Universal Heliar - how to

[F64]

Hello,
I am trying to work with a Universal Heliar but I am a bit baffled: are you supposed to focus before or after applying the soft focus? If I focus before even a slight rotation seems to produce extreme softness, if I focus after there seems to be very slight softness.
Any suggestions on how to tame the beast are most welcome.

[michael_los_angeles_photo]

After. Can’t imagine how it would work otherwise — adjusting the degree of soft focus even changes the focal length.

[F64]

After. Can’t imagine how it would work otherwise — adjusting the degree of soft focus even changes the focal length.

Thank you. Is there a combination diaphragm/softness you would recommend for 4x5 portraits? I am using f8 because I would like tohave the entire head in-focus.

[michael_los_angeles_photo]

That’s a tough question. For one, I shoot mostly wet plate (actually have never used mine for film), and partly due to the huge need for light with that process, always shoot mine (which is 420mm, btw) wide open at f4.5. But if it helps, I usually set the soft focus to about 2 or 3…so sort of midway. It’s subtle, but definitely adds a touch of something.

I’d say the only way to figure out what works for you — as with so much of this stuff — would be experimentation. One advantage with a Universal Heliar (as opposed to some other soft/diffused focus lenses) is that the soft focus works independently of aperture, so there should be a lot of options as far as playing around with combinations of the two.

[F64]

[QUOTE=michael_los_angeles_photo;1709012]That’s a tough question. For one, I shoot mostly wet plate (actually have never used mine for film), and partly due to the huge need for light with that process, always shoot mine (which is 420mm, btw) wide open at f4.5. But if it helps, I usually set the soft focus to about 2 or 3…so sort of midway. It’s subtle, but definitely adds a touch of something.

I’d say the only way to figure out what works for you — as with so much of this stuff — would be experimentation. One advantage with a Universal Heliar (as opposed to some other soft/diffused focus lenses) is that the soft focus works independently of aperture, so there should be a lot of options as far as playing around with combinations of the two.[/QUOTE

Thank you, Michael

[John Berry]

I like between 5.6-8, 1.5 soft for a more subliminal effect. Somewhat like a softer II