Excessively sharp lenses

[C. D. Keth]

You must have been typing as I edited. I was rude with the end of that. My apologies for that.

Vaseline definitely isn't a substitute for any kind of diffusion. It's far too heavy and it's just not possible to apply without streaking. It's a special effect. Kind of unfortunate we're talking about it so much.


One really old DP I worked for a couple times had a trick for closeups of women. He would look through the viewfinder and have one of us assistants put a fingerprint on the lens or on the filter right where the face would be in frame. You could cover a filter with fingerprints. Just watch the light that falls on that filter. It'll be really ugly flare.

[StoneNYC]

You must have been typing as I edited. I was rude with the end of that. My apologies for that.

Vaseline definitely isn't a substitute for any kind of diffusion. It's far too heavy and it's just not possible to apply without streaking. It's a special effect. Kind of unfortunate we're talking about it so much.

Haha no worries

Perhaps I'll see you on set sometime, I REALLY want to join the 600 for stills, I have my Jacobson Blimp already, but it's such a closed market, so I've been looking at camera PA but the pay is such a cut for me to get in its hard to take that time.

Let me know when you're doing a movie in the City

[John Kasaian]

Haas anyone brought up nylon panty hose? Thats a pretty good diffuser.

[Brian Ellis]

I'm not sure why you don't want to "tone it down" in the darkroom but FWIW I had a Leica lens years ago that I thought was too sharp for some portraits and other people-pictures. I dealt with the problem by dividing the enlarging exposure time between time with a soft focus filter (Nikon) under the lens for part of the time and no filter the rest of time. I liked this system because it gave so much control - too soft? decrease time with the filter - too sharp? increase time with the filter.

[C. D. Keth]

Brian, it seems I do the digital extension of that when I have to diffuse something a little bit in photoshop. I place a copy of the original image over all the other layers. I then blur it and lower its opacity depending on how much of the softness I want.

[E. von Hoegh]

I'm not sure why you don't want to "tone it down" in the darkroom but FWIW I had a Leica lens years ago that I thought was too sharp for some portraits and other people-pictures. I dealt with the problem by dividing the enlarging exposure time between time with a soft focus filter (Nikon) under the lens for part of the time and no filter the rest of time. I liked this system because it gave so much control - too soft? decrease time with the filter - too sharp? increase time with the filter.

That's an old trick which can give beautiful results.

[BrianShaw]

I just kick my tripod leg.

[C. D. Keth]

I just kick my tripod leg.

That never gives me the highlight glow that I like.

[Terry Hull]

Thanks to everyone for replies! I am going to Perú and really wish I could take the4x5 ! Maybe some of the Fomapan films-more grain?

[C. D. Keth]

For a trip like that, I'd shoot them sharp and soften if you wish in printing. I'd hate to get back and wish your negstives were sharper.