Some Soft Focus Lens Sales Information

[Amedeus]

You unscrew for softness

[Steven Tribe]

I think (and thought!) it is an ordinary series II Cooke.
Engraving with "Portrait Cooke" appears on some of these (American Importer?).

[Amedeus]

From Antique Cameras ... This is what the ad says for the Cooke Portrait Series II about being sharp with the option for diffusion ...

Copying Dan (CCHarrison) from another post:

From "Camera...." 1904:

"In our November issue we announced two new series of Cooke anastigmats and now give an illustration of the series IV lens. It works at a full aperture of F 5, 6, and is designed for the finest portraiture, for high-speed photography, and for difficult photographs in poor lights. The series II lenses working at F 4.5 are intended for still more trying conditions, and the makers guarantee sharp definition with the diaphragm wide open to the extreme corners of the plate specified for each lens.. The Cooke anastigmat has the advantage of an extremely simple construction. It consists of three thin glasses which obviously admit more light than does a combination of six, eight or nine. The difference in lighting is distinctly noticeable in
practice, and the makers invite fair comparison between Cooke lenses and others of the same focus and aperture. They have a delicate screw-adjustment for the final corrections of the lens. Sensitive and efficient, the adjustment always remains rigid, and besides increasing accuracy, it is immensely more durable than the old-fashioned balsam, with no disadvantage of any kind. With its help can be secured the most critical definition throughout the plate for which each lens is listed, and one uniform excellence is attained.

These advantages are fully developed in the new series, and result in objectives of greater rapidity and defining power, with a more uniform excellence than has hitherto been possible in lenses having these large apertures. The series II, excel for portraiture by the adjustability of the back glass. This enables the photographer to secure at will uniform sharp definition, or to diffuse any required softness evenly throughout the plate. The value of this device can best be appreciated by the professional photographer."

Similar verbiage can be found in the Lens Vademecum. I guess you'll have to wait till you open the box and examine the engraving

[Steven Tribe]

Engravings in lens brochures are notoriously unreliable and designs changed, but I don't think the rear of the listed item looks much like the figure above. The flange thread is very close to the end of the rear cell on the e**y series II. But the thread could still be unscrewed to ape the rear cell adjustment soft version.

[taulen]

280953835650
9.5" velostigmat with diffusion. 383.99
(included a 12" velostigmat series IV)

[eddie]

One small Cooke Portrait sold for quite cheap, even considering it's just a 5x7" lens.
Ebay item # 140838253866
The vendor reported that it was engraved "Cooke Portrait", but there were no soft-focus adjustment markings.
Placed an half-assed bid, partly because i really didn't need it, partly because i don't know very much about early Cooke Portraits.
It went for little more, but i don't regret being a tight wallet... playing it safe didn't get me into any major disaster, and most of the time i get more than what i expect - helps a lot if you keep your expectations low, but being content after you've opened the parcel it's always a beautiful sensation
I am left with a question though.
Is that lens a soft focus? Are there Cooke Portrait lenses with no "soft" adjustment?
My best guess is that the front of the lens can be turned, and that the softness markings got erased after long years of use.

Is that lens a soft focus?

NO.

Are there Cooke Portrait lenses with no "soft" adjustment?

YES.

I believe this is a soft focus portrait lens being a series II, diffusion set by unscrewing the rear element ... great deal imho ... ;-)

this is NOT a SF version. FWIW the front group(s) move on a cooke SF lens not the rear. not really a great deal for a pretty worn looking regular 5x7 cooke portrait lens with no flange.....

[eddie]

From Antique Cameras ... This is what the ad says for the Cooke Portrait Series II about being sharp with the option for diffusion ...
The series II, excel for portraiture by the adjustability of the back glass.

Engravings in lens brochures are notoriously unreliable and designs changed,

i agree with steven regarding adverts.

while you can unscrew the rear of a cooke series II it only moves very very little....while the adjustment from a true cooke SF lens moves a great deal (and as i said before the front groups are the ones being moved..... FWIW). i just checked my SF cookes and my series II cookes. neither series II cooke portrait lens had any markings on the rear, etc etc.....just a regular portrait lens.....

[Amedeus]

Eddie,

I stand corrected.

I've looked at my two Cooke Series VI SF lenses and my regular Series II (non-portrait) and all have significant differences in design.

My 13" Cooke Portrait Lens f5.6 Series VI #107598 is of the no-knuckle variety with the front ring turning 90 degrees (6 gradations) which moves the positive magnification front element (only) 0.6mm away from the stationary negative middle element to go from "Sharp" to "Soft"
My 13" Cooke Portrait Anastigmat f5.6 Series VI #202102 is of the knuckle variety with the front ring turning 40 degrees (3 clicks) which moves the whole front group (front+middle element) 8mm towards the rear element to go from "Sharp" to "Soft"
The distance front element/middle element between these designs is significantly different. The older model has these elements within a few mm while the latter design has about 10-12mm in-between.

A regular Series II (non portrait) would have insufficient travel in the rear element to separate rear from the front group to achieve a "meaningful" SF effect.

The differences between those three lenses are intriguing enough for me to throw these designs in Zemax or Tracepro and see what happens at the imaging front with the displacements both SF portraits designs are capable off/designed for. This has to wait for a rainy day though ;-)

[massimodec]

@Amadeus, is your "no-knuckle" portrait series vi a good lens for the purpose ?

[Amedeus]

@massimodec: my early no-knuckle portrait lens is nice but I prefer the later model with the knuckle-duster as the displacement of the front group is larger and there's a wider range to work with.

Anachromatique 450mm/f5.6 d'atelier de Mr Le Ct Puyo Darlot Paris sold for $1600 BIN (120943930720) ... focal length possibly mislabeled
Taylor Hobson Cooke Portrait Soft Focus lens 13in f5.6 series VI sold for $649 (200815845117)
Kodak 405mm portrait lens sold for $850 BIN (261095701490)
Pinkham & Smith Series II 12" f:6 S.A. Doublet Soft Focus Lens sold for $4050 (300772150929)
Gundlach-Manhattan Hyperion Diffusion 15" 5x7 f4.0 15 Lens sold for $700 BIN (170908909469)
Dallmeyer 3D 12.5" f6 attached to a very nice (keeper) full plate camera sold for $800 (private sale)