Lens reccomendation for graflex RB?

[jnantz]

you could always shoot through obstructions ( opaque bags, make your own filters &c )
ive done this for years when things are too sharp, and it costs next to nothing

[Bill_1856]

There are frequently RAPID RECTILINEARs for sale CHEAP, (mostly with defunct elderly shutters, which you don't need since the Graflex has a focal-plane shutter). 8-10" should work fine.

[jp]

RR would be cheap and good, maybe a little slow but would get you the DOF.
A triplet like the Trioplan is very nice for portraits. Not dirt cheap, but less than a verito or cooke triplet.
If you want soft and don't want to pony up for a verito, The reinhold wollaston meniscus is pretty nice at f5.6-8.
You could make a lens with a magnifying glass like I did too. http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ight=spaghetti

[John Kasaian]

you could always shoot through obstructions ( opaque bags, make your own filters &c )
ive done this for years when things are too sharp, and it costs next to nothing

Great minds think alike! I was going to suggest a piece of milady's panty hose stretched over the lens and held on with a rubber band, or maybe a smear of K-Y lubricant (which can be easily removed with a damp cloth) applied to the outer edges of the lens.

[Jim Galli]

This might be fun to play with. It appears to be in SB really ugly condition but cheap enough to play with and the glass doesn't look bad. It has what appears to me to be a reddish cardboard home made aperture which if removed gives a nice f4.5 dialyt with plenty of image softening old school look flare. No relation what-so-ever to the seller. No dog in that race at all. Just throwing ideas out.

Another fun thing to try with a dialyt like this is to remove the front cell and replace it with a simple -1 or -2 diopter. They were doppel anastigmat meaning one cell could be used alone as an anastigmat, but with way too long a focus for your camera. The diopter brings it back in to the original focal length, but with no corrections. You might have to play with powers between -1 and -2 to find the one that gets you the focal length you want. This also works well with rapid rect designs.

For really soft, really cheap, search ebay for "snaplite". There's an old projector lens that's bigger in front than it is in back, and the front doublet out of one of those is gorgeous alone, and I believe in your focus range.

[skuuterboy]

The Schneider Xenar 3.5/210mm lens is a good fit on a 4x5 Graflex RB D. It is faster than the standard lens so is easier to focus and isn't a rare lens.

[Jim Noel]

I use a 10" Velostigmat. Not as crisp as a modern lens, but not soft either. A tree looks like a round tree.

[Mark Sawyer]

If the 190mm Ektar is a Tessar, you might also consider spacing the front element out slightly:

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...for-Soft-Focus

[Fotoguy20d]

an 8"-10" petzval will be bright, sharp enough but not too sharp, and shouldn't swirl much at all on 4x5. Barring that, I see my two favorites on the D, 8" Pentac and 8 3/4" Darlot have been mentioned. Any of the older Tessars, such as velostigmat or ilex paragon or B&L would be nice too.

Dan

[Lightbender]

OK, thanks all for the ideas.. I will start looking.