300mm Rodagon for portraits?

[jb7]

I've been offered this lens, not for nothing,
but cheapish-
Has anyone used it as a taking lens, (4x5)
particularly for people?
in particular, wide open , full length, using the lens to give a lot of separation from the background- dof should still be minimal-

Its a big lump, f/5.6-
and would need a bit of scaffolding to get it on the Arca without breaking it-
and I reckon it's weight would disqualify it from getting out much-
and, it would need to be shot through a Packard-

So, any opinions?
would it be worth giving it a go?

I already have a Nikkor 300M, so that length is covered-
and its possibly another reason why I really shouldn't bother...
I know its difficult to quantify,
but how much difference might I expect between f/9 and f/5.6 in the rendition of the oof areas?

I use a 210 at f/5.6, and I like the appearance of that-

Any thoughts appreciated-

joseph

[Gerry]

Did a series using 300mm(nikon) for portraiture but that ws with a 8x10 camera so not sure it qualifies. I did do some tight head shots thou with a long bellows extention and it worked great for me. Not sure how that big ass lens would sit on a 4x5 thou.

You would no doubt get seperation from the background shooting wide open, not sure how sharp the rest of the image would be thou. You might need a seperate tripod to support the lens!...

Photos are in the sex worker category on the site(have not posted the tight heads yet)



www.gerryyaum.com

[jb7]

Thanks Gerry-
I saw some of your sex worker portraits in the portrait threads,
quite disturbing images-
certainly more emphasis on the 'work' than 'sex', in my view-

They succeed remarkably well in challenging the glamour, or perceived glamour, of how sex sells- and is sold-
They look even more stark grouped on your site-

8x10 would be another reason, I suppose, if I were to move up a format- though the Nikkor just covers, I believe-

I'm setting up to do some pictures with fast lenses-
I've just bought some projector lenses, 7" & 9" f/2.5-
will be interested to see if I can work them wide open,
or if the images turn to mush-
DOF will be nothing- and that Rodenstock should be similar,
though sharper, I'm sure, if I manage to get something in focus...

Thank you for your reply-

joseph