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Tim Layton
20-Dec-2011, 08:33
I am a fine art large format photographer that recently started down the path of exploring vintage soft focus lenses. Only a short time into it I can say that I have probably been sucked into a vortex that I will likely never be able to leave. With the help of a kind fellow large format photographer (Garrett Allen) I have recently acquired my first Wollensak Verito 14 1/2" for my Eastman No 2 8x10 and have been having a blast. I am really enjoying this new area and I am having a great time expanding my photography as well.

I am writing the group here because I want your help in finding good resources to learn about the history and specifics of the large format vintage soft focus lenses. All of the various designs, lenses, period of time, etc is a bit overwhelming standing at the beginning of this journey, but I know it will all be second nature in due time. I am pulling together a new blog to more or less document my journey and hopefully as I collect more information others will find it and it will be helpful to them. My focus is large format vintage soft focus only. If you are interested in contributing information to the blog just email me and I can get you setup as a contributor.

Any pointers to information, whether it be websites, books, etc would be very helpful. I've found some sites as you may have guessed, but I don't want to assume I have found all of them and have no basis for knowing their quality of information at this time.

Thanks,

Tim

Louis Pacilla
20-Dec-2011, 09:29
Have you visited Dans site ? Here's a start.
http://www.antiquecameras.net/softfocuslenses.html

Then you can read Mr. Russel Young the IIIs dissertation on Soft focus / diffused focus lenses http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CDIQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fresearch-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk%2Fbitstream%2F10023%2F505%2F6%2FW%2520Russell%2520Young%2520PhD%2520thesis.pdf&ei=UbjwTob7COXk0QHL4dSxAg&usg=AFQjCNHOzYNV0lnoEVmbT1dp6e5YeWYvHA&sig2=yXGV_rPU4VEL2PMAsDHlug

cdholden
20-Dec-2011, 09:50
Go ahead and say it now...
"Hi. My name is Tim and I'm an addict."

goamules
20-Dec-2011, 09:51
Thanks Tim. Yeah, the two links Louis refers are a wellspring of information.

Jim Galli
20-Dec-2011, 09:53
May as well wade through some of my pages. Sort of catch as catch can. It was cheaper to educate oneself when I started. Good luck.

There are a couple of sites with old catalogs. Very helpful.

E. von Hoegh
20-Dec-2011, 09:55
Another good link for old catalogues - http://www.cameraeccentric.com/

Mark Sawyer
20-Dec-2011, 10:50
And somewhere or another there's a large format photography forum with a decent search engine that always seems to uncover a few good threads on just about any old lens...

eddie
20-Dec-2011, 11:19
http://www.youtube.com/user/eddiegunks1?feature=mhee#p/u

Tim Layton
20-Dec-2011, 14:24
Hi, my name is Tim and I am an addict. I can't help myself. If Garret hadn't helped me get my first Verito I could have probably functioned normally. That is no longer an option now... :)




Go ahead and say it now...
"Hi. My name is Tim and I'm an addict."

Tim Layton
20-Dec-2011, 14:25
Jim, I have been viewing and reading your site for days already. I can barely function... Good stuff. Thanks for posting all this and adding to it over time.

Tim

Tim Layton
20-Dec-2011, 14:30
http://www.youtube.com/user/eddiegunks1?feature=mhee#p/u

Eddie, good stuff on your YouTube channel. Thanks for replying. I have watched a lot of your videos and have you bookmarked. Thanks.

Tim

CCHarrison
20-Dec-2011, 14:45
You may also want to check out the new book, The Use of Historic Lenses in Contemporary Photography by Paul Lipscombe. See my blog entry of 11-13-11, here http://antiquecameras.net/blog95.html about this book.


Dan

Tim Layton
20-Dec-2011, 14:58
You may also want to check out the new book, The Use of Historic Lenses in Contemporary Photography by Paul Lipscombe. See my blog entry of 11-13-11, here http://antiquecameras.net/blog95.html about this book.


