Which lens designs are least 'objectionable' nearly wide open?

[Wally]

I hear that a lens is in it's 'zone' stopped down 2-3 stops from wide open, where it will be 'within it's specs'.

What I'm curious is what are the 'qualities' of a lens as it's opened up, for the different lens designs? How, for example, does focus soften as a triplet like a Geronar is opened up? Is it 'better' or 'worse' than a tessar? What are the focus and coverage issues for triplets, tessars, plasmats, etc like as the lens is opened up? What other issues are there?

My interest (right now) is in photographing people - environmental portraits to head shots, and want to constrain depth of field in the series.

[Brian Stein]

Look at Chris Perez's experiments at http://www.hevanet.com/cperez/test/BigMash210.html where he compares tessar, triplet and plasmats wide open.

[CCHarrison]

The most celebrated lens for wide open performance is the Petzval design. See this page for more info:

http://www.antiquecameras.net/petzvallens.html

Lack of DOF is the biggest problem with any fast, wide open lens - especially - in the larger formats....

Dan

[Jim Galli]

impossible to answer because what is objectionable to you may be the very thing the next guy is looking for.

[CG]

.... Lack of DOF is the biggest problem with any fast, wide open lens .... Dan

Or, biggest opportunity. Depends upon what one wants in a given situation.

C

[Wally]

impossible to answer because what is objectionable to you may be the very thing the next guy is looking for.

I like your petzval protraits. It's a look I want to get near.

They're in barrels, right? Do you use a packard shutter, a speed graphic focal plane shutter, or what?

[Jim Galli]

Hi Wally. Thanks. Well, if you like the Petzval look it is at it's very best wide open and gets objectionable as you stop down . Yes, I'm in my comfort zone with an 8X10 that has a Packard inside. I seem to get the most enjoyment from contact prints so it is a good combination for me. I also use a 5X7 Speed Graphic with focal plane shutter for some of the smaller lenses and it lets me get in the speed ranges of modern films.

[Wally]

The most celebrated lens for wide open performance is the Petzval design. See this page for more info:

http://www.antiquecameras.net/petzvallens.html

Lack of DOF is the biggest problem with any fast, wide open lens - especially - in the larger formats....

Dan

I've been shooting my portraits with a 300mm Fujinon T, a tessar design. I've been shooting with the background at least a yard from the subject, f/16 or f/22 @ 1/30th, window light and a reflector for illumination.

Some lenses' sharpness rolls off faster as one views the areas away from the center of the image (sharp knee in lp/mm), some just go all creamy smoothly (linear tapering off of sharpness), some are somewhat soft and get sharper the more you stop down, but are not really sharp enough in the center at f/11, making it look like I didn't focus correctly or look like the subject moved. I'm looking for one that is reasonably sharp in the center at two stops down from wide open, and are sharp enough for an 8x10 2x enlargement when stopped down only one stop, and then gets as soft as it wants as much as two inches from the edges.

[Gordon Moat]

I like your petzval protraits. It's a look I want to get near.

They're in barrels, right? Do you use a packard shutter, a speed graphic focal plane shutter, or what?

Hello Wally,

You might be interested in this thread:

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ad.php?t=43976

I discuss a solution I came up with for my ancient lens. It works fairly nicely.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography

[John Kasaian]

The 300 f/9 Nikon "M" is frighteningly sharp when opened up, if sharpness is what you mean by "less objectionable." It is a tessar and I've seen similar results with other tessars (especially Kodaks,) though I can't say that such is the norm across the board with all tessars (because I haven't shot with every tessar!) A great many aerial lenses are tessars though, and they were usually shot at more open apertures due to the fast shutter speeds and often heavy filtration that needed to be compensated for.