Ilex paragon soft focus ?

[taulen]

Hey,

just saw this ad on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Deardorff-8X10-Portrait-Camera-Studio-Stand-20-Paragon-Variable-Soft-Focus-/261099348072?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item3ccabbe068
20 inch Ilex Paragon soft focus. Anyone have more info on it ?
Anyone used it, examples ? I wished I lived in the states when stuff like this comes up =/

[dap]

From what I have seen/heard it is basically Ilex's version of Wollensak's diffused focus velostigmat II...basically a tessar with the option of messing with the lens spacing to achieve soft focus.

[Emil Schildt]

Fantastic lens!
As Dap says, it is like the wollensak, but because of the name "nobody" wants it... (prices are generally low).

A pity!

I have a 400mm and I LOVE it! So easy to use, and it is great for 24x30cm neg... so this is a big one! (I'd love to have it!)

Here are two images made with that lens:

http://www.apug.org/gallery1/files/4/8/8/7/inge96-2.jpg
Inge at 96

and

http://www.apug.org/gallery1/files/4/8/8/7/maj2.jpg
Maj at 16.

1750 for that whole outfit seems like a bargain (?)

[William Whitaker]

Crap! I used to live a stone's throw from High Point! Maybe it's a better thing that I don't live there anymore because I know what would be going on if I did...

[taulen]

Oh, wow gandolfi, thats fantastic.
And yeah, it really looks like a bargain. Someone is going to get lucky ;)

[CCHarrison]

You can read a bit about this lens and the other Ilex SF lenses here (part 3 of my Soft Focus lens articles ) http://antiquecameras.net/softfocuslenses3.html

Best
Dan

[taulen]

Thank you Dan !
Appreciate all =)

[Fotoguy20d]

Beautiful photos with that lens. And, Dan, thanks for your web page on these - helped me figure out what I was looking at.

I just ended up with not one but two of the 12" soft focus lenses. I thought I was getting a Series A and a newer one. Turned out the latter was even older (23000 serial vs 33000, and the patent is pending on that one) and also SF. I've never used the Wolly so I'm not sure how to approach these. Do I focus first and then dial in the softness or is it both at once, or softness and then focus? Also, how does softness vary with aperture? Do I want to use it wide open or stopped down (a little or a lot)?

Thanks,
Dan

[Fotoguy20d]

I've been playing with the 12" a bit tonight, just looking at the GG, and I'm not quite sure what I should be doing. When I focus first and dial In softness, everything seems to get soft. If I dial up the softness and then focus, everything seems to be pretty sharp. hard to tell on the GG but I don't want to burn through a lot of film trying to figure this out. Any advice?

Thanks,
dan

[Emil Schildt]

the latter.. or that's what I do..

chose your softnes and then focus - the final image will show more softnes than the GG (it is hard to see the suttleness on the GG.)

I normally use about full aperture, but I think it gets sharper by aperture..