Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 26

Thread: Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

  1. #11

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    Camille,

    Are you certain that Sally Mann's pictures of her children involved the use of a "bad" lens? The ones I've seen suggest the use of a modern lens at a relatively large stop to limit depth of field. I was under the impression that her "bad lens collection" had been reserved for her more recent soft-focus landscape work.

  2. #12
    tim atherton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 1998
    Posts
    3,697

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    Yes,

    I'm pretty sure the family series images were pretty much taken with more modern lenses.

    I understood the vintage lenses were being used in her more current landscape work

    Tim A
    You'd be amazed how small the demand is for pictures of trees... - Fred Astaire to Audrey Hepburn

    www.photo-muse.blogspot.com blog

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Posts
    2

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    Thank you all so much for your help and suggestions. Great responses.

    Chris, you had me so confused. But now I know what a Gibson is. Learn something new every day.

    James & Tim, I am pretty sure a lot of the images from Immediate Family are taken with older lenses. The way the images pull and vignette (Diana like) at the edges does not seem to be a trait of any newer lens. But I could be wrong.



    Thanks again to all the people who gave me specific lenses to try and look at.

    Camille.

    Sorry to anyone who tried to email my account. I didn't know Yahoo closed it a long time ago!

  4. #14

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    Camille,

    I think the images you were thinking of are from Motherland. In discussions about that series of images Sally Mann refers to seeking out old lens that have serious problems, such as fungus, scratches etc. She uses shallow depths of field in her shots. In some cases she has "baked" her lenses to promote edge separation. I would call any of the major used dealers to see if they have any junked lenses for sale.

    Good Luck,

  5. #15

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Posts
    6

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    If this link works.....

    http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/mann/clip2.html

  6. #16

    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Burnaby, BC
    Posts
    179

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    Try a Wollensak Verito. As for starting sharp and fuzing in the darkroom later, that is a preconception that is based on all that f64 bias. A soft focus lens will 1) have a range of in focus, not just an out of focus, 2) the light spreads in the opposite direction. Mann uses junk lenses wich are a little different from the Verito's, but using taking one element out of a lens and shooting wide open will have some of the same results. It has to be wide open to keep the aberations. Use neutral density filters to slow the exposures, not coloured ones as that will reduce chromatic aberations. You could also try pin-hole. Camille, Mann's work is amazing and it is not in the area that most LF photographers are used to, so be carefull of sugestions like "Kick your enlarger" it will not do what Mann does. Dean
    Dean Lastoria

  7. #17

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    Sally Mann has inspired many of us. While I don't have a suggestion for 8x10, my favorite "bad" lens for 4x5 was a 90mm Wollensak raptar enlarging lens. This lens fits your specs: warm, fuzzy around the edges, and noticable fall off (1-2 stops?) at the corners.

    My experience is that lenses are "worse" near their limits of coverage, and generally the limits are easier to find and exploit with shorter lenses. 250mm is probably a good place to start, although you might want to go down to 210 or even 180. An old, uncoated lens made for 5x7 or an old enlarging lens might work well for you.

    Beware, however, that old doesn't always equate with bad. I have a very old 12" Wollensak Velostigmat that performs nearly as well (but with slightly lower contrast) as my 12" Goerz Dagor. Go figure.

  8. #18

    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Posts
    1

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    Use a lens out of a pair of reading glasses. A 2 diopter is a 500mm lens.

    For added intrique, mount (tape) a soft focus filter behind it. Use a #1 lens board, tape the reading glass lens to the front, the soft focus lens to the back. 500/18 or so. Total cost under $20 plus the soft focus filter.

    Results might be better than you hope for...

  9. #19

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    you may try an old portrait soft focus trick for poor guys from years ago.get a clear or uv filter that fits tour lens and swirl vasoline toward outside in a thickness for your efect of softness or as you say out of focus.the farther towards center the greater the effect.lens stop will also effect.the other old trick was to put a womans nylon stretched over the front lens and use a rubber band to secure.if you are looking for bad light abberations mabey try sand blasting front element.[just kidding on the sandblasting]but some fine sandpaper scratches would simulate extensive cleaning marks of age.the old lenses you talk of were probobly fine lenses of their time but were attacked by mold growing on the elements in a humid dark enviornment like a basement.hope this gives tou some ideas.

  10. #20

    Join Date
    Jul 2000
    Posts
    471

    Bad lens suggestions for an 8x10.

    I have used a Wollensak Verito for years. Wollensak actually claimed in their old literature that by removing the front half of the 14 1/2" would give you a 24" inch lens without much image quality loss. Of course you lose a stop at that length but I have shot with the rear half on my 8x20 with some really nice results.

Similar Threads

  1. 8x10 metal field camera -- suggestions?
    By chris jordan in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 4-May-2005, 09:02
  2. Suggestions--lens--long
    By Raymond Bleesz in forum Lenses & Lens Accessories
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 20-Sep-2003, 17:18
  3. Korona 8x10 Parts -- Suggestions for Sources
    By Matt Long in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 16-Apr-2002, 19:04
  4. Lens suggestions
    By Joseph Dickerson in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 16-Jan-2001, 22:00
  5. Suggestions for first 8x10 lens
    By Brad Daniels in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 22-Aug-2000, 13:33

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •