Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Sawyer
Agreed. Even on the large format forum, about half the folks think of soft focus as "smear some Vaseline on the lens, or put a stocking over it." But then, I wouldn't be surprised if half the students at a Le Cordon Bleu cooking school ate lunch at Taco Bell...
Mark, you forgot .. the vaseline smear or stocking ( or smoke stained filter ) all require a clear spot in the middle, otherwise its not soft focus but a hot-mess ! MMMM, Taco Bell; a good, tastey way to get one's sodium content for the month for 99¢. I'm not going to translate what I heard "Chilito" is slang for, it's as funny as Chevy trying to market the "no va" to spanish speakers. Bernice I have gotten to 98,000 ! Thanks again for the bump, I love my adoring followers.
Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
There you go. A dirty lens, even if it's clean in the middle, is a poor imitation of the effects of spherical aberration...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jnantz
Mark, you forgot .. the vaseline smear or stocking ( or smoke stained filter ) all require a clear spot in the middle, otherwise its not soft focus but a hot-mess ! MMMM, Taco Bell; a good, tastey way to get one's sodium content for the month for 99¢. I'm not going to translate what I heard "Chilito" is slang for, it's as funny as Chevy trying to market the "no va" to spanish speakers. Bernice I have gotten to 98,000 ! Thanks again for the bump, I love my adoring followers.
Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Sawyer
There you go. A dirty lens, even if it's clean in the middle, is a poor imitation of the effects of spherical aberration...
I fergot to mention those tricks only work with one of those pretzel lenses
Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
This is like getting a deal on a pair of shoes and then expecting your feet to conform to them afterwards, comfortable or not. It's smart to buy view lenses that work with multiple formats; but these days the differential in the cost of respective sheet film sizes is a far bigger factor to consider than lenses per se, if expense is your priority.
Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
Interesting post to follow...
For me the choice of formats had and has more to do with my final presentation prints. Started out with 8x10 because I wanted to make contact silver FB prints. When I wanted to also print larger contact silver FB prints, acquired an 11x14. The preferred lenses I wanted for both formats just took time to acquire. Then began printing Platinum/Palladium prints from digital negatives. This allowed me to shoot film which did not have to match the final print sizes. For ease and portability shot 120, and when that wasn't a factor, shot whole plate. Also started to shoot FX digital. Lately have been choosing the format more based on the scenes that I want to photograph. Have done comparison shots of a scene with a Nikon D850 and my 11x14. Final 11x14 gallery framed prints from both formats, to most viewers, are indistinguishable. From 4 feet away I'd challenge anyone to ID the original format used to capture the scene... that is except for a friend who is an experienced LF and ULF photographer. Still weekly haul out the LF and ULF equipment just because I totally enjoy using it, but now most of the time shoot medium format digital... great for color and for making digital negatives for Platinum/Palladium. Exception now is when I want to experiment with darkroom Lith printing... 120 and 8x10 films my choice. 120 enlarges well and the 8x10 is for contact prints.
So now to the topic of lens availability.... just have never found it to be a problem. Hardest lens to acquire was a 5.9” No. 5 Gray Periscope lens for my 11x14. Took me 2 years to acquire this optic and have SK Grimes mount it into a shutter. For whole plate and 8x10, was a 330mm f/6.8 IA Raptar. Trick, I believe, is not to set one's sights on acquiring a Hypergon, Biogon, Apo-Lanthar, or similar "rare" optics. Unfortunately missed the boat on acquiring them in the 70s and 80s when their prices were more than reasonable. They are around but you have deep pockets to acquire any one them. Petzval lenses a whole other matter.... Acquired some back when they were all but given away, held onto them, and eventually sold them (with no regrets) to acquire my present LF and ULF lenses.
Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jnantz
I fergot to mention those tricks only work with one of those pretzel lenses
Now you're twisting my words in knots...
Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Sawyer
Now you're twisting my words in knots...
;) i've been in the mustard mines all day long...
Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jnantz
;) i've been in the mustard mines all day long...
All of the sudden, I'm hungry for pretzels and mustard.
Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
I let the design of my lens dictate my shots:
Extreme Wide Angle - LF imitation "selfie" photos with round faces and big noses
Fast Petzval - architectural shots of toilet functioning, to show proper Coriolis effect
Any Leica lens - to test viewers worthiness to detect the Leica Glow, or to find someone willing to say "but the king has no clothes!"
Re: Allowing Lens Availability to Dictate Format Choice
Double blind testing is not a good way to testing yet extremely accepted by the "industry".
Core problem is how individuals develop their point of reference, their ability to listen and what they hear blended with Cognitive Bias and Personal Preferences.
About 90+ percent of that stuff known as Audiophile is better termed Audio-Bile. As with many endeavors like this there are exceptions. If you're curious as to a interconnect technology that does make a difference based on very real ways of Nature and Physics.. Start at this Patent and look up the Patent holders other Patents, read, understand them then we can discuss... as deep technically as you wish. This interconnect is not wire, it is connections using a network which is distinctly different than wire in every way.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5142252
Bernice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Corran
Yes, I agree with you.
I'm reminded of the audiophiles who insist on the differences between a $10 cable and a $1,000 cable made of unobtanium and pixie-dust. Then when subjected to good double-blind tests, choose the wrong cable 75% of the time.