I have three 4x5 lenses and did a test taking portraits of my wife in my backyard with trees in the distance. My wife doesn't let me post the pictures of her, so I try to describe it with words:
- Schneider Symmar 210mm f/5.6 / 370mm f/12: Clinically sharp and harsh even at f/5.6. When I removed the rear elements, the bellows on my Linhof V didn't extend far enough to take portraits (closest focus was around 7 feet or so).
- Schneider Symmar 180mm f/5.6: The most modern of the bunch. Even sharper, you see every imperfection of the skin, every single wrinkle and pore. Pretty awful and unflattering unless you use very soft light. But when you remove the rear element, it become pleasantly soft with a nice swirly bokeh -- looking great for portraits! Made my wife instantly look 10 year younger. Needs full bellows extension and exposure compensation buy almost two stops to do so.
- Linhof branded Schneider 150mm f/5.6 / 265mm f/12: The oldest of the bunch, hence the softest to start with. Even with the rear elements in place, it renders very pleasant for portraits. The lack of modern coating helps with low contrast. Despite the shortest focal length, my preferred lens for portraits. But when you remove the rear elements, it becomes magical: nice & soft with great swirly bokeh. Love it! Bellows only extended half way even for tight closeup portraits, with little loss of light.
In any case, try removing the rear lens elements of your lenses, you might like it!
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