Excessively sharp lenses

[Terry Hull]

I need to tone down a couple of lenses I bought for Mamiya 711

I know this is LF site, but think I have seen a discussion of this issue. I speak only of B&W photography

Two questions:

1. Will larger grain film do it
2. I have rejected most filters that simply make the pics fuzzy, although If I remember someone used to make a filter with some concentric, thin black circles that seemed to work.

Of course ideas are welcome. I am not wanting to tone them down in the enlarging process

Thanks

[BrianShaw]

1. Sure it will.

2. That is a DUTO. Hoya still makes them and maybe others. I like that filter a lot! (The concentric lines are "scribed" but not generally blackened.)

[David A. Goldfarb]

David Mullen has a useful overview of various kinds of diffusion filters here:

http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=42112

[BrianShaw]

I was about to mention one of the filters discussed in that link - the SoftFX-1. Of the many SF filters I own, I only really like the duto and the SoftFX-1. Both seem to be the mildest SF filters out there. I recently did test shots of all of my SF filters and quickly found why some find their way consistently to the bottom of the camera bag. I've never tried any of the net filters so I don't exactly know how they compare.

[C. D. Keth]

Soft FX and classic softs are nice. Those won't affect contrast much if any. I also like black promists and hollywood black magics but be aware they will lift the shadows a tiny bit and halate around light sources. That link David posted to David Mullen's (ASC, by the way) diffusion breakdown is very good. Mr. Mullen is a lovely guy and very, very knowledgeable about that subject. Diffusion has become an everyday thing in the cine world as we pair very sharp lenses with very sharp looking digital cameras.

[C. D. Keth]

I've never tried any of the net filters so I don't exactly know how they compare.

Nets are very hard to get light enough. They are also fragile and cause some strange artifacts with light sources in frame. I would stay away from them if you just want a little softening. They are a look in and of themselves.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Here is the link to the Tiffen Contrast series. I first used these in video and film work, and later to tame images in medium format.

Regarding grain - you might be surprised to find that some subjects appear sharper (greater acutance) with visible grain, especially if developed in solutions with no grain solvents. Rodinal is a good example.

There is a good example in the book Beyond Monochrome.

[Ari]

Tiffen Fog filters are great; #1, #3 and #5.

[C. D. Keth]

I didn't know anybody used anything as heavy as a fog 5. Is that just a sheet of printer paper, Ari?

[C. D. Keth]

Saran wrap?

Saran wrap is actually quite nice as a cheap diffusion. Stretch it nice and tight and it's subtle. Leave it looser and it's stronger.