"Portrait" lenses - a weird question

[Oren Grad]

EBC Fujinon SF 4/85mm with the Imagon-like 'shower head' inside

In general, lenses made for 35mm SLRs won't cover anywhere near 4x5.

[Ted Harris]

To expand on Oren's comment Iwould guess that this lens was made specifically for 35mm. Since it is EBC coated it doesn't date back much earlier than 1978-1980. Fuji was well into the LF lens business then as well as now and I have seen no mention of this lens or anything like it in any of their lens literature that I have seen.

As to the original general question, "Do/Did any of the modern lens makers issue a "soft focus" lens in a shorter focal length (say, around 135mm's) that covers 4x5?" The answer for modern lenses is NO. AFAIK there weren't any classic soft focus lenses in shorter focal lengths. I could easily be wrong on this but when I was doing the research on classic soft focus lenses for the "Modern Soft Focus Lenses" article in the current issue of View Camera I didn't run across any shorter lenses that come to mind. In fact, most of the classic lenses were somewhat longer.

BTW, as an addendum to Michael Alpert's comment above the 'overlay' of aberrations accomplished by the Fuji SF and Rodenstock Imagon is only one way to get there. Most of the other soft focus lenses have gotten there by intentionally designing certain aberrations into the lens that only come into play after a certain aperture is reached or when the lens is rotated in a particular way.

[Oren Grad]

Since it is EBC coated it doesn't date back much earlier than 1978-1980.

From the extreme-trivia department: Fuji was offering EBC lenses in M42 for the ST701/801/901 by the early '70s - I have an ST801 brochure dated 4/73 which makes quite a fuss about it.

We now return to our regularly-scheduled LF programming...

[Ted Harris]

Blushing, yeah yeah yeah ..... actually 1971 maybe and 73 for sure ... I just saw a picture of an 801 from 73 and the lens says EBC.

Oh yeah, Oren .... you still using the camera <grin>?

[S. Preston Jones]

Michael,

Yes I do know that treating lenses to get them dirty or any of the methods which I mentioned or was mentioned in other responses does not make a soft focus lens. Additionally, not all soft focus lenses give the same look. I was merely indicating treatments which I found that I like. I have now and have had other "true" SF lenses. While I do like the effects which I get from them, I also like the effects from other methods of acheiving the soft focus look. Further the quetion asked by Chris was about shorter focal length lenses. I had hope he could see that he might be able get a soft focus look by trying various methods with other lenses.

[paulr]

i can't remember his name, but there's a guy in providence that had work in a group show with me, who used to make his own soft focus lenses. they weren't really portrait lenses ... more like creatively messed-up lenses. he would buy old optics at flea markets and take them apart and put them back together in unique ways, mixing and matching elements from lenses from different eras. the results ranged from beautiful holga-like soft focus that increases toward the edges, to total kaleidascopic acid trips.

[ronald moravec]

I am a lover of soft focus, but I gave my Fuji 85 4.0 away. It just doesn`t cut it.

Had a Veritar 250mm that was very nice. Also a 300mm Imagon in compound that was a gem. The 150 for the RB67 is a must have for portrait people. Thinking about buying another.

Still have a 120mm Imagon for Leica that is just about the same as the 300, a favorite.

There is nothing you can put inside, infront of, or behind any decent lens that will duplicate a true soft focus lens. I have tried tule, womens hose, grease, softars, and assorted soft focus filters. Nothing works. Neither does multiple exposures and slight refocusing.

Bite the bullit and get a real one. The new Cooke 239mm is what I would buy if the #3 Copal would fit on a 4" board. Otherwise a 250 Imagon.

[Mark Woods]

If you want the effect to last longer than the Pam, use paint or clear spray varnish (or some other clear finish). I've put a blast of the aerosol into the air and moved the filter through it. One could also set it on something and put a blast above it and let it settle. The effect will last as long as the paint is on the filter. If it's glass, one can clean the filter and not remove the paint. Heating clear plexi is another way to get an interesting filter and using rippled glass, or textured glass is another.

Kind Regards,

MW

www.markwoods.com

[Mark Woods]

You can put a bit of nylon stocking on the enlarging lens. It's a pretty effect. The photo on the FleetWood Mac Rumors album cover was enlarged using that technique.

Kind Regards,
MW

[Oren Grad]

Oh yeah, Oren .... you still using the camera ?

Nah, never owned one - I grew up in a Pentax household...