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Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Dallmeyer 10" f/3.5 Portrait Anastigmat w/soft focus
Following up on Professional's suggestion. I've been sick and so spent a lot of time in my studio (bedroom) over the weekend, and shot some examples for this lens on 4x5 (FP4) developed in Rodinal at 100/1. Since my models are on strike, these are all self-portraits. And since my fake Packard shutter is acting up, they were all shot (except the last) with the flash technique (I set everything up, turned out the lights, pulled the darkslide, sat down and triggered the flash).
To engage soft focus with this lens you merely unscrew the front element. It has been compared to the Cooke Knuckler, and I think the look is very similar. The Cooke has five marks for levels of soft focus, while this lens has ten turns before the threads begin to appear, so I am assuming that two turns on the Dallmeyer are equivalent to one mark on the Cooke (which I think my tests suggest is more or less correct). Interestingly, you can turn the element a further ten turns before it comes out of the barrel, so it is possible to "over-clock" the soft focus feature, but I have not dome that except in the last example.
I'm really not very good with soft focus, but these tests did suggest to me a way forward, and I think I will try again with some daylight and backlighting (and more attractive model).
f/16 full sharp
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...ps095033d6.jpg
f/16 full soft - A f/16 the soft effect is not too noticeable, at least with no background.
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0daa15eb.jpg
f/3.5 full soft - I forget to stop down after setting up this shot, so it was several stops overexposed, but it does give a sense of the extreme softness possible with this lens (especially consider there are nine more turns available!).
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...psb3f6925c.jpg
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Here are some crops round the eyes:
f/16 full sharp
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...ps190df21e.jpg
f/16 full soft - Its still pretty sharp due to the small f-stop, but notice the fine wrinkles under my right eye are blurred. I need that.
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...psb3f9adaf.jpg
f/3.5 full soft - This is too soft for me. I think the sweet spot must be around f/5.6 or 8 (more testing needed!)
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7137e379.jpg
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Here is one more, showing on one sheet of 4x5 diffusion at 0, 6 turns, 12 turns and 18 turns.
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7a6eb852.jpg
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
I have a question, are you talking about a specific soft focus lens or any soft focus lens?
I wish if you can mention some lenses so i can see if i have one or go and buy one and then use it when i can and post here, I saw your examples, but i will try to shoot something nice and worthy to show here, so please if you can list those soft focus lenses rather than the one you mentioned above it may help me, as i have no idea much about those soft focus lenses and i thought it is just an effect you do with any lens.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
A soft focus lens is intentionally soft, and most have adjustments from sharp to soft. Many were made in the early 20th century. Just google "soft focus lens" and you will find a lot of examples.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Nothing wrong with model!
Nice to escape hideous tattoos and worse!
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Professional
I have a question, are you talking about a specific soft focus lens or any soft focus lens?
I wish if you can mention some lenses so i can see if i have one or go and buy one and then use it when i can and post here, I saw your examples, but i will try to shoot something nice and worthy to show here, so please if you can list those soft focus lenses rather than the one you mentioned above it may help me, as i have no idea much about those soft focus lenses and i thought it is just an effect you do with any lens.
It's a big complicated genre of LF photography.
Check out the galli style thread and the soft focus lens sales thread for more examples and information. Also Russ Young's thesis on pictorial lenses.
For the photography, check out "After the Photo Secession" and "TruthBeauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845-1945"
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I too thought Professional's suggestion was a good one. And I like Tim's response.
Added to this is some inspiration I found in Raphael Goldchain's work "I am my Family" in which he recreates his lost family photos using himself as model. Truly one doesn't need to come from Europe in the middle of the 20th century to have very few examples of family photos from generations past.
Here then is my mother's father.
He was a life insurance salesman after his return from being gased in Belgium in The Great War. He was a great athlete before the war, playing Lacrosse on Ottawa area teams; afterwards he raised homing pigeons in the roof of his garage and often won ribbons at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto.
Pinkham and Smith 16" at f5.6; Ilford FP4 plusAttachment 113793
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Very nice ... thanks for sharing ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cowanw
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Very nice Bill. Is this a lens that was commonly used in Hollywood? For some reason to me it evokes a distinctly Hollywood glow.
