RE: soft focus adjustment on a Velostigmat Series II f/4.5

[Greg]

When I was a student at RIT in the 1970s, bought my first view camera, a B&J wooden commercial view. Came with a 12inch Velostigmat f/4.5 with the front element? soft focus adjustment in a Betax shutter. Never used the soft focus adjustment since I was shooting f/64 style. Probably in the 1980s sold the lens. Always loved the Boken (though minimal) of the lens so a few years ago found and acquired a 12" Velostigmat in a Betax but without the soft focus control ring.

Was wondering just was the effect of the soft focus adjustment on this optic. Certainly it is no where near the Bokeh of a Petzval optic. Was told it mimicked a 12 inch f/4 Eastman Portrait lens.

Thinking of shooting a series of portraits with my whole plate camera and using my 12inch Velostigmat f/4.5. But recently have been offered a 12inch Velostigmat f/4.5 with its soft focus adjustment in a totally broken Betax shutter. Lens elements would easily fit onto my current working Betax.

Is this worth it??

thanks

Greg

[Dugan]

Do you have the opportunity to try it out before plunking down the cash?

[cowanw]

Depends on what you are looking for. a lot of the effect is actually just a change in focus and mostly if you refocus after changing the soft focus you are back to the original image. BUT there is a small but recognizable change in the image to a true but very gentle change as a result of introducing abberations. Can you borrow the broken lens?

[Whir-Click]

Using the Velostigmat’s factory-original diffused focus settings of 0-5, you will barely see any difference.

However, if you uncork the diffusion adjustment as Mark Sawyer generously describes in the thread linked below, you can crank up the fuzzulator and create some distinct, atmospheric images.

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?57385-Velostigmat-Series-II-Info-and-Images&highlight=

[Greg]

Using the Velostigmat’s factory-original diffused focus settings of 0-5, you will barely see any difference.

So went back to read the notes that I jotted down back in the 1970s on the glassine sleeves that held my 8x10 negatives. One note read "use at #0 setting, #5 setting not all that different". I must have shot negatives at the different settings to see the difference. Also back then I was mostly shooting at f/64, so if there was some softening, I probably wouldn't have seen it. Also I had written down the exposure and processing info: Super-XX film. Edwal FG-7 in a 9% Sodium Sulfite solution... those were the days.

[Randy]

As per instructions / experience from our Jim Galli, you can modify a Velostigmat II (non-fuzzy) by slightly separating the front elements (unscrewing slightly to taste). I tried it with my 9 1/4 inch lens but didn't see a noticeable difference, probably because I didn't separate them enough. I have since obtained a Velo with the fuzzy adjustment (uncorked) and really enjoy it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/blnmtn4qef95t5f/img886b.jpg?dl=1