I bought the cells from a Wollensak Velostigmat Wide Angle Ser. III (5x7) a few months ago, mounted them in a Betax #2 I just happened to have extra (that's why I bought the cells), and promptly forgot all about it until yesterday. While researching this on LFPF, I came across several comments to the effect that people have had these incredibly dirty, hazy lenses and have enjoyed using them as 'soft focus' landscape lenses, only to eventually clean them and find out that as an ordinary wide angle, they're nothing special.
I had a look at mine, and sure enough it has the worst case of 'haze' (I think it might have progressed beyond 'haze' to 'slime') of any lens I have ever had in my possession, so before trying to clean it I took it out for a whirl. Here is the result (4x5, unknown aperture since I don't have the scale, 1/10 on Fomapan 100). I can shoot more carefully and cut back on the flare a little, I suppose, but this is never going to be a sharp lens unless I do some serious cleaning. So what do you think? Clean it or Leave it?
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