I had some fun recently doing a shoot-off between my new Chinese pictorial lens and my Universal Heliar. The Heliar won, of course (its my favorite lens), but it surprising what you can do on the outer fringes of soft-focus with a stopped down $2.00 magnifying glass.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Amedeus
Very nice ... thanks for sharing ...
Thank you. this was my first picture post and it is nice to get a notice.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tim Meisburger
Very nice Bill. Is this a lens that was commonly used in Hollywood? For some reason to me it evokes a distinctly Hollywood glow.
I had some fun recently doing a shoot-off between my new Chinese pictorial lens and my Universal Heliar. The Heliar won, of course (its my favorite lens), but it surprising what you can do on the outer fringes of soft-focus with a stopped down $2.00 magnifying glass.
I don't know about Hollywood, but I will take the compliment.
Oddly enough my Grandfather's brother had his photo done with a Universal Heliar.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
My Grandfather had a family of 8 siblings and not unexpectedly the men all went off to war as they came of age after 1914 (or almost of age).
One was sent to Egypt and participated (with a much more famous mate) in the Arab Uprising. He was lucky to have a portrait done with a Universal Heliar while visiting Luxor by Attaya Gaddis, who experimented with both hard and soft settings.Attachment 115511Attachment 115512
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I have a Fujinon-W 180mm lens that is giving me some unexpected soft focus effects - here is a shot taken at f/8. Any ideas what happened to this lens?
Attachment 115518
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
If your front and rear standards were parallel and perpendicular to the earth, and extreme fall was not used, this should not happen. Check these settings.
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Attachment 116087Great great grandfather was a twin. Both were born in Quebec. he was a fur trapper, later fur trader. Retiring with his wealth from furs he moved to New York.
Heliar 14 inch f11
His brother was a Mountie and later emigrated to Australia
Attachment 116088
Heliar 14 inch f11
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Professional
...so please if you can list those soft focus lenses rather than the one you mentioned above it may help me, as i have no idea much about those soft focus lenses and i thought it is just an effect you do with any lens.
If you can track down a copy of Charles Abel's "Professional Portrait Lightings" from the 1940s, you will be able to compare many of the coveted soft-focus lenses. The book is a compilation of portraits made by many different photographers of the era and each photograph is accompanied by information about the equipment used including lenses. There are pictures made with Veritos, Heliars, Cookes, Vitaxes, etc. The book is a great visual reference to soft-focus and portrait lenses (and the price may reflect that fact).
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Bill, this is great, keep them coming...
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Thanks, its always encouraging to know someone is looking,
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I mentioned my great great grand uncle went to Australia, leaving the Mounties and joining the Western Australia Police Force. Later he started a Cattle station and his descendants are still there.
Here is his grandsonAttachment 116253
Veritar 14 inch at f6
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One of Granpa's brothers became a Anglican Minister in Montreal.
Here he is preparing for a sermon taken with a 12 inch Dallmeyer Adon telephoto not really a soft focus lens at a calculated f stop of 3.1
Attachment 116567
but when the barrel is shortened to become a 15 inch lens of f4.5 the lens renders this image.
Attachment 116568
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Dallmeyer Serrac 24cm f4.5
A little bit scratches on lens surface, finally got a soft effect.
Attachment 116620
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https://dcphotoartist.files.wordpres...wanchukbw1.jpg
Hermagis Eidoscope #5 (14"-ish) f5. Ilford FP4+, shot at f5, using a Galli shutter. Roughly 1/30th sec.
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Attachment 117449Granpa's brother, Arthur was a pilot in WW1 and also served in Palestine as a reconnaissance pilot with the Camel corps. his son also was a pilot in the Middle East later in WW2 in Egypt.
This is the son, my mother's cousin also called Arthur. He always wore a life vest as he couldn't swim and was afraid of ditching over water; despite flying in Egypt. I suppose the Mediterranean was a possibility
Heliar 14 inch at f5.6
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Plastica is simply not as good as Tim for a model, but here are my poor experiments with a Cooke Portrait Series II 10-1/2" shot on 5x7 at f4.5
This is a knuckler, which has markings for sharp, and detents for SF 1, 2, 3. Obviously this is a set of all 4 settings.
Attachment 118104Attachment 118105Attachment 118106Attachment 118107
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Randy, I like #3 the best!
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
LOL! Really? I gotta do some more testing! I have some pressure on me as I am invited to shoot film at a digital shoot with the goal of recreating some 30's Hollywood glamour portraits.
We will have 4 lovely pro models, hair and makeup specialists and plan to shoot the same studio setups 3 times. First with DSLR, then Mamiya RB 150mm SF lens and finally with this lens on 5x7. The pro DSLR shooter will do lighting and set up and we will all shoot ISO 100, well FP4+ sheets and Acros 100 roll film. No X-Ray I am afraid.
It will be a madhouse shoot for this old man, trying to keep with the kids. We will also shoot Fujiroids with the RB. I have only done glamour a couple times 12 years ago...
I plan to eat Wheaties for breakfast. and it just occurs to me, I will be the only male.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jim Fitzgerald
Randy, I like #3 the best!
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Sounds like a tough assignment:rolleyes:
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Randy Moe
Randy: a question:
When you turn for more soft, do you then re focus?
To me these soft ones doesn't look soft, but more unsharp.. and if you don't refocus that will happen..
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Randy, I like #2 Best!
For your considerations, I have two samples:
A 7 inch TT&H Cooke:
http://richardmanphoto.com/PICS/2014...d-383-Edit.jpg
And a "Galli Special" single element ~150mm:
http://richardmanphoto.com/PICS/2014...d-381-Edit.jpg
I am hoping to get the 10.5" TT&H Cooke soon as well.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
gandolfi
Randy: a question:
When you turn for more soft, do you then re focus?
To me these soft ones doesn't look soft, but more unsharp.. and if you don't refocus that will happen..
My thoughts exactly! Every lens I've ever tried that had adjustable softness (Cookes, Velostigmats, Paragons, Vitaxes, Ilex Portrait Lenses...) needed refocusing after the sharp/soft setting was changed.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
For these images, I did not refocus as when I tried that with observation on GG it just sharpened up. I think the old brochure says focus it in the sharp setting and then shift the lens to SF. I will try a #3 max SF position with refocus, but I doubt that's what I want.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
gandolfi
Randy: a question:
When you turn for more soft, do you then re focus?
To me these soft ones doesn't look soft, but more unsharp.. and if you don't refocus that will happen..
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Wollensak says to focus the Veritar SFL on the nearest point of the subject at f8 and then stopping down to the taking aperture (everything behind the focus point is in focus and everything before that point is not). This is similar to Pentax's instructions for its 67 120mm SFL.
Thomas
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Randy Moe
For these images, I did not refocus as when I tried that with observation on GG it just sharpened up. I think the old brochure says focus it in the sharp setting and then shift the lens to SF. I will try a #3 max SF position with refocus, but I doubt that's what I want.
Many lenses with the adjustable soft/sharp option have limited travel of that setting, so the softness is subtle, just enough to soften skin texture and blemishes a little. That's why some are "uncorked", ie, the setting restrictor removed. The softness of the Cooke's is understated, but effective for its purposes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tgtaylor
Wollensak says to focus the Veritar SFL on the nearest point of the subject at f8 and then stopping down to the taking aperture (everything behind the focus point is in focus and everything before that point is not). This is similar to Pentax's instructions for its 67 120mm SFL.
Thomas
Those lenses don't have a soft focus adjustment. All lenses that I've run across that have the soft/sharp adjustment change focal length slightly when that setting is changed, so they need to be re-focused.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Scroll down to Diffusion control and read how Cooke advertisements say to use these lenses.
inho
Here
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We need Jim Galli and Mr Gunks opinion. I have only shot meniscus portrait lenses before and I have the devil of the time focusing them. I was going to give up on SF until I read the Cooke advertisement on Diffusion Control.
I hope I do not need to refocus after setting the SF position.
Shooting more tests today, while ignoring the Futbol game which is huge in my neighborhood.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Randy Moe
We need Jim Galli and Mr Gunks opinion. I have only shot meniscus portrait lenses before and I have the devil of the time focusing them. I was going to give up on SF until I read the Cooke advertisement on
Diffusion Control.
I hope I do not need to refocus after setting the SF position.
Shooting more tests today, while ignoring the Futbol game which is huge in my neighborhood.
Ill bet you have to...
The change of softness is more subtle on the matt screen than in the final image...
(Football is almost over... voting for one of them.. :) )
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Hi Randy. You have to refocus the Cooke because adjusting softness changes focal length.
