Onions....let them grow

[Jon Wilson]

Here a few shots taken with my V8 with 4x5 Polaroid ISO 100 film. I wanted to see what the lens could produce with my limited set up. The first one is taken with a Gundlach 7" Rapid Rectigraph which is made for 8x10. The second shot was taken with a 6 inch Gasc Charconnet imported by Geo. Bryant & Co. It is a nice little petzval which is estimated to be f5. The third shot was taken with a 24 inch Voightlander #5 lens with a f12 apperture slot. It is estimated it has a maximam aperture of f8.
The fourth shot was taken this evening of Tia & Terrick. I used an f8 apperture with a 19 inch Gasc Charconnet Petzval lens imported by Geo Bryant & Co.
I am trying to get a better "feel" of these lens so I can decide which I should keep and which should be passed on to others who will use them more. Let me know your thoughts etc. Thanks. Jon

[Scott Rosenberg]

jon, the small thumbnails look lovely, and it might just be the screen on my laptop, but when i click to the full-sized images, there's a lot of banding - at least i think that's the technical term. whatever the proper descriptor, the gradients from light to dark are not very smooth.

it's hard for me to asses the qualities of the lenses on the images as they display on my screen... i wonder if anyonw else is seeing that, too??

[Jon Wilson]

Here is another shot which was taken with a no-name lens which more than likely is a
f5 Vesta Convertible portrait lens. This shot was taken with the rear cell removed and I estimate this lens to be a 9 inch lens, but using the front lens as a convertible, it makes it approximately 14". First shot with this lens, I need to get the studio shutter working. What do you think? Jon

[Scott Rosenberg]

must be my screen... i just went and refreshed my view and now they look fine.

odd...

[Scott Davis]

I'm not fond of the Vesta converted. I have the Whole Plate version of that lens, and I shoot it in standard configuration. I think it's about a 12-14" FL in that size. I've been mostly shooting it between f8-f11, and the transitions from sharp to soft are gorgeous- very shallow depth of field, and the smooth areas have this beautiful dreamy blur to them. That onion of yours looks like it lacks sharpness across the entire image. If you can, try shooting the lens in the unconverted configuration and see how you like it. Of the other three onion shots, I like the Voigtlander the best.

[Matus Kalisky]

nice but much too overcompressed JPGs in your photo software.

[Matus Kalisky]

nice but much too overcompressed JPGs in your photo software.

I apologize - the compression is probably applied by the server to spare the space - I wanted to upload one photo here and then decided not to do it as the compression gets too visible. Better to put it somewhere on your web space.

[Michael Jones]

Jon:

I vote for #2: the 6 inch Gasc Charconnet imported by Geo. Bryant & Co.

Mike

[Jim Noel]

I would keep them all. If that is not a choice, keep number 2 and sell the rest to me.

[Jon Wilson]

I certainly appreciate all your comments. I do agree that the polaroid shots are too compressed and the actual pictures are a lot nicer. I hope to be listing the Gundlach 7 inch and 24" Voigtlander in the next week or so. They are nice lens, but duplicate other lens I use more. I probably will be selling the 6 inch Gasc Charconnet imported by Geo. Bryant & Co petzval, but I wish to try it out more. I want to try it with 5x7 and possibly 8x10 film. The 19" Geo. Bryant Petzval is a keeper. It will make some nice 8x10 or 11x14 portraits.

The unmarked Vesta eventually will be listed, but the studio shutter and the appeture do not work properly. I do not have an extra flange for it, but a betax #4 flange will work. I will probably be sending this lens to Carol for her special treatment....unless someone makes me an offer I can't refuse and saves me the time and $s to have it repaired.

Jon