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Thread: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

  1. #1

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    Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Just sharing my fix to replace an iris on a Bausch&Lomb Portrait Plastigmat.

    One more working orphan to play with now

    http://amedeusphoto.zenfolio.com/blo...d-some-history

    The approach is similar to what I've done with the Ross Landscape lens few weeks back.

    Cheers,
    Last edited by Amedeus; 28-Jan-2018 at 12:29.

  2. #2
    LF/ULF Carbon Printer Jim Fitzgerald's Avatar
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    Re: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Rudi, so it does make sense to keep all of the parts we have. Nice job!!

  3. #3

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    Re: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Good to see it back in use, they're a favorite soft focus of mine.

  4. #4

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    Re: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Just for historic interest, my 15" Plastigmat has the glass modifier in the front and my 18" does not. No serial numbers for you. Out at work.

  5. #5

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    Re: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Galli View Post
    Just for historic interest, my 15" Plastigmat has the glass modifier in the front and my 18" does not. No serial numbers for you. Out at work.
    Thanks Jim, I find that the Portrait Plastigmat lenses have a relative short production life as far as I can tell based on serial numbers I own/seen.

    Cheers

  6. #6
    Mark Sawyer's Avatar
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    Re: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Quote Originally Posted by Amedeus View Post
    Thanks Jim, I find that the Portrait Plastigmat lenses have a relative short production life as far as I can tell based on serial numbers I own/seen.

    Cheers
    My 18-inch Portrait Plastigmat has the front element, a very weak meniscus single element, but I've seen others without.

    Let's see, the Portrait Plastigmat, the Portrait Unar, the Sigmar... what other soft-ish portrait lenses did B&L have out around that time?
    "I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."

  7. #7

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    Re: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Series A Portrait with diffusing adjustment (Petzval)
    Portrait Unar with diffusing adjustment (Anastigmat iirc)
    Portrait Plastigmat, single achromat and achromat+meniscus version, diffusion controlled by aperture
    Sigmar, triplet, like the Wollensak Varium, softish lens, not necessarily SF ...

    I believe that's all ...

    Cheers,

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Sawyer View Post
    My 18-inch Portrait Plastigmat has the front element, a very weak meniscus single element, but I've seen others without.

    Let's see, the Portrait Plastigmat, the Portrait Unar, the Sigmar... what other soft-ish portrait lenses did B&L have out around that time?

  8. #8

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    Re: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Quote Originally Posted by Amedeus View Post
    Series A Portrait with diffusing adjustment (Petzval)
    Portrait Unar with diffusing adjustment (Anastigmat iirc)
    Portrait Plastigmat, single achromat and achromat+meniscus version, diffusion controlled by aperture
    Sigmar, triplet, like the Wollensak Varium, softish lens, not necessarily SF ...

    I believe that's all ...

    Cheers,
    Out of curiosity, do you, like me, consider the diffusing on petzvals as perhaps a marketing scheme? I've not seen any real diffusion on these things.

  9. #9

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    Re: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Galli View Post
    Out of curiosity, do you, like me, consider the diffusing on petzvals as perhaps a marketing scheme? I've not seen any real diffusion on these things.
    I equally consider it marketing, move the lens, which defocusses and then adjust focus again to be mostly sharp again. Although on paper the spherical aberrations are different, the change is so small I can't pick up on it.

    YMMV,

  10. #10
    Jim Graves Jim Graves's Avatar
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    Re: Replacing a lost iris on B&L 15" EFL Portrait Plastigmat

    Quote Originally Posted by Amedeus View Post
    I equally consider it marketing, move the lens, which defocusses and then adjust focus again to be mostly sharp again. Although on paper the spherical aberrations are different, the change is so small I can't pick up on it.

    YMMV,
    The Vade Mecum speculates the Portrait 1-A diffusion adjustment was mainly effective for close-up portraits:

    The separation of the rear glasses was adjustable to control softness, and this may be most useful in close-up as it increases the depth and eveness of definition.

    I have Mr. Galli"s 9" 1-A (intended for 4x5) ... I have only shot it close-up on 8x10 for flowers and still life. When diffused and re-focused the effect is very subtle.

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