Best, Tim
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Sawyer
Many lenses with the adjustable soft/sharp option have limited travel of that setting, so the softness is subtle, just enough to soften skin texture and blemishes a little. That's why some are "uncorked", ie, the setting restrictor removed. The softness of the Cooke's is understated, but effective for its purposes.
Those lenses don't have a soft focus adjustment. All lenses that I've run across that have the soft/sharp adjustment change focal length slightly when that setting is changed, so they need to be re-focused.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Randy Moe
Scroll down to Diffusion control and read how Cooke advertisements say to use these lenses.
inho
Here
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Randy Moe
We need Jim Galli and Mr Gunks opinion. I have only shot meniscus portrait lenses before and I have the devil of the time focusing them. I was going to give up on SF until I read the Cooke advertisement on
Diffusion Control.
I hope I do not need to refocus after setting the SF position.
Shooting more tests today, while ignoring the Futbol game which is huge in my neighborhood.
Mark is 100% correct. You set to softness you wish and then focus and use your back movements so the plane of focus is in the right place then sqweeze the bulb.
The Cooke Portrait lens is much like Vitax & Dallmeyer and Velostigmat II (with out uncorking) only or mostly makes center portion of the image circle "less" sharp and that blends the super sharp center with the far less sharp outer parts of the image. doing away with some of the retouching. It does NOT produce diffusion and the atmosphere(not much anyhow) that lenses like the Struss,P&S I II II IV V,Verito, Gundlach Achromatic Portrait & Hyperion, Kodak Portrait, Imagon, Plastigmat Portrait, Kalostat, Bodine and so on which are Pictorial photographers tools of choice. They are different animals. Both types are/can be superb portrait lenses they just have different looks.
Set the amount of softness "less central sharpness" then focus and use your movements on the camera to place the plane of focus in the best position stop down a touch if needed & then sqweeze the bulb.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Note that the 1911 Cooke advertisement (reproduced on Dan's site and linked to earlier here), states, "It is necessary merely to set the diffusion control at 'Sharp," focus in the ordinary way, and before exposing the plate, rotate the front portion of the lens-mount until the desired softness and roundness appear on the ground glass."
However, in the 1930's catalog on the Camera Eccentric site, under the Portric's description (page 12), Cooke states, "The portrait should always be re-focused after diffusion to insure obtaining the exact effect desired."
With manufacturers disagreeing with themselves over proper usage, I can see how confusion reigns. Wollensak published similar conflicting information on focusing with their Velostigmat. So, really, there's only one source you can trust:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Louis Pacilla
Mark is 100% correct...
:rolleyes: ;) :p
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Thanks Mark, I was just going to post the same thing AFTER I read both conflicting brochures 4 times. It may be the lenses are different from 1911 and earlier or by 1930 they changed their minds.
I'm a concrete thinker, head like a brick, and am a huge proponent of trying to read and understand our great grandfathers. That's how I learned engine testing, primarily from 1920's books. I actually read manuals for enjoyment...
I am drying 4 more test films where I try variations. I let negs dry overnight and I will post these new results Monday.
In addition it has now occurred to me, I need to shoot film 2 stops faster than my DSLR buddy to use the same aperture and lighting. Bellows and filter factor. duh! Good thing I have plenty of HP5.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Sawyer
Note that the 1911 Cooke advertisement (reproduced on Dan's site and linked to earlier here), states, "It is necessary merely to set the diffusion control at 'Sharp," focus in the ordinary way, and before exposing the plate, rotate the front portion of the lens-mount until the desired softness and roundness appear on the ground glass."
However, in the 1930's catalog on the Camera Eccentric site, under the Portric's description (page 12), Cooke states, "The portrait should always be re-focused after diffusion to insure obtaining the exact effect desired."
With manufacturers disagreeing with themselves over proper usage, I can see how confusion reigns. Wollensak published similar conflicting information on focusing with their Velostigmat. So, really, there's only one source you can trust:
:rolleyes: ;) :p
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Fortunately with these lenses, and a few others, what you see is what you get. I play with the focus and the soft adjustment or iris of this type, until the ground glass looks like I want. Other lenses, such as Pinkhams and Struss, are more difficult to know what you'll get until you develop the film. For those, you better have a good plan, and take notes.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
That is what I am observing, what I see is what I get.
