Good SF 8x10 Lens?

[tgtaylor]

What's a good SF lens for 8x10? I love the 250mm Imagon on 4x5 and am in the market for the 360mm Imagon w/disks but what would be a good runner-up to the Imagon?

Thomas

[TML74]

The 360 Imagon that I use is just perfect. If you can find one in shutter, it's a very nice lens to use for portrait in 8x10.
Thierry M.L.

[tgtaylor]

I hear ya Thierry. The 250mm on 4x5 is perfect and I'd love to get my hands on a 360mm for the 8x10.

Thoma

[jp]

Verito in your choice of size.
Reinhold Wollaston Meniscus if you don't need a shutter.
Kodak 405 portrait
magnifying glass
close up filter
Kodak 305 portrait works but was meant for 5x7.
too many good choices actually

[AtlantaTerry]

Verito in your choice of size.
Reinhold Wollaston Meniscus if you don't need a shutter.
Kodak 405 portrait
magnifying glass
close up filter
Kodak 305 portrait works but was meant for 5x7
too many good choices actually

How does one use a magnifying glass or close-up filter? Are there any articles here or elsewhere describing how to use one?

If I had to guess, I would say to find a Series filter holder that would accept the magnifying glass. Then somehow attach the filter holder to an empty shutter. Then focus to infinity and using a light meter take measurements off the ground glass to calculate what the maximum aperture is. (Also I believe there is a formula involving width and focal length but I don't remember how that works.)

For a shutter one could use a Packard. The thing I don't like about Packard shutters is that their shutter speed range is very limited. I would rather use a more "normal" shutter.

OK, once the magnifying glass or close-up filter is on the shutter we might want apertures. There would be two ways. One is a shutter with an aperture dial. But, of course, that won't necessarily be accurate so we can head back to the ground glass to use our light meter. Or we can make some Waterhouse stops.

Question: how are Waterhouse stops calculated? How large am I to make the holes?

[jp]

How does one use a magnifying glass or close-up filter? Are there any articles here or elsewhere describing how to use one?

If I had to guess, I would say to find a Series filter holder that would accept the magnifying glass. Then somehow attach the filter holder to an empty shutter. Then focus to infinity and using a light meter take measurements off the ground glass to calculate what the maximum aperture is. (Also I believe there is a formula involving width and focal length but I don't remember how that works.)

For a shutter one could use a Packard. The thing I don't like about Packard shutters is that their shutter speed range is very limited. I would rather use a more "normal" shutter.

OK, once the magnifying glass or close-up filter is on the shutter we might want apertures. There would be two ways. One is a shutter with an aperture dial. But, of course, that won't necessarily be accurate so we can head back to the ground glass to use our light meter. Or we can make some Waterhouse stops.

Question: how are Waterhouse stops calculated? How large am I to make the holes?

The aperture can be calculated based on the focal length (distance from ground glass) and diameter of the glass. Google it. Essentially a 50mm diameter lens with a 50mm focal length is f1. Extrapolate from there.

A waterhouse stop will reduce the light proportional to the area obstructed (area of lens compared to area of hole of stop) If your stop blocks half the light by reducing the area by half, you are one stop down.

If you use a shutter, just mount the glass behind it like a kodak-portrait/struss/spencer/pinkham&smith.

[John Kasaian]

How "soft?"
Never underestimate the power of pantyhose stretched over a lens---or gobs of K-Y lubricant on the edges of a filter.

[AtlantaTerry]

How "soft?"
Never underestimate the power of pantyhose stretched over a lens---or gobs of K-Y lubricant on the edges of a filter.

Any kind of gel can get messy. Instead, I make my own soft focus filters.

One way is to go to an old-fashioned hardware store and ask for flashlight lenses. These are round pieces of glass. If you are lucky you will find some that fit into a Series filter ring. Or have your local glass shop cut some sheets of glass to fit a filter holder that you probably have on hand. I have them cut 4x4 inch glass squares because those fit nicely into my Lindahl bellows matte box.

Safety: be sure the glass shop polishes the edges so you don't get cut.

Then you can modify the pieces of glass in several ways. One is to dab clear fingernail polish onto the glass in the shape of small circular beads. When they dry they act as lenses and break up the light. The rest of the light goes through the glass. Also because the glass is not optically pure it breaks up there as well. The fingernail polish can be removed with (of course) fingernail polish remover. But since the glass is so cheap I don't bother, I just make more SF filters.

Another way to modify the glass is to spray some clear acrylic into the air over the glass. When it settles, it will be a random mist on the filter. It will be permanent. Spray outdoors with the glass resting on a sheet of newspaper. Your lungs and spouse will thank you.

[Mark Sawyer]

The Verito, or if you do color, the Veritar, (an updated, achromatically-corrected Verito). The Imagon is also wonderful. The Kodak 405mm Portrait Lens is another good choice. The Velostigmat Series II (if you uncork" it) is excellent. I love the Cooke Portrait Lenses, but they may not go as soft as you'd like.

[Amedeus]

I shoot 8x10 with Eidoscope #2, Verito 18", Kodak 405mm, Vitax 16" and Gundlach Manhattan-Hyperion 18" ... they'r all different. I've done most work with the Eidoscope #2 on my Sinar P2, just a preference.

YMMV