May Portraits

[Ben Syverson]

Nice, Ken. Gotta love that 300 A, am I right?

[Ken Lee]

Nice, Ken. Gotta love that 300 A, am I right?

You're right indeed - It's one of the future classics that somehow didn't get onto Kerry's list of Future Classics. I'm always grateful to the late Ted Harris for alerting me to it.

I'm having George Brown mount mine on a Sinar DB lens board, so that I can use it more comfortably. I rank Sinar DB Lens Boards up there with 2-Bath Pyrocat and Infra Red Viewing Devices. Once you use them, you don't want to go back. (You need a Sinar Shutter too)

I really don't know why people consider the Fujinon A line, as process lenses. True, they are f/9 like many Dialyte process lenses, but they have 6 elements, not just 4.

If you look at the cross-section on this brochure (again, courtesy of Kerry Thalmann), they more closely resemble Plasmat types. Perhaps they are simply f/9 Plasmats, (and thus small and light).

[Ben Syverson]

Ken, your site helped push me toward the A, so thank you! I suspect that you're right about them being essentially tiny Plasmats, not Dialyts... I'm sure they work work fine for process, but they were marketed as general purpose lenses, right? I would love to find a 360A someday.

To tie this in to the thread, I'll post an image with the 300A. If you click through and look at the 28MP "Original" size on flickr (you have to be logged in), you can see that there was a clear blue sky that day, the leaves are coming in on the trees outside, and there's a bowl on the windowsill of my studio. All reflected in Nick's eye! Sharp lens.



Nicholas O'Brien, May 2010

[Ken Lee]

Although the 360A is 20% longer than a 300A, the asking price is more.

Speaking of helpful advice, it was Igor of Igor's Camera Exchange who recommended the Sinar Shutter to me.

By getting one, I was able to get a 360mm APO Nikkor. The shutter and lens together, still cost less than a 360 Fujinon A - if one were available. (In fact, my camera, sinar shutter, and that Nikor lens, are still probably cheaper than a 360A). The Nikkor probably has less coverage than the Fujinon and plasmats, but it offers plenty for 5x7 and 4x5.

[Ben Syverson]

Yeah, I would need to find a might good deal on that 360A to even think about it! And 360 vs 300 might not be enough of a difference.

I suppose it's more likely that I'll cave in on a 450C

[xmishx]

[CarstenW]

What happened to the original May Portrait postings? This thread seems to have overwritten it.

There was an explanation a little earlier: it got deleted by mistake, and would have been too time-consuming to restore. If you posted something in the original thread, you could re-post it now.

[ajsikel]

well, since the thread is again alive and kickin Ill get back with some of my images.I hope you enoy them as much as I enjoyed.
technicalias: kodak ektar 127mm/Tmax100 4x5

[Ezzie]

I´m just glad that this portrait got posted again. I´ll repeat myself. This is the best portrait I´ve seen in years. Its a story all to itself. Apart from being astoundingly beautiful, it feeds the mind. I can´t help wondering what has happened to this pretty girl? What is she thinking? Who is she thinking of? Has she lost someone dear? I can keep going on like that for ages. That´s what elevates it to brilliant, not just bl@@dy good!

[mono]

Yes, this image is damn good!
The only thing that distracts me is her "moustache" ;-)