Dan

Dan, this looks like a perfect resource. Thanks for suggesting it. I've been reading your site for days, but as you know there is so much information I must have just not found this yet, so thanks for pointing it out.

Tim

bobherbst
20-Dec-2011, 17:05
Mr. Layton,

You will find THE definitive treatise on soft focus lenses at this link - http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/505. The author is Russell Young PhD. He received a doctoral degree in 2008 from St. Andrews University in Scotland for his thesis - "The soft-focus lens and Anglo-American pictorialism". He is not just an academian, but an accomplished photographer as well with working knowledge of the lenses about which he writes.

Other links posted here will provide additional information.

Bob Herbst



I am a fine art large format photographer that recently started down the path of exploring vintage soft focus lenses. Only a short time into it I can say that I have probably been sucked into a vortex that I will likely never be able to leave. With the help of a kind fellow large format photographer (Garrett Allen) I have recently acquired my first Wollensak Verito 14 1/2" for my Eastman No 2 8x10 and have been having a blast. I am really enjoying this new area and I am having a great time expanding my photography as well.

I am writing the group here because I want your help in finding good resources to learn about the history and specifics of the large format vintage soft focus lenses. All of the various designs, lenses, period of time, etc is a bit overwhelming standing at the beginning of this journey, but I know it will all be second nature in due time. I am pulling together a new blog to more or less document my journey and hopefully as I collect more information others will find it and it will be helpful to them. My focus is large format vintage soft focus only. If you are interested in contributing information to the blog just email me and I can get you setup as a contributor.

Any pointers to information, whether it be websites, books, etc would be very helpful. I've found some sites as you may have guessed, but I don't want to assume I have found all of them and have no basis for knowing their quality of information at this time.

Thanks,

Tim

Tim Layton
20-Dec-2011, 22:30
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that submitted suggestions. I am on top of these resources and will spend the time reading and learning now. Thanks again and I appreciate your help.

Tim

Emil Schildt
21-Dec-2011, 01:39
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that submitted suggestions. I am on top of these resources and will spend the time reading and learning now. Thanks again and I appreciate your help.

Tim

...so now it is time to take some pictures!..... that's how you learn..:p

Tim Layton
21-Dec-2011, 07:29
...so now it is time to take some pictures!..... that's how you learn..:p

You are correct... here is what I've done so far. http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlaytonsr/sets/72157628341897465/

Tim

Joe Forks
21-Dec-2011, 08:26
3.8 verito? or more likely Vitax? Or not 3.8? Beautiful lilies either way

Tim Layton
21-Dec-2011, 08:40
3.8 verito? or more likely Vitax? Or not 3.8? Beautiful lilies either way

It is F4... I must have had the .8 on my brain when enter the Vinco info... thanks for the catch and compliment.

Tim

Louis Pacilla
21-Dec-2011, 11:24
Hey Tim, I don't know if you have set up a Google books library but I highly suggest you do so. I have over 900 full view magazines and books on photography. This has been an near endless source of great information. Most of the growth period in diffused focus lenses was way back in the early 1900's so the books on "Full View"are the books we are after and most are public property or w/ out copy right protection now .

The way I built my Google Books library was to register for my own library and then I did searches such as Portrait lenses, field / studio cameras, manufacturers names such as Zeiss Korona, Century,Dallmeyer, Wollensak, B&L and so on and so on.

Again, make sure you look for "Full View" books and mags only. This weeds out the the newer less useful partial books and magazines that need to be purchased to read them.

Here's a long article on diffused focus lenses. I Just recently discovered it in my library.This link will put you in the middle of the reading so scroll to the beginning.

http://books.google.com/books?id=1U0LAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA184&dq=diffused+focus+lenses&ei=Oh3yTsmKD4X8zAS2oOiGAQ&cd=7#v=twopage&q=diffused%20focus%20lenses&f=true

goamules
21-Dec-2011, 12:58
Louis, that link and section starting on page 146 is outstanding. Interesting how the questions and thoughts are so similar to today, but were being answered 100 years ago. Starting on about page 165 is an amazing section on chromatic vs spherical aberrations, focusing techniques....good stuff.

Tim Layton
21-Dec-2011, 13:35
Hey Tim, I don't know if you have set up a Google books library but I highly suggest you do so. I have over 900 full view magazines and books on photography. This has been an near endless source of great information. Most of the growth period in diffused focus lenses was way back in the early 1900's so the books on "Full View"are the books we are after and most are public property or w/ out copy right protection now .

The way I built my Google Books library was to register for my own library and then I did searches such as Portrait lenses, field / studio cameras, manufacturers names such as Zeiss Korona, Century,Dallmeyer, Wollensak, B&L and so on and so on.

Again, make sure you look for "Full View" books and mags only. This weeds out the the newer less useful partial books and magazines that need to be purchased to read them.

Here's a long article on diffused focus lenses. I Just recently discovered it in my library.This link will put you in the middle of the reading so scroll to the beginning.

http://books.google.com/books?id=1U0LAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA184&dq=diffused+focus+lenses&ei=Oh3yTsmKD4X8zAS2oOiGAQ&cd=7#v=twopage&q=diffused%20focus%20lenses&f=true

That was an excellent idea! I just put Google Books on my iPad and adding free books as we speak. This is one advantage of dealing with old information, all the copyright laws have expired and we can read the books/information for free.

Thanks,

Tim

Louis Pacilla
21-Dec-2011, 16:14
Louis, that link and section starting on page 146 is outstanding. Interesting how the questions and thoughts are so similar to today, but were being answered 100 years ago. Starting on about page 165 is an amazing section on chromatic vs spherical aberrations, focusing techniques....good stuff.

Hey Garrett, I could not agree with you more.

Tim Layton
21-Dec-2011, 16:30
Hey Garrett, I could not agree with you more.

That entire chapter (66 pages) basically lays out and tells you what you need to know about soft focus lenses. This was a real find... thanks for posting the link!

Tim

Jim Graves
22-Dec-2011, 23:54
But, in the link provided, pages 168-171, 174-175, 180-181, 190-191, and 208 and beyond of the text are omitted ... any idea where to find these???

alman1
23-Dec-2011, 06:51
full book there
http://www.archive.org/details/photominiature16newyuoft

Louis Pacilla
23-Dec-2011, 10:50
Hey Jim I still come up with Full View magazine at this link http://books.google.com/books?id=1U0LAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA184&dq=diffused+focus+lenses&ei=Oh3yTsmKD4X8zAS2oOiGAQ&cd=7#v=onepage&q=diffused%20focus%20lenses&f=true

The trick is to ignore the and do not click on the yellow tab "Results -25 of 43 in this book for diffused focus"

Instead There's a set of controls just above it (look for the word "Book" in red letters) that takes you to the entire full "New Photo-Minature" magazine. from there you can control (page size, single page, double page , Multi-page and full screen) .

Jim Graves
23-Dec-2011, 21:53
Thanks alman (for the full cite) and Louis ... you're right, it does all show up using the controls on the top line.

Very cool article ... and really nice to have summaries of the various soft-focus lenses.


Hey Jim I still come up with Full View magazine at this link http://books.google.com/books?id=1U0LAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA184&dq=diffused+focus+lenses&ei=Oh3yTsmKD4X8zAS2oOiGAQ&cd=7#v=onepage&q=diffused%20focus%20lenses&f=true

The trick is to ignore the and do not click on the yellow tab "Results -25 of 43 in this book for diffused focus"

Instead There's a set of controls just above it (look for the word "Book" in red letters) that takes you to the entire full "New Photo-Minature" magazine. from there you can control (page size, single page, double page , Multi-page and full screen) .