Rodenstock Imagon

[Mark Sawyer]

This is as soft as my 360mm Imagon gets with the h/5.8 disk (holes open).

[Mark Sawyer]

For comparison, here's one from my 300mm Imagon wide open, no disk.

[Tin Can]

Like both Mark

but do worry about black eye

that little sparkle on the ring is nice too

[Mark Sawyer]

Like both Mark

but do worry about black eye

that little sparkle on the ring is nice too

Thank you! Yeah, the black eye is a bit worrisome, but that's what happens when little girls put on make-up! On the original print, you can see a little Kuhn-bug where the ring sparkles. I hate Kuhn-bugs...

[Daniel Unkefer]

Yep. I sold my two smaller P6 mount Imagons to "Mr. Pentacon Six", a friend from the crazy Kiev Delphi Forums. He did an extensive writeup on the lenses, on his website http://www.pentaconsix.com/

Edit: He must have sold them on, I don't see them there anymore. They worked good on my Makiflexes

These days I still have all the Imagons from 200mm up to 420mm. Matching lens pairs I use on my 5x7 Norma Twin Lens in 200mm and 250mm

[Serge S]

Is an imagon hard to focus?
Just wondering as the image is softer by design...wondering how it's done or if anything special techniques are involved.

Thanks in advance!

[Corran]

New Imagon user but from my short experience thus far the "core" image is very sharp and easy to focus. Take a look at the two latest images I've posted (here or on Instagram) and you'll see the Imagon has some snap to it, along with the soft diffusion and "bloom."

I have yet to use any strainers.

Now I want one of the wider focal lengths as well (150mm) for wider imaging / smaller formats...and maybe a big one for ULF...

[Daniel Unkefer]

Indeed it is almost there are two images superimposed. The hard core sharpness (distinct sharp eyelashes, for instance) pore detail (fidelity!), but with an overlying softness. "Blooming" is a good description. The classic way to use the Imagon is with specular sharp light, like spotlighting, nowadays with those new specular studio lights. To get the maximum famous "Imagon Effect". I have a lot of old literature, some in German. Imagons are cool

250 Imagon Makiflex Foma by Nokton48, on Flickr

Makiflex Std, 250mm Rodenstock Imagon, H5.8 Imagon Disk with Imagon ND Filter, Foma 200 roll film, Legacy Pro Mic-X, Replenished.

[Bernice Loui]

Imagon and other Soft Focus lenses are NOT difficult to focus, focusing is a learned skill. Suspect part of the focusing difficulty comes from using normal "sharp" lenses that have a hard transition from in to out of focus. Soft focus lenses tend to have a soften core of softness surrounded by areas of low contrast dispersed image light which can cause confusion due to the lack of hard transitions from in to out of focus.

~Focus at the exposure aperture is essential. These are not focus at full aperture then "stop down" to exposure lenses.. Not gonna work.

Soft focus lenses will lower image contrast, this is inherent with soft focus lenses. They work best when hard light is used, image tend to become low contrast mush when diffused or "soft" light is used with soft focus lenses.







200mm Imagon, H7.7 disc, Linhof TK23s...


If the Imagon bugs are not wanted, use the strainer disc with the holes closed or make a round aperture disc as needed to control the degree of softness, Not exposure aperture. Controlling exposure "f-stop#" should be done using ND filters or dialing the lighting up or down or by shutter speed or film ISO..


Bernice

[Tin Can]

I shot this sitter very quickly 100's of D750 Zoom Lens Paul C Buff Strobes

after I shot as tribute to Josephine Baker with Delta 100 11X14 360 Imagon big holes

Wonderful model, done in 30 minutes, then we drank red wine

Erin B&W by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

For Barbara X-Ray Erin as Ms Baker by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr