negatives are contact printed from an 8x10 film negative. This has to be done or experienced to get an appreciation for the difference in print quality.
    This is becoming more instructive for me the further the conversation goes. The second point in particular as I only have a 4x5 kit. Probably not the right thread for this but is it a game breaker not to have something bigger for soft focus? I'm just a bit time user of my 300mm Imagon, so I suppose I need to be realistic about the need to move to 5x7 or 8x10 from a cost perspective.

    Anyway the insights are still useful, as with the higher lighting point as well.

    Colin

  8. #18
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    Quote Originally Posted by Colin D View Post
    This is becoming more instructive for me the further the conversation goes. The second point in particular as I only have a 4x5 kit. Probably not the right thread for this but is it a game breaker not to have something bigger for soft focus? I'm just a bit time user of my 300mm Imagon, so I suppose I need to be realistic about the need to move to 5x7 or 8x10 from a cost perspective.
    It is good when we find an assertion such as Bernice has made because we have to make it to know it. Speculation is useless. I just GOTTA see for myself. That's the wonderful kind of thing that breaks the internet bull. ...and ironically, we cannot show our outcome on today's poor monitors.

    This is the kind of stuff that makes LF alive!
    .

  9. #19
    William Whitaker's Avatar
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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    Quote Originally Posted by Colin D View Post
    ...The second point in particular as I only have a 4x5 kit. Probably not the right thread for this but is it a game breaker not to have something bigger for soft focus? I'm just a bit time user of my 300mm Imagon, so I suppose I need to be realistic about the need to move to 5x7 or 8x10 from a cost perspective.
    ...
    Colin
    I would not dismiss 4x5 out of hand as a platform for exploring soft focus. That's what I started with when I first discovered the lure of the Wollensak Verito. 5x7 and 8x10 do offer advantages. For one, you'll find a much larger selection of soft focus lenses intended for the 8x10 format. And contact prints (if that is your workflow) are larger and easier to see. But 4x5 is definitely a viable platform/format for soft focus.

  10. #20

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    Re: 30cm H5.6 Jmagon

    Quote Originally Posted by Bernice Loui View Post
    No...
    Been there done that. The results are simply NOT the same.

    I'll even state, soft focus filters as a group simply do not have the image quality true soft focus lenses can produce.

    You appear to be confusing the SOFTAR with those cheaper filters which are essentially concentric optical rings. Indeed they are not exactly the same, but "close enough for government work."


    Bernice
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

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