They sure are well made.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
goamules
Fortunately with these lenses, and a few others, what you see is what you get. I play with the focus and the soft adjustment or iris of this type, until the ground glass looks like I want. Other lenses, such as Pinkhams and Struss, are more difficult to know what you'll get until you develop the film. For those, you better have a good plan, and take notes.
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Now that I think about it, there's two ways to focus the Pentax 67 SF 120: The easiest way is to focus at f8 or f11 and then stop down to the desired softness since the focus obtained at that aperture closely approximated the offset. The second, and most accurate, is to focus at the taking aperture. I never could do the latter. Could it be that you should focus on the subjects nearest point as stated by Wollensak? Wollensak goes on to state that if you focused at f6 (the aperture where the Veritar turns soft, you should focus on a plane in front of that point.
Thomas
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
goamules
Fortunately with these lenses, and a few others, what you see is what you get...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Randy Moe
That is what I am observing, what I see is what I get...
We rely so much on the old literature, we forget they were using different materials. The old ortho films made things a bit less predictable, as you'd see in one set of wavelengths and photograph in another. Predicting the aberrations of a soft lens compounded the problem. But modern films have been matched to the visible spectrum for a long time. There are still some changes (like seeing in color but recording in monochrome), but it gets fairly predictable pretty fast.
And then there's wet plate...
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Randy Moe
That is what I am observing, what I see is what I get.
They sure are well made.
And I respectfully disagree... What you see it not what you get.. as you said earlier you thought they looked "too" sharp when re focusing, but in my experience the end result will be more soft than the matt screen can show you..
I don't know about Struss and P&S - never tried them...
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Gandolfi,
I'm sure that affect happens, it's hard to really judge softness on a ground glass anyway. And I trust your experience and great shooting of these lenses.
Most post 1920 soft lenses were achromats. Plastigmats for example advertised that what you saw as you focused would be exactly what the film would record. This was "new" and different from earlier lenses, like semi achromat meniscus' which operated on chromatic aberration. Also, like Mark says, the films of the day were mostly working on just part of the spectrum. So you really had to think about how you were focusing. By 1925, most soft focus lenses were operating by spherical aberration, not chromatic, and the films were panachromatic. So you could focus a Verito, and capture what you were seeing. I believe the Cooke triplets would be this way too. And their softness is pretty weak anyway.
Other lenses remained semi-achromat up until the 1950s, like the Kodak 305 and 405 portrait. If you read Kodak's focusing instruction for those, it's pretty complicated. I suspect because it still was working somewhat on chromatic aberration.
On a different comment, someone above said Cookes were "sharp in the middle, and more soft towards the edges..." or such. I don't believe that's true, they are diffuse all across the frame, like a Portrait Unar, Heliar, or Diffused Velostigmat. But I don't shoot Cookes much. Mark?
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Quote:
Originally Posted by
goamules
On a different comment, someone above said Cookes were "sharp in the middle, and more soft towards the edges..." or such. I don't believe that's true, they are diffuse all across the frame, like a Portrait Unar, Heliar, or Diffused Velostigmat. But I don't shoot Cookes much. Mark?
I just looked at some old portraits made with my Cookes to be sure. The Cookes do stay sharp into the corners, even in the soft setting wide open, but they do have a softened appearance to textures. One thing that may cause people to think they're soft is that wide open (where you'd have to use a Cooke to get any appreciable softness), the corners are usually out of focus anyways.
One thing that may be happening is that the focal plane is curving more when the spacing changes to the soft configuration, but depending on the three-dimensional subject, that could make the corners more or less out-of-focus. The soft adjustment on Petzval soft-focus lenses does this, but I'm not sure about other configurations...
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Set B, file labeled with settings. All F4.5 Cooke Series II 10-1/2" light yellow filter. Ilford FP4+ cropped to 4x5.
When focused, attempted to use left eye model light highlight.
Attachment 118212Attachment 118213Attachment 118214Attachment 118215
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Re: Soft-Focus Lens Examples
Image 3 and 4 are both SF setting #2. To me the diffusion or softness looks similar. #3 image is refocused and #4 image is shifted with the knuckler to SF 2 position and not refocused.
Perhaps some are looking for something else, however I am looking for this lens to shoot sharp for men and then easily shift to a slightly diffused look for young women.