This was with an 11" I think, but could have been my 7 1/4", but they all give the same effect, the film size just determines the crop factor. They are the best. They do cover a surprisingly wide angle, much more than a standard Tessar or Planar. I swear my 7 1/4" will cover wholeplate, and I know my 9" does.
Garrett
flickr galleries
You haven't lived until you've shot a Verito! 9" on Wholeplate.
Garrett
flickr galleries
Nice!
Those photos are so lovely!
Originally Posted by mdarnton
These may be more torwards the way the lens was originally intended, as a detail obscurer
for portraiture, than as people use them today, for the glow and odd effects.The 14.5"
should cover 8x10 fine.
11.5" Verito, on 5x7 x-ray film:
Juli
by Michael Darnton, on Flickr
Annie
by Michael Darnton, on Flickr
Back when I had a small web site I had a page devoted to the Verito lens. From the comments I received, many people found it very helpful. At the time I took down the web site I thought that my Verito content was going to be imported into this web site. But the day of reckoning came and went and I've never been able to find my material here. I still have the original files and will post them here for the benefit of all. If the powers that be wish to incorporate this as part of the LF home page, I can be reached through the usual channels.
The text and photos are my work and I claim the copyright. It is posted here for your personal, non-commercial use. You may wish to bookmark this thread for future reference.
The original intent was to show the effect of stopping down on softness (diffusion) and overall image character. The images were all made on Polaroid Type 54 using an 8 3/4" Wollensak Verito. There are some corners missing on some of the images where the emulsion tore away. But the effect of the lens is still very evident.
Using a Wollensak 8 3/4" f/4 Verito
The Wollensak Verito is one of the classic soft focus lenses popular in the first half of the twentieth century. It is very soft wide open, but becomes noticeably sharper as it is stopped down. I thought it might be interesting to explore this property of the Verito.
The Verito here is an 8 3/4" f/4 which has been mounted in an Ilex Universal #4 shutter. For these photos the lens was mounted on a Wisner 4x5 Pocket Expedition camera, the focal length being nice for portraiture in that format. Lens to subject distance was about 36"; the subject is 12" tall. Images were made on Polaroid Type 54 film which provided convenient prints for scanning.
The subject is a model steam engine by Georges Carette which probably predates the lens by a bit. Georges Carette (who, by the way, was himself a photographer) formed the company which bore his name in 1886 in Nuremberg. Georges Carette et Cie manufactured some of the most elaborate toys of the day, including steam engines. With the outbreak of World War I, M. Carette was forced to return to France and his company closed.
The Verito at ƒ/4. Wide open in all its diffuse glory. (The missing image at the upper right corner is where the Polaroid emulsion tore away.)
f/8
The image is noticeably sharper.

f/11
Sharpness is just slightly more than at f/8. As expected, there is a little more depth of field.

f/16
A marginal increase in sharpness; just a little more depth of field. The stucco wall is beginning to show texture.

continued next post
f/32
The old lens looks pretty sharp at this aperture.
From these images it's apparent that the Verito's usefulness as a portrait lens is clearly in the f/4 to f/8 range which is where the greatest increase in sharpness occurs. Beyond that the increase in sharpness is very gradual. Throughout the range, however, the Verito seems to display a smoothness of tonality which I find attractive. (This is much more apparent in the original prints.).
All Veritos are convertible, the rear group providing a focus between 1 2/3 and twice the focal length of the combined elements. The speed is reduced correspondingly. More information can be found in the Wollensak catalogs of the day at Cameraeccentric.com.
Thanks for reposting; that series was useful to me then as well as now.
The shot was taken at f-4 ... wide open. The shiny appearance and blowout of the highlights were due to the very bright museum lights creating reflections and specular highlights. The film was Arista EDU 100 developed in HC-110 dilution B.
here are a couple of mine - not sure of the FL but the negative size was 13x18cm (5x7) - all full aperture..
The 14.5 inch Diffused Focus Verito with Studio shutter is a pretty large lens. .. I would like to mount it to my 8x10 Deardorff. flange takes up a good portion of the lensboard, and lens hangs right out there. Anyone using this lens/camera combination?
Steve
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