PDA

View Full Version : Alternative to buying Soft Focus Lens



lilmsmaggie
21-Jun-2011, 10:57
I've heard that rather than purchasing expensive soft focus lenses, you could smear a clear filter with say vaseline, then attach the filter to the camera lens. Another option I've heard of is to stretch a piece of a woman's nylon stocking (or panyhose) over the lens.

Has anyone out there tried any of these techniques, where you satisfied/dissatisfied with the results?

Mark Sawyer
21-Jun-2011, 11:26
The options you mention work diffusion, ie, fuzzing up the image. It definitely softens things, but it isn't the same effect, and it kills a lot of the contrast. "Real" soft focus lenses have the softness built into the lens, usually through spherical aberration. A good alternative to expensive soft focus lenses is inexpensive soft focus lenses:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=35097
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=35482

johnielvis
21-Jun-2011, 11:46
every old photographer I ever met says "nose grease"

Zeiss made some softars for the hasselblad--I got some when i bought the proshade--but they seemed to be good enough to provide diffusion for the super pros in the days of hasselblad film domination--you really do need something to tame the contrast on them hassel lenses.

I'm of the opinion that the modern lens with softar/nose grease is superior because of less flare due to modern coating---

ALSO--there's a different kind of trick--shoot it SHARP---no diffusion--THEN--you enlarge with one of them diffusion filters---it's a slight differernt look--it diffuses the shadows rather than the highlights, so it provides more contrast there somehow---AND..if you wanna make it with a sharp background, you expose it sharp, and double expose the diffusion filter---AND you have a sharp negative to fuzz up if you want---or you can scan and photoshop diffuse..

to each his own, however, i know there's gonna be hell to pay for opinions on this, particularly since I don't use soft focus lenses!!!!

Steven Tribe
21-Jun-2011, 11:46
Pantyhose only works on stereo lenses.
Seriously, simple achromats do wonders.

Adamphotoman
21-Jun-2011, 11:51
The Imagon used a simple element similar to a close up lens and adjustable disks to control softness and exposure. My first attempt at making one was using a Polaroid MP-4 Self Cocking Shutter and a spare barrel from a el lens that I had mounted into a compur shutter. I drilled holes into a plastic lens cap and the rig functioned albeit rather clumsily.

Next I was given a damaged [Cooked] Bis Telar 360mm. The front element was trashed so I tried it with just the rear element. This shortened the focal length to about 100mm but produced a stunning soft picture.
This was produced with a Betterlight Scan back so the file is over 800mg.

So try shooting with a lens with only one lens group. Worth a try.
Grant

BrianShaw
21-Jun-2011, 12:15
I tired of (meaning, became dissatisfied with) "makeshift" approaches several years ago and got a Fujinon SF and couldn't be happier. For smaller formats I've been quite satisfied with Softar or the Tiffen equivalent.

Adamphotoman
21-Jun-2011, 12:24
I also use a 200 mm Imagon and a CookeP645.
I was dissatisfied with the makeshift approach, however I don't consider the Bis Telar makeshift. Just a happy accident.
Grant Kernan AKA Adamphotoman

Leonard Evens
21-Jun-2011, 13:48
A soft focus lens is designed to have more spherical aberration than would be tolerated in a normal lens. Normally, a lens is designed so that all the rays from a given subject point come together as closely as possible at a single point in the image plane. This is impossible with a single simple lens, the surfaces of which lie on different spherical surfaces, so the effect is called spherical aberration. Normal sharp lenses combine different simple lenses, which together correct almost all the spherical aberration.

I doubt if anything you can do easily with a normal sharp lens can mimic that effect. The effect is different from just being slightly out of focus. It is conceivable that using an additional supplementary lens could yield the right kind of spherical aberration.

Jim Noel
21-Jun-2011, 14:17
During my more than 70 years in photography I have tried every means I have heard of to get a nice soft focus effect from nose grease to an Imagon. I was never satisfied until I began using a variety of 19th century soft focus lenses.

Adamphotoman
21-Jun-2011, 15:32
The original post :"Alternative to buying Soft Focus Lens"
leads me to offer suggestions...alternatives

Sorry I made a typo. The Cooke PS945 not 645, is a soft focus lens. It is a recreation of a Pinkham & Smith Series1V 9 inch f4.5...
But at $3500-$4000 it does not qualify as a cheap lens.

If I am reading right there is no alternative to buying a soft focus lens.

Extra lens groups are engineered to correct for aberrations. Some lenses were made as convertibles. Some better than others. I only tried the Bis Telar without the front element because I had an opportunity to do so. I suggest that there is a considerable amount of spherical and chromatic aberration in this lens because the rear element isn't being corrected by the missing front element.

eddie
21-Jun-2011, 16:01
There are plenty. Affordable soft focus lenses available to buy. I am thinking around 400-700$ or so.

That being said bob carnie had a printing demo in CT last year. Simply awesome. He softened the highlights in one photo. And then the shadows in the other. Same photo. He used a nylon stocking, different contrast filters, skill ,and years of experience but in the end the photos were stunning. I should have kept the image. All I was think was all u would have to do was print the images this way and say that this lens "x" made it......and that would be true.

So the above poster is on to something. Diffuse n the darkroom for truely "cheap" soft focus lOok

I also agree with jim above. SF Are different. Different from "tricks" and different from each other as well.

Eddie

jnantz
21-Jun-2011, 18:01
you can harvest lenses off of folding cameras and box cameras
and use them in the enlarging stage, they give a nice effect
you can also use them as taking-lenses if your camera
is able to use a focal plane shutter ...

CP Goerz
21-Jun-2011, 19:18
Use the rear cell only of a Kodak Ektar.

leighmarrin
21-Jun-2011, 23:46
Flipping an element in the front cell of the common Tessar makes "sorta" a soft-focus lens, as I found out by accident. The center is still somewhat sharp, but the off-center quickly gets weird. I posted results of my accidental finding here:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=62038

jp
22-Jun-2011, 05:37
You can get a real SF lens for your 35mm from lensbaby.

For LF, a Kodak 305 portrait is a relatively affordable and excellent soft focus lens, many are available coated (lumenized) if that's your thing.

http://www.antiquecameras.net/softfocuslenssales.html shows recent soft focus sales information if you want to know what's in your price range. The author has information about many of the lenses as well on the website.

The cheapest way to get true soft captured photos is to use a pinhole. (better suited to landscape, not so much for indoor portrait)

jnantz
22-Jun-2011, 07:43
You can get a real SF lens for your 35mm from lensbaby.


yup, they have something very much like an imagon in their stable of lenses ...

Jehu
22-Jun-2011, 08:00
I've been thinking about this topic for a few weeks now. Here's what I'm considering:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/102419-REG/LEE_Filters_SFTSET_4x4_Soft_Polyester_Filter.html

Brian Ellis
22-Jun-2011, 08:10
There are various different ways to produce different soft focus effects in Photoshop. They give you much more control than you'd get with nose grease or Vaseline or anything like that. I also sometimes use a Nikon soft focus filter and it does a nice job too though it isn't exactly cheap, IIRC I paid around $100 for it.

Mark Sawyer
22-Jun-2011, 10:14
The cheapest way to get true soft captured photos is to use a pinhole. (better suited to landscape, not so much for indoor portrait)

I'd disagree. Pinholes simply lack fine resolution, where a good soft focus lens has excellent resolution with a halo of softness overlaid by aberrations. Also, soft lenses show their softness only at wide apertures, and the shallow depth of field is part of the aesthetic. Pinholes are known for their infinite depth of field.

lilmsmaggie
22-Jun-2011, 14:09
Wow! -- maybe I should sign-up for your class :D Those are awesome!



A good alternative to expensive soft focus lenses is inexpensive soft focus lenses:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=35097
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=35482

cdholden
22-Jun-2011, 15:44
Use the rear cell only of a Kodak Ektar.

Does this apply to Commercial Ektars also?
I've got one with me in the truck, but the weather sucks here and I haven't been able to stop for any photos yet. I'm hoping to get some free time (with good weather!) Friday or Saturday.
A couple of "softish" landscapes would be nice to take home.

Mark Sawyer
22-Jun-2011, 17:47
Does this apply to Commercial Ektars also?

I think it applies to all Tessars. The front cell is a positive and negative element that almost cancel each other out focal-length-wise, but eliminate the aberrations in the rear cell. Take off the front cell and you get the aberrations of a soft lens. Whether it's a soft lens that you like is another question. And remember, not all Ektars are Tessars, but the 12- and 14-inch are...

cdholden
22-Jun-2011, 20:30
I don't recall Tessars working with a rear cell only. I've got a 14" CE in my bag o' tricks, so I'll give it a shot tomorrow when I'm up by La Follette.

Here's a little plug for the city:
http://www.lafollettetn.gov/history.htm

vitality
23-Jun-2011, 00:26
I don't recall Tessars working with a rear cell only. I've got a 14" CE in my bag o' tricks, so I'll give it a shot tomorrow when I'm up by La Follette.

Here's a little plug for the city:
http://www.lafollettetn.gov/history.htm

If you will play with Tessar's rear cell, try to add "Imagon" style aperture (cut it from black paper or thin plastic).
Cannot say much about image quality (softness quality), but I've seen some nice pictures made with this "combo" (at least it was described so :)).

cdholden
23-Jun-2011, 04:01
That shouldn't be too hard.
Some construction paper, possibly tape to hold it in place, and a couple of hole punches of different size.
Are the center holes of an Imagon disk the same for 250 and 300mm lenses? If not, I'd probably want to scale up for use with my ~356mm lens.
Does anyone have measurements for these? I can't really make this by calculating aperture, as that would be with center hole only (no diffusion holes around it). Or maybe I could calculate a single theoretical aperture to make, then add up area of a smaller center hole with area of diffusion holes to come up with the number equating to the given theoretical aperture. In my head with fuzzy logic, that should be about the same amount of light coming in through the front.
Caffeine is required before I can take this any further at this time of day.

Mark Sawyer
23-Jun-2011, 16:13
The Imagon-style apertures let you close the lens down for depth of field or sharpness, while still keeping a hint of the softness from the outer area of the lens. It is a different effect from a conventional aperture, but hard to call better or worse. I prefer to use the conventional aperture with the Imagon as I feel I have more control; even the most open of the Imagon h/stops eliminates a lot of the softness.

Personally, I'd just pull the front cell and use the conventional aperture to set the soft/sharp look to where I wanted. But if you want to try the Imagon aperture, yep, just figure the total area of all the openings, then figure what diameter circle is equal to that area, and figure your f/stop from that.

Valerie
26-Jun-2011, 09:14
http://cgi.ebay.com/ARKAY-CORP-PICTROL-SOFT-FOCUS-ENLARGING-DEVICE-/380338295787

I ended up with one of these a while back... it can be attached to the camera lens or enlarger lens. The amount of diffusion desired can be dialed in.