Imagon 300 question

[John Brady]

I have an Imagon 300 in a copal 3 shutter. I have been playing with making still life images with it recently. I have two of the h disks but find that I really like the crazy effects achieved by shooting it wide open without the disks.

There is no aperture scale on the shutter, which leads me to two questions.

What is the size wide open without the disks in place? I am guessing around 5.6 or larger based on some images I have made.

Is there a way to get an aperture scale to use this lens without the disks and still stop down?

I hate the wierd star effect in the highlights when using the disks. Thanks

www.timeandlight.com

[Mark Sawyer]

Hi, John ~

The Copal 3 has a maximum aperture of 45mm, so the maximum for a 300mm Imagon would be f/6.66 (the aperture of the Beast!). I used mine with the conventional aperture of my bigger Compound, (which allowed f/4.65, really wild). The effect with the conventional aperture is slightly different, but I often liked it better than the h/stop disks, as even the most open disk was quite restrained.

I never marked the sizes on an aperture scale, I just measured and divided for each exposure. Hope this helps...

[John Brady]

Thanks Mark, do you have any examples of 4.65 images with the Imagon? I would love to see it. The effect with the Copal 3 wide open was pretty impressive on its own. Really made the highlights glow!

[Mark Sawyer]

Here are a few old one's, wide open. As I said, it got pretty wild. Like the Verito and Kodak Portrait Lens, I liked it better around f/6 to f/8, but every once in a while, my baser insticts just couldnt be helped! :rolleyes:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g139/Owen21k/Ripley1500hi.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g139/Owen21k/girls.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g139/Owen21k/J.jpg

[John Brady]

That's some crazy swirl! Like them all but that first one is my favorite!
Thanks for posting them.

[Mark Woods]

I love my Imagon wide open. I have the 300mm and 200mm.

[Colin D]

I've just acquired a 300mm in barrel which I will put on a 4x5 with a Sinar shutter. Will it have a different look to the models mounted with a shutter? Also, what would it's widest aperture be without using the discs ala what Mark has done?

[Mark Sawyer]

Divide 300 by the diameter of the lens (in mm) to find the f/stop.

[ImSoNegative]

I just bought a 250 imagon, havnt used it yet, in fact it just came in the mail today, i havnt even seen it yet, am so looking forward to burning a few sheets tomorrow, actually it was one of mark's images above that sealed the deal on my buying it. thanks mark

[Ed Bray]

Hi, John ~

The Copal 3 has a maximum aperture of 45mm, so the maximum for a 300mm Imagon would be f/6.66 (the aperture of the Beast!). I used mine with the conventional aperture of my bigger Compound, (which allowed f/4.65, really wild). The effect with the conventional aperture is slightly different, but I often liked it better than the h/stop disks, as even the most open disk was quite restrained.

I never marked the sizes on an aperture scale, I just measured and divided for each exposure. Hope this helps...

Just out of curiosity Mark, Schneider supplied both the Symmar S and Apo Symmar 300mm 5.6 lenses in a Copal 3, wouldn't using a 300mm imagon in one of those shutters then have the correct aperture scale?

[Bob Salomon]

Just out of curiosity Mark, Schneider supplied both the Symmar S and Apo Symmar 300mm 5.6 lenses in a Copal 3, wouldn't using a 300mm imagon in one of those shutters then have the correct aperture scale?

Imagons do not use the diaphragm in the shutter. That is why they come with disks.
Imagons use H stops and not F stops.
The 300mm is a 6.8. It only comes with two disks in 300mm with a Copal shutter since the openining in the Copal is too small to use the entire area of the lens.

[Ed Bray]

Imagons do not use the diaphragm in the shutter. That is why they come with disks.
Imagons use H stops and not F stops.
The 300mm is a 6.8. It only comes with two disks in 300mm with a Copal shutter since the openining in the Copal is too small to use the entire area of the lens.

I know that is how they are normally used Bob, but if you wanted to use the diaphragm in the shutter, what is stopping you?

[Bob Salomon]

I know that is how they are normally used Bob, but if you wanted to use the diaphragm in the shutter, what is stopping you?

Nothing except you will mask off the perhiperal rays which cast an image over the center rays and which create the Imagon halation that the lens is known for.

[Mark Sawyer]

Just out of curiosity Mark, Schneider supplied both the Symmar S and Apo Symmar 300mm 5.6 lenses in a Copal 3, wouldn't using a 300mm imagon in one of those shutters then have the correct aperture scale?

If you used that scale, your images from the Imagon would be a little under-exposed. Remember that the aperture is measured through the front element. The Symmar has a positive front element which will magnify the size of the aperture, while the Imagon has no front element, so the aperture will be the actual size of the physical opening.


Nothing except you will mask off the perhiperal rays which cast an image over the center rays and which create the Imagon halation that the lens is known for.

Agreed; the problem is, the Imagon makes a lovely image either way! :)