Cookin' with Cooke! Please Post u'r Cooke Portrait lens shots

[Ari]

Colin, my lens does not have a soft-focus function, but because of focus shift, I stop down then focus.
This could apply to Cooke SF lenses as well, though I'm not sure at what stage to apply the SF.
My first guess would be stop down, apply the SF, then focus; then again, would one stop down AND apply SF as well?

[Jim Galli]

I don't know if it's correct or not, but I always set the soft focus ring to the number I want and then focus on the ground glass.

[Mark Sawyer]

With soft focus lenses, there is always a pronounced focus shift. Soft focus is achieved through spherical aberration*, which is also the cause of focus shift. As you close the aperture, the spherical aberration goes away and the focus shifts. So always focus a soft lens at the taking aperture.

Also, on lenses with adjustable soft focus, (Cooke Portrait, Series II Velostigmat, Portrait Unar, Dallmeyer B series, Universal Heliar...), always refocus after setting the softness where you want it.

* except a few rarities that achieve soft focus through chromatic aberration, but even then, the same principal holds true.

[Emil Schildt]

With soft focus lenses, there is always a pronounced focus shift. Soft focus is achieved through spherical aberration*, which is also the cause of focus shift. As you close the aperture, the spherical aberration goes away and the focus shifts. So always focus a soft lens at the taking aperture.

Also, on lenses with adjustable soft focus, (Cooke Portrait, Series II Velostigmat, Portrait Unar, Dallmeyer B series, Universal Heliar...), always refocus after setting the softness where you want it.

* except a few rarities that achieve soft focus through chromatic aberration, but even then, the same principal holds true.

Doesn't come any clearer! (pun intented.. )

[Tin Can]

My reference is found on this website. http://www.antiquecameras.net/softfocuslenses2.html Screen snip from this website for educational purposes only.

[macolive]

Betti

13x18cm paper negative

Cooke 300mm 3.5 full soft

Lovely portrait!

[Mark Sawyer]

My reference is found on this website. http://www.antiquecameras.net/softfocuslenses2.html Screen snip from this website for educational purposes only.

Just to round it out, here's a page from the 1930's Cooke catalogue at http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/cooke_2.html which explains, "The portrait should always be re-focused after diffusion to insure obtaining the exact effect desired." ( suspect this is the later reference you refered to, Randy?) Wollensak put out similar conflicting information on the Velostigmat Series II. I suspect some of the advertising copy may have been written by people with little photographic knowledge...

[ScottPhotoCo]

Thank you all very kindly. With this in mind I will have more images with the Cooke here soon.

Tim

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

A recent image with a 10.5" Cooke IIE, at f8 with no soft.



It fits perfectly on a 5x7 Home Portrait Graflex.

[Tin Can]

Just to round it out, here's a page from the 1930's Cooke catalogue at http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/cooke_2.html which explains, "The portrait should always be re-focused after diffusion to insure obtaining the exact effect desired." ( suspect this is the later reference you refered to, Randy?) Wollensak put out similar conflicting information on the Velostigmat Series II. I suspect some of the advertising copy may have been written by people with little photographic knowledge...

Yes, and there may be one more page somewhere.

I was confused in my early usage as I wanted to believe the pioneers...

...and the early way sounds easier!