Soft Focus Lens With Shutter for Zone VI 4x5

[Jac@stafford.net]

I am familiar with your excellent photography and look forward to your future soft-focus work. About shutters - so many old shutters are terribly inaccurate that I try to find one shutter speed that is consistent in each shutter and stick with it. Packard shutters in 'I' mode are consistent enough, but indeed they do seem klunky.

Late model Imagons have decent-to-very good shutters. We recently had a long thread about Imagons and I think there was fair consensus that the 200mm is adequate for 4x5 and by your work it seems you will be working with enough bellows extension to make it work. Maybe we can review that possibility.

[Kate Miller-Wilson]

What a great illustration of the lens differences - thank you, Peter!

I am not planning on printing, although I might at some point. I really love the look of the Buhl projector lens, but that probably isn't in a shutter, is it?

That's interesting that the photographers I listed may have been using fast, uncoated lenses and not soft focus lenses. Maybe that is more what I am after....

Thank you so much for your help!

[tgtaylor]

Oh, that's beautiful work, Thomas! I especially like the character of the Imagon in the second one. Did you use that with diffusion discs or without?

Yes Kate - it was shot with the small disk fully open. The Veritar will produce soft images similar to the Pentax and both are focused in the same way.

Thomas

[Kate Miller-Wilson]

Jac, thank you! It's a big leap for me, but I love how challenge can be creatively energizing. I expect to fail a whole lot for a while.

That's what I'm worried about with the shutters. I love the look of some of these old lenses, but I need something fairly reliable for a shutter while I learn. Plenty of time to make it hard on myself later once I have the basics. At the same time, I want to feel like I can really like the work I produce at first when I do have some success.

An Imagon could be really good, maybe! I think my bellows extension (which I only barely understand) is 18 inches on a 22-inch bellows. Would a 200mm Imagon cover me if I wanted to do some tilts? Or would I be better off with a 250mm? Can I even use a 250mm? Obviously, I know only enough to be dangerous at this point.

Thank you so much for your help!

[Kate Miller-Wilson]

Yes Kate - it was shot with the small disk fully open. The Veritar will produce soft images similar to the Pentax and both are focused in the same way.

Thomas

Thomas, thank you! That's very helpful!

[Kate Miller-Wilson]

Peter, I really like that Veritar too! That might be a really good choice. Thank you for the amazing illustration of the different options!

[Peter De Smidt]

Kate, let me know if you'd like to try out some of the options. I like visiting the twin cities, but I haven't been there in awhile. I'd be up for a trip later this spring.

Another thing to consider is that these old prints were likely contact prints. Enlarging the negatives would produce a softer, possibly too soft, effect. Enlargement size has a big effect on soft focus lenses. A pleasing blend of sharp/soft with an 8x10 print could be mush with a 16x20 print.

There are a number of options for shutters. First, get a modern lens in a modern shutter in good condition. Second, get an older lens in an old shutter but plan on in it getting a CLA. Third, get a big shutter, such as a Copal three. Mount barrel lenses, such as a Buhl projector lens, on the front. There are other options, although they might not be practical with your camera.

Check out: http://re-inventedphotoequip.com/Home.html

[Kate Miller-Wilson]

Peter, that's really nice! Thank you! I actually spent 5 years of my growing up living in an octagon house in Ripon, WI - very near Fond du Lac. Such a pretty area. I drive through there from time to time also, so I could meet you somewhere too if I haven't decided yet.

[Dan Fromm]

See http://www.galerie-photo.com/soft-fo...rait-flou.html for many example shots.

This site has resources. There's a section on soft-focus lenses in the FAQs on the mail page. In addition, the first link in this https://www.largeformatphotography.i...mainly)-lenses discussion has a link to a collection of links that some find interesting. It has a soft focus lenses section with links to pages, including the one I posted above, that you might want to visit.

[Kiwi7475]

Wow Dan, very useful links, thanks!
And a good opportunity to brush up my